Posts Tagged: jonathan sacks
Often Times, There Is No ‘Right Way’ in Judaism
What was the first commandment? On this question, there are two fascinating disagreements in Judaism. One was between Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) and the author of...
Devarim: The Book of the Covenant
As we begin reading the fifth and final book of the Torah this week, I would like to discuss three questions. First, why does the...
Understanding the Prophets
During the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and Tisha b’Av -- as we recall the destruction of the Temples -- we read three of the most searing...
The Difference Between Influence and Power
Knowing that he is about to die, Moses turns to God and asks Him to appoint a successor: Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord,...
Korach: A Lesson in Conflict Resolution
The Korach rebellion was the single most dangerous challenge to Moses’ leadership during the 40 years that he led the people through the wilderness. The precise...
We Must Work for Peace, Not Just Pray for It
The parsha of Naso seems, on the face of it, to be a heterogeneous collection of utterly unrelated items. First, there is the account of the Levitical...
The Duality of Jewish Time
Time plays an enormous role in Judaism. The first thing that God declared holy was a day -- Shabbat -- at the conclusion of creation. The...
New York Times Erroneously Claims ‘Jewish Time Is Circular’
A New York Times book review begins: When I was a student in yeshiva, I asked one of the rabbis why Jews talk so much. We...
We Must Plan for the Future, or Watch Our World Collapse
In her recent book, The Watchman’s Rattle (subtitled "Thinking our way out of extinction"), Rebecca Costa delivers a fascinating account of how civilizations die. Their problems become...
Atoning for Unwitting Sins
This week's parsha, Vayikra, is about sacrifices. And though the laws we learn in it have been inoperative for almost 2,000 years, the moral principles...
Why the Journey of Life Never Ends
Right at the end of the book of Shemot, there is a textual difficulty so slight that it is easy to miss. But -- as...
Is Shabbat the First Day or the Last?
In the immensely lengthy and detailed account of the making of the Tabernacle, the Torah tells the story twice: first via Divine instruction, and then by human implementation....
God Can Only Push Us So Far — The Rest Is Up to Us
In Yitro, we encountered the Aseret Hadibrot -- the “ten utterances” (or general principles) of Judaism. Now, in Mishpatim, come the details. Here is how they...
Do We Seek Justice or Peace?
The parsha for Yitro, which contains the greatest Divine revelation in history (at Mount Sinai), begins on a note that is all too human. Yitro, the...
