About the Author


Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l was an international religious leader, philosopher, and respected moral voice. The author of over 35 books, he received multiple awards in recognition of his work including the 2016 Templeton Prize. He was the recipient of 18 honorary doctorates, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in October 2009. Rabbi Sacks zt”l served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. Rabbi Sacks zt”l was born on the 8th March 1948 and passed away on the 7th November 2020 (Shabbat Kodesh 20th MarCheshvan 5781).
These weekly teachings from Rabbi Sacks zt”l are part of the ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah reading. Read more essays from the series on www.rabbisacks.org.
Also available: The FAMILY EDITION of Covenant & Conversation, designed to enhance your parsha conversation with everyone from teenagers to great-great-grandparents. To read and print this family-friendly learning resource, for an inter-generational discussion around your Shabbat table on Rabbi Sacks’ ideas for the week, please click here.


Parsha: Why We Value What We Make

Why the greatest gift is to give people the chance to create.

Parsha: The Power of Empathy

You have been oppressed; therefore come to the rescue of the oppressed, whoever they are.

Parsha: The Bond of Loyalty and Love

Parsha: The Longer, Shorter Road

Lasting achievement takes time.

Parsha: Freewill: Use It Or Lose It

Freedom is not a given, nor is it an absolute. We have to work for it.

 

Why Judaism Should Matter to You

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the greatness of being Jewish.

Parsha: God Loves Those Who Argue

A safe space is not one in which you silence dissenting views.

Five Ideas for Life

Some ideas worth thinking about as we begin our journey into a new calendar year.

Parsha: What It Takes To Forgive

How Joseph was a trailblazer in the art of forgiveness.

Parsha: The First Psychotherapist

How to change the way we feel by changing the way we think.

Parsha: Jews and Economics

Why there are so many Jewish lawyers fighting injustice, doctors fighting disease, teachers fighting ignorance, and economists fighting poverty.

Parsha: Improbable Endings and the Defeat of Despair

We live life facing the future, but we understand life only when it has become our past.

Parsha: The Struggle of Faith

Jacob was a Beethoven, not a Mozart.

Parsha: Out of the Depths

Sometimes it is when we feel most alone that we discover we are not alone.

Parsha: Why Isaac? Why Jacob?

Parsha: The World's Oldest Man

To survive tragedy and trauma, first build the future. Only then, remember the past.

Parsha: The Space Between Us

Parsha: Inner-Directedness

Being a Jew requires the courage to be different.

Parsha: The Trace of God

The importance of seeing the image of God in others.

Parsha: The Faith of God

When God gave humans the freedom to act well, he gave them the freedom to act badly.

Sukkot and Living in the Age of Insecurity

Throughout the ages Jews experienced risk and uncertainty, yet they still rejoiced while sitting under the shadow of faith.

Parsha: Moses the Man

Moses exemplifies how a human being, without ever ceasing to be human, can become a giant of the moral life.

Understanding Prayer: 10 Short Videos on How Prayer Can Change Your Life

Engaging heart, mind and soul in this central Jewish practice.

Parsha: Why Be Jewish?

We are all part of the ever-folding Jewish story.

Parsha: Covenant & Conversation

The centrality of speech.

Parsha: Two Types of Hate

Unconditional, irrational hatred cannot be reasoned with.

Parsha: The Consent of the Governed

Parsha: The Limits of Grief

Judaism and striking the right balance of grief.

Parsha: Why Civilisations Fail

The real challenge is not poverty but affluence, not insecurity but security, not slavery but freedom.

Parsha: Philosophy or Prophecy?

 

Facing the Future without Fear, Together

Three ways we can move from the politics of "me" to the politics of "all of us, together."

Parsha: The Book of the Covenant

Parsha: Influence and Power

Joshua’s two crucial roles and Judaism’s ambivalence about power.

 

The Mutation of Anti-Semitism

Why the rise of anti-Semitism across Europe and around the world presents a danger not just for Jews, but for all who care about our common humanity.

Parsha: Descartes' Error

Parsha: A Lesson in Conflict Resolution

Why didn’t the death of Korach and his followers end the conflict?

Parsha: Freedom Needs Patience

God gives us the space to express our human freedom, choice and responsibility.

Parsha: Leadership Beyond Despair

Great Jewish leaders feel they’re summoned to a task that must be done however inadequate they know themselves to be.

Parsha: The Pursuit of Peace

Peace isn’t merely the absence of war or strife. It means completeness, perfection.

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: What Jerusalem Means to Me

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of reunification.

Parsha: Minority Rights

Parsha: Judaism's Three Voices

The ethics of the king, the priest and the prophet.

Parsha: Is There Such a Thing as Good Speech?

Evil speech puts people down, good speech lifts them up.

Parsha: The Light of Holiness

Becoming partners with God in creation.

Parsha: The Sin Offering

Why should unintentional sins require atonement at all? What guilt is involved?

Parsha: Encampments and Journeys

The depth of what it means to be a wandering Jew.

Parsha: The Sabbath: First Day or Last?

Parsha: Who is Honored?

Parsha: In the Details

God is in the details, and the details are everywhere.

Parsha: God's Nudge

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