This is an abridged version of the essayLove is not Enough, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2008.
The opening chapter of Kedoshim contains two of the most powerful of all commands: “Love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord” goes the first. “When a stranger comes to live in your land, do not mistreat him,” goes the second. “Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
What is essential to note here is that the Torah does not say, “Be nice or kind to your neighbour, because you would wish him to be nice or kind to you.” It says, “Love your neighbour.” That is something different and far stronger.
The second mitzva is more radical still. Most people in most societies in most ages have feared, hated and often harmed the stranger. There is a word for this: xenophobia. How often have you heard the opposite word: xenophilia? My guess is, never. People don’t usually love strangers. That is why, the Torah adds an explanation: “because you were strangers in Egypt.”
Our nation was born in slavery and exile. We know what it feels like to be a vulnerable minority. That is why love of the stranger is so central to Judaism and so marginal to most other systems of ethics. But here too, the Torah does not use the word “justice.” (There is a command of justice toward strangers, but that is a different law: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him.”) Here the Torah speaks not of justice but of love. These two commands define Judaism as a religion of love – not just of God (who we are commanded to love “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might”), but of humanity also. This Jewish idea is world-changing.
The Beatles have a song called “All You Need is Love,” still popular today. Were they right? Is love all a society needs?
According to Jordan Peterson - the Canadian psychologist - without a shared moral code, society collapses in chaos. Love belongs in an ordered universe. We need “rules, standards, values – alone and together. We require routine and tradition. That’s order.” Too much order can be bad, but too little can be worse. Life is best lived, he says, on the dividing line between them. Perhaps then, he adds, we could live “without the sense of aggrieved victimhood that produces, first, resentment, then envy, and then the desire for vengeance and destruction.”
Peterson applies this idea to parenting too. He suggests that clear rules make for secure children and calm, rational parents. Clear principles of discipline and consequence balance mercy and justice so that social development and psychological maturity can be optimally promoted. Clear rules help the child, the family, and society, establish, maintain and expand order, and avoid chaos.
Now notice where our two powerful mitzvot appear. They are given in Vayikra 19, which is full of seemingly unconnected laws. Clearly, though, the Torah is telling us that they do have something in common. They are all about order, limits, boundaries. They teach us that reality has a structure whose integrity must be honoured.
The unique structure of Vayikra 19, with its combination of moral, political, economic and environmental laws is a supreme statement of a universe of (Divinely-created) order of which we are the custodians. This chapter is about laws, order, and love. It is about humanising order through love – the love of neighbour and stranger. The Torah says: don’t hate, don’t take revenge and don’t bear a grudge, but rather, love your neighbour and the stranger. It is an uncanny anticipation of Peterson’s remarks about resentment, envy and the desire for vengeance and destruction. Hence the life-changing idea that we have forgotten for far too long:Love is not enough. Relationships need rules.
Around the Shabbat Table
Questions to Ponder
What does “loving your neighbour” mean to you daily?
What kind of rules do you think are most important in a family or group of friends?
Why do you think the Torah puts love and laws in the same chapter?
On the Parsha
Written by Sara Lamm
Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Parsha in a Nutshell
After the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, God warns against unauthorised entry into the Holy of Holies. Only the Kohen Gadol may enter once a year, on Yom Kippur, to bring ketoret before Hashem. Another Yom Kippur ritual involves two se’irim (goats): one offered to God and one sent to carry away the sins of Bnai Yisrael in the desert. Acharei-Mot also forbids offering korbanot outside the Mishkan, forbids eating dam (blood), and lists forbidden arayot. The theme of Kedoshim is “Ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha”. We receive the mitzvot of Shabbat, tzedakah, business ethics, kavod for parents, and the value of life.
Philosophy of Rabbi Sacks
Delving Deeper
Love, in its most profound and most powerful form, grows best within clear rules and moral structure. In Parshat Kedoshim, the Torah commands both ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha (love your neighbour as yourself) and to love the ger (stranger). These mitzvot are not just about fairness or being kind in return - they are about real, active love.
Jordan Peterson suggests that many parents today avoid setting or enforcing laws, because they don’t know how, or they don’t have the time, or they want their children to dislike them. God has none of these impediments. In a single chapter, He gives us commands about justice, business, family, farming, and holiness, showing that love is part of a larger order system. Boundaries support a love that is strong and meaningful.
