Posts Tagged: jonathan sacks
Judaism Teaches Us the Necessity of Asking Questions and Raising Our Children to Do So
It is no accident that parshat Bo, the section that deals with the culminating plagues and the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, should turn...
We Must Have Freedom in Order to Speak Truth
In this week's parsha, Moses is not upfront with Pharaoh. If he does not tell him a lie, he does tell him less than the full truth. Here is...
The Promise of American Renewal
On 20th January 2017, one of the great rituals of modern politics will take place: the inaugural address of a new President of the United...
Our Children’s Legacy Is Ours, Too
Our parsha this week contains the most serene description of old age and dying of anywhere in the Torah: “Then Abraham breathed his last and...
The Miracle of Children
There is a mystery at the heart of Jewish existence, engraved into the first syllables of our recorded time. The first words of God to Abraham...
We Are What We Remember
One reason that religion has survived in the modern world -- despite four centuries of secularization -- is that it answers the three questions every...
The Limits of Love
In a parsha laden with laws, one in particular is full of fascination. Here it is: If a man has two wives, one loved, the other unloved...
The Greatness of Humility
At a dinner to celebrate the work of a communal leader, the guest speaker paid tribute to his many qualities: his dedication, hard work and...
The Unmatched Power of Joy
On October 14, 1663, the famous diarist Samuel Pepys paid a visit to the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Creechurch Lane in the city of...
The Listener, Not the Speaker, Can Often Change the World
It is one of the most important words in Judaism, and also one of the least understood. Its two most famous occurrences are in last...
How to Grow Old Gracefully, Successfully and With Joy
On March 27, 2012, to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Queen, an ancient ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace. A number of institutions presented...
Your Word Is Your Bond, So Keep It
This week’s parsha opens with an account of the laws of vows and oaths. What is it doing here near the end of the book...
What Makes God Laugh
There is an old saying that what makes God laugh is hearing our plans for the future. However, if Tanakh is our guide, what makes God...
Hierarchy and Politics: The Never-Ending Story
It was a classic struggle for power. The only thing that made it different from the usual dramas of royal courts, parliamentary meetings, or corridors...
