Jonathan Sacks
ARTICLES BY: Jonathan Sacks
The Torah Is a Way to See the World
When I was Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, I had wonderful friendships with other religious leaders, not least the two...
The Message of the Torah: ‘Out of the One, Many’
In the glorious song with which Moses addresses the people, he invites them to think of the Torah -- their covenant with God -- as...
The Torah as God’s Song
At the end of his life, having given the Israelites at God’s behest 612 commandments, Moses gave them the final mitzvah: “Now therefore write down...
Why Do Jews Drift Away From Judaism?
When I was a student at university in the late 1960s -- the era of student protests, psychedelic drugs, and the Beatles meditating with the...
The Jews Are a Nation of Storytellers
Howard Gardner, professor of education and psychology at Harvard University, is one of the great minds of our time. He is best known for his...
Animal Welfare in Judaism
The parsha of Ki Teitse is about relationships: between men and women, parents and children, employers and employees, lenders and borrowers. Strikingly, though, it is...
The Torah and the Ecological Imperative
In the course of setting out the laws of war, the Torah adds a seemingly minor detail that became the basis of a much wider...
Parshat Re’eh: The Only Way to Be Happy Is to Share Happiness With Others
If we were to ask what key word epitomizes the society Jews were to make in the Promised Land, several concepts would come to mind:...
Why Jews Must Remember History
In Eikev, Moses sets out a political doctrine of such wisdom that it can never become redundant or obsolete. He does it by way of...
Parshat Va’etchanan: Why the Jewish People Are So Small
Near the end of parshat Va’etchanan is a statement with such far-reaching implications that it challenges the impression that has prevailed thus far in the...
In Judaism, Teachers Are the Heroes
Imagine the following scenario: You are 119 years and 11 months old. The end of your life is in sight. Your hopes have received devastating...
The Torah and the Religious Significance of Israel
In this week's parsha, the long journey is nearing its close. The Jordan is almost within sight. We have read the long itinerary of stops...
Taking a New Look at the Book of Deuteronomy
Below is an excerpt from the book Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Vol V: Deuteronomy: Renewal of the Sinai Covenant,...
Parshat Matot: Judaism Believes That Children Are the Future
The Israelites were almost within sight of the Promised Land. They had successfully waged their first battles. They had just won a victory over the...
Following Netanyahu’s Failure to Form a Government, What Comes Next?
For Syrian Kurds, a Leader’s Killing Deepens Sense of US Betrayal
Trump’s Disgraceful Letter to Erdogan
Abbas Doesn’t Allow Palestinians to Go to Israeli Hospitals — Unless They’re His Friends
Political Islam Is Declining in the Middle East