Without discipline, love turns into indulgence. With discipline, it becomes lasting and good. The Torah teaches that real holiness comes from combining love with structure - bringing kindness into the world in a way that builds families, communities, and a better society.
What is the way that you like to show love to others - and have others express their love to you?
Parsha Activity
The Sweetest Circle
Sitting in a circle, one person starts by doing a kind action to the person on their right (a compliment, a smile, or sharing a memory). Then that person passes on a new kind action to the next person, and so on until the circle is complete.
Now reflect: How did it feel to receive and give kindness? What is something you can do today outside of the game, to show kindness to someone else?
A Story for the Ages
The Great Falafel Rescue
An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is someone who helps sick or hurt people in emergencies. They give first aid and take people to the hospital. They’re the heroes who turn up when you call for help!
Disaster had struck. Ari was a volunteer EMT, but on his way to a medical emergency he was badly hurt in a car accident. His injuries prevented him from working, and as the owner of a small falafel shop, this was how he supported his family. His anxiety about their financial future was a heavy layer on top of his physical suffering.
Meanwhile, word of his situation spread among the community of EMTs all over Israel. Moved by his dedication to helping others, his fellow volunteers asked themselves two simple questions. Firstly, “How can we help?” and secondly, “Could we run a falafel shop?” This sparked an extraordinary grassroots effort.
Without hesitation, medics from across Israel made a plan to help Ari. They organised themselves into shifts. They learnt the art of crafting the perfect falafel, operating the cash register, and maintaining the friendly atmosphere that had made Ari’s shop a neighbourhood staple. The medics, accustomed to saving lives in crisis situations, now found themselves wielding pita bread and hummus, and serving hungry customers.
The solidarity displayed was remarkable, drawing volunteers from many regions of Israel. They travelled from far and wide, often sacrificing their limited free time between demanding shifts, all to ensure their colleague’s business remained operational during his recovery. And thankfully, Ari’s hard work at physical therapy paid off, and in time he managed to recover, and return to his life of falafel-giver by day, EMT hero by night.
How far would you go to help a stranger in need?
On the Haftara
Written by Rabbi Barry Kleinberg
Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Haftara reading
in a Nutshell
Acharei Mot: Ezekiel 22:1-16 (Minhag Anglia ends at 22:19) Kedoshim: Amos 9:7-9:15 (Ashkenazim), Ezekiel 20:2-20 (Sephardim), Ezekiel 20:1-15 (Yemenites)
In Ezekiel 22:1–16, God commands the prophet Yechezkel to confront Jerusalem for its many sins. The city is described as a place of bloodshed and idolatry, making itself guilty and defiled. Its leaders are accused of killing civilians, practicing oppression, dishonouring parents, and showing contempt for Shabbat and other sacred things.
The people exploit the vulnerable - foreigners, orphans, and widows - and engage in slander, lewdness, incest, bribery, and economic injustice. Priests and officials alike are corrupt, failing to teach or uphold God’s laws. Because of these grave sins, God declares that Jerusalem has brought judgment upon itself. He announces that He will scatter its people among the nations and profane them in the sight of others. Through this punishment, Jerusalem will come to know the consequences of defiling God’s name and breaking His covenant. The passage serves as a strong denunciation of moral and religious corruption.
In Amos 9:7–15, God reminds Israel that they are not inherently superior to other nations - just as He guided other peoples (like the Ethiopians, Philistines, and Arameans), so too did He guide Israel. He declares that He will shake the house of Israel among all nations, like grain in a sieve, ensuring that the wicked are separated and punished, especially those who deny any coming judgment.
Yet, the passage ends with a message of hope and restoration. God promises to raise up the fallen “booth of David,” repairing and rebuilding Israel’s fortunes. The land will flourish with abundance, the people will return from exile, rebuild ruined cities, and enjoy peace and prosperity. God pledges to plant them securely in their land, never to be uprooted again.
The final verses emphasise God’s enduring covenant and the future renewal of Israel under Divine blessing.
Points to Ponder
What is God’s relationship to the nations of the world?
On which chag are the nations welcomed to the Temple to bring sacrifices to God?
