Jonathan Sacks
ARTICLES BY: Jonathan Sacks
The Blessing of Love
I confess to a thrill every time I read these words: Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say...
Equality Begins With Education
The parsha of Bamidbar is generally read on the Shabbat before Shavuot, z’man matan torateinu -- “the time of the giving of our law,” the...
The Power of a Curse: the Need for Deterrence
The book of Vayikra draws to a close by outlining the blessings that will follow if the people are faithful to their covenant with God....
Parshat Emor and Coronavirus: The Only Guarantee Is Uncertainty
There is something very strange about the festival of Sukkot, on which our parsha is the primary source. On the one hand, it is the...
The Ethic of Holiness
Kedoshim contains the two great love commands of the Torah. The first is, “Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18). Rabbi Akiva called...
A Lesson from the Torah: Vilification and Evil Speech Are Destroying the World
At the risk of disclosing a spoiler, I would like to begin this week’s Covenant & Conversation by discussing the 2019 film A Beautiful Day...
Parshat Shemini: How Judaism Warned of Climate Change and Other Dangers
The story of Nadav and Avihu, Aaron’s two eldest sons who died on the day the Sanctuary was dedicated, is one of the most tragic...
Parshat Tzav: Left- and Right-Brain Judaism
The institution of the Haftorah -- reading a passage from the prophetic literature alongside the Torah portion -- is an ancient one, dating back at...
Anyone Who Mistreats Other Human Beings Is Not a Pious or Religious Jew
Sacrifices, the subject of this week’s parsha, were central to the religious life of Biblical Israel. We see this not only by the sheer space...
This Week’s Parsha: Communities and Crowds
Melanie Reid is a journalist who writes a regular column for London's The Times. A quadriplegic with a wry lack of self-pity, she calls her...
Parhsat Ki Tissa: Moses Annuls a Vow
Kol Nidre, the prayer said at the beginning of Yom Kippur, is an enigma wrapped in a mystery, perhaps the strangest text ever to capture...
Parshat Tetzaveh: Dressing to Impress
Tetzaveh, with its elaborate description of the “sacred vestments” which the Priests and the High Priest wore “for glory and for splendor,” seems to run...
What Do We Receive When We Give?
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me; take My offering from all whose heart moves them to...
Parshat Mishpatim: We Must Understand in Our Own Way
Two words we read toward the end of our parsha -- na’aseh ve-nishma, “We will do and we will hear” -- are among the most...
Iran Says Nuclear Work Will Not Be Hurt by End of US Sanctions Waivers
Islamic State Calls COVID-19 God’s Punishment for Foes: Tape