Tanach Connections
Parsha & Haftara Links
The link between Parshat Kedoshim and its Haftara (Amos, for Ashkenazim) is one of contrasting themes. The Parsha contains laws which are specifically for the Jewish People. These mitzvot are designed to ensure that the Jewish People are a distinct and holy nation: I have set you apart from other peoples to be Mine (Vayikra 20:26). On the other hand, the Haftara tells us that there is in fact no difference between the Jewish People and the other nations: the children of Israel are to God like the children of the Ethiopians; just as He brought Israel out of Egypt, so did He bring the Philistines out of Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir.
Whilst this looks like a universal message, some bible commentators took it to be a disparaging comment made by the prophet. Rashi understood it to suggest that the Jewish People were in fact no more special than the despised descendants of Ham! However the Radak suggests that just as the Ethiopians were eternal slaves to their masters, so too, the Jewish people are eternally indebted to God for bringing them out of Egypt.
Where in the Torah do we find a covenant between God and all people? (Hint: it happens early in the book of Bereishit.)
Putting the Haftara into Context
On the Book of Amos
The Book of Amos is part of the Twelve Minor Prophets included in Neviim. Amos was a prophet who lived during the 8th century BCE, during the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. By this point in Jewish history, Israel had split into two kingdoms. Although Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah, he was sent by God to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Amos was not a professional prophet or priest. He described himself as a simple shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. His message was bold and uncompromising, condemning the moral decay, social injustice, and religious hypocrisy of Israel’s elite. He warned that despite outward prosperity, Israel would face Divine judgment due to its failure to uphold righteousness and justice. His prophecies highlighted God’s concern for ethical behaviour over ritual observance.
Despite his harsh warnings, Amos concluded with a vision of hope and restoration, foretelling the rebuilding of the fallen house of David. His book is one of the earliest prophetic writings in the Bible.
Quote of the Week
“Holiness belongs to all of us when we turn our lives into the service of God, and society into a home for the Divine Presence. That is the moral life as lived by the kingdom of priests: a world where we aspire to come close to God by coming close, in justice and love, to our fellow humans.”
From Priest to People, Kedoshim, Covenant & Conversation
Further Ponderings
How would you describe Judaism to a non-Jewish friend or colleague?
Written as an accompaniment to Rabbi Sacks’ weekly Covenant & Conversation essay, the
Family Edition
is aimed at connecting teenagers with his ideas and thoughts on the parsha.
L’amour ne suffit pas
Édition Familiale
A’haré Mot
Inspiré par les enseignements et les idées de Rabbi Sacks
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A’haré Mot, Kédochim
L’amour ne suffit pas
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The Summary
This is an abridged version of the essay Love is not Enough, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2008.
The opening chapter of Kedoshim contains two of the most powerful of all commands: “Love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord” goes the first. “When a stranger comes to live in your land, do not mistreat him,” goes the second. “Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
What is essential to note here is that the Torah does not say, “Be nice or kind to your neighbour, because you would wish him to be nice or kind to you.” It says, “Love your neighbour.” That is something different and far stronger.
The second mitzva is more radical still. Most people in most societies in most ages have feared, hated and often harmed the stranger. There is a word for this: xenophobia. How often have you heard the opposite word: xenophilia? My guess is, never. People don’t usually love strangers. That is why, the Torah adds an explanation: “because you were strangers in Egypt.”
Our nation was born in slavery and exile. We know what it feels like to be a vulnerable minority. That is why love of the stranger is so central to Judaism and so marginal to most other systems of ethics. But here too, the Torah does not use the word “justice.” (There is a command of justice toward strangers, but that is a different law: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him.”) Here the Torah speaks not of justice but of love. These two commands define Judaism as a religion of love – not just of God (who we are commanded to love “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might”), but of humanity also. This Jewish idea is world-changing.
The Beatles have a song called “All You Need is Love,” still popular today. Were they right? Is love all a society needs?
According to Jordan Peterson - the Canadian psychologist - without a shared moral code, society collapses in chaos. Love belongs in an ordered universe. We need “rules, standards, values – alone and together. We require routine and tradition. That’s order.” Too much order can be bad, but too little can be worse. Life is best lived, he says, on the dividing line between them. Perhaps then, he adds, we could live “without the sense of aggrieved victimhood that produces, first, resentment, then envy, and then the desire for vengeance and destruction.”
Peterson applies this idea to parenting too. He suggests that clear rules make for secure children and calm, rational parents. Clear principles of discipline and consequence balance mercy and justice so that social development and psychological maturity can be optimally promoted. Clear rules help the child, the family, and society, establish, maintain and expand order, and avoid chaos.
Now notice where our two powerful mitzvot appear. They are given in Vayikra 19, which is full of seemingly unconnected laws. Clearly, though, the Torah is telling us that they do have something in common. They are all about order, limits, boundaries. They teach us that reality has a structure whose integrity must be honoured.
The unique structure of Vayikra 19, with its combination of moral, political, economic and environmental laws is a supreme statement of a universe of (Divinely-created) order of which we are the custodians. This chapter is about laws, order, and love. It is about humanising order through love – the love of neighbour and stranger. The Torah says: don’t hate, don’t take revenge and don’t bear a grudge, but rather, love your neighbour and the stranger. It is an uncanny anticipation of Peterson’s remarks about resentment, envy and the desire for vengeance and destruction. Hence the life-changing idea that we have forgotten for far too long: Love is not enough. Relationships need rules.
Around the Shabbat Table
Questions to Ponder
On the Parsha
Written by Sara Lamm
Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Parsha in a Nutshell
After the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, God warns against unauthorised entry into the Holy of Holies. Only the Kohen Gadol may enter once a year, on Yom Kippur, to bring ketoret before Hashem. Another Yom Kippur ritual involves two se’irim (goats): one offered to God and one sent to carry away the sins of Bnai Yisrael in the desert. Acharei-Mot also forbids offering korbanot outside the Mishkan, forbids eating dam (blood), and lists forbidden arayot. The theme of Kedoshim is “Ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha”. We receive the mitzvot of Shabbat, tzedakah, business ethics, kavod for parents, and the value of life.
Philosophy of Rabbi Sacks
Delving Deeper
Love, in its most profound and most powerful form, grows best within clear rules and moral structure. In Parshat Kedoshim, the Torah commands both ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha (love your neighbour as yourself) and to love the ger (stranger). These mitzvot are not just about fairness or being kind in return - they are about real, active love.
Jordan Peterson suggests that many parents today avoid setting or enforcing laws, because they don’t know how, or they don’t have the time, or they want their children to dislike them. God has none of these impediments. In a single chapter, He gives us commands about justice, business, family, farming, and holiness, showing that love is part of a larger order system. Boundaries support a love that is strong and meaningful.
Without discipline, love turns into indulgence. With discipline, it becomes lasting and good. The Torah teaches that real holiness comes from combining love with structure - bringing kindness into the world in a way that builds families, communities, and a better society.
Parsha Activity
The Sweetest Circle
Sitting in a circle, one person starts by doing a kind action to the person on their right (a compliment, a smile, or sharing a memory). Then that person passes on a new kind action to the next person, and so on until the circle is complete.
Now reflect: How did it feel to receive and give kindness?
What is something you can do today outside of the game, to show kindness to someone else?
A Story for the Ages
The Great Falafel Rescue
An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is someone who helps sick or hurt people in emergencies. They give first aid and take people to the hospital. They’re the heroes who turn up when you call for help!
Disaster had struck. Ari was a volunteer EMT, but on his way to a medical emergency he was badly hurt in a car accident. His injuries prevented him from working, and as the owner of a small falafel shop, this was how he supported his family. His anxiety about their financial future was a heavy layer on top of his physical suffering.
Meanwhile, word of his situation spread among the community of EMTs all over Israel. Moved by his dedication to helping others, his fellow volunteers asked themselves two simple questions. Firstly, “How can we help?” and secondly, “Could we run a falafel shop?” This sparked an extraordinary grassroots effort.
Without hesitation, medics from across Israel made a plan to help Ari. They organised themselves into shifts. They learnt the art of crafting the perfect falafel, operating the cash register, and maintaining the friendly atmosphere that had made Ari’s shop a neighbourhood staple. The medics, accustomed to saving lives in crisis situations, now found themselves wielding pita bread and hummus, and serving hungry customers.
The solidarity displayed was remarkable, drawing volunteers from many regions of Israel. They travelled from far and wide, often sacrificing their limited free time between demanding shifts, all to ensure their colleague’s business remained operational during his recovery. And thankfully, Ari’s hard work at physical therapy paid off, and in time he managed to recover, and return to his life of falafel-giver by day, EMT hero by night.
On the Haftara
Written by Rabbi Barry Kleinberg
Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
The Haftara reading
in a Nutshell
Acharei Mot: Ezekiel 22:1-16 (Minhag Anglia ends at 22:19)
Kedoshim: Amos 9:7-9:15 (Ashkenazim), Ezekiel 20:2-20 (Sephardim), Ezekiel 20:1-15 (Yemenites)
In Ezekiel 22:1–16, God commands the prophet Yechezkel to confront Jerusalem for its many sins. The city is described as a place of bloodshed and idolatry, making itself guilty and defiled. Its leaders are accused of killing civilians, practicing oppression, dishonouring parents, and showing contempt for Shabbat and other sacred things.
The people exploit the vulnerable - foreigners, orphans, and widows - and engage in slander, lewdness, incest, bribery, and economic injustice. Priests and officials alike are corrupt, failing to teach or uphold God’s laws. Because of these grave sins, God declares that Jerusalem has brought judgment upon itself. He announces that He will scatter its people among the nations and profane them in the sight of others. Through this punishment, Jerusalem will come to know the consequences of defiling God’s name and breaking His covenant. The passage serves as a strong denunciation of moral and religious corruption.
In Amos 9:7–15, God reminds Israel that they are not inherently superior to other nations - just as He guided other peoples (like the Ethiopians, Philistines, and Arameans), so too did He guide Israel. He declares that He will shake the house of Israel among all nations, like grain in a sieve, ensuring that the wicked are separated and punished, especially those who deny any coming judgment.
Yet, the passage ends with a message of hope and restoration. God promises to raise up the fallen “booth of David,” repairing and rebuilding Israel’s fortunes. The land will flourish with abundance, the people will return from exile, rebuild ruined cities, and enjoy peace and prosperity. God pledges to plant them securely in their land, never to be uprooted again.
The final verses emphasise God’s enduring covenant and the future renewal of Israel under Divine blessing.
Points to Ponder
Tanach Connections
Parsha & Haftara Links
The link between Parshat Kedoshim and its Haftara (Amos, for Ashkenazim) is one of contrasting themes. The Parsha contains laws which are specifically for the Jewish People. These mitzvot are designed to ensure that the Jewish People are a distinct and holy nation: I have set you apart from other peoples to be Mine (Vayikra 20:26). On the other hand, the Haftara tells us that there is in fact no difference between the Jewish People and the other nations: the children of Israel are to God like the children of the Ethiopians; just as He brought Israel out of Egypt, so did He bring the Philistines out of Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir.
Whilst this looks like a universal message, some bible commentators took it to be a disparaging comment made by the prophet. Rashi understood it to suggest that the Jewish People were in fact no more special than the despised descendants of Ham! However the Radak suggests that just as the Ethiopians were eternal slaves to their masters, so too, the Jewish people are eternally indebted to God for bringing them out of Egypt.
(Hint: it happens early in the book of Bereishit.)
Putting the Haftara into Context
On the Book of Amos
The Book of Amos is part of the Twelve Minor Prophets included in Neviim. Amos was a prophet who lived during the 8th century BCE, during the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. By this point in Jewish history, Israel had split into two kingdoms. Although Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah, he was sent by God to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Amos was not a professional prophet or priest. He described himself as a simple shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees. His message was bold and uncompromising, condemning the moral decay, social injustice, and religious hypocrisy of Israel’s elite. He warned that despite outward prosperity, Israel would face Divine judgment due to its failure to uphold righteousness and justice. His prophecies highlighted God’s concern for ethical behaviour over ritual observance.
Despite his harsh warnings, Amos concluded with a vision of hope and restoration, foretelling the rebuilding of the fallen house of David. His book is one of the earliest prophetic writings in the Bible.
Quote of the Week
“Holiness belongs to all of us when we turn our lives into the service of God, and society into a home for the Divine Presence. That is the moral life as lived by the kingdom of priests: a world where we aspire to come close to God by coming close, in justice and love, to our fellow humans.”
From Priest to People, Kedoshim, Covenant & Conversation
Further Ponderings
How would you describe Judaism to a non-Jewish friend or colleague?
Written as an accompaniment to Rabbi Sacks’ weekly Covenant & Conversation essay, the Family Edition is aimed at connecting teenagers with his ideas and thoughts on the parsha.
Sainteté et Naissance
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