New Year for Trees
“Judaism’s ecological imperative is a delicate balance between “mastering and subduing” nature (Bereishit 1), and “serving and protecting” it (Bereishit 2). The general principle is that we must see ourselves as the guardians of the world, for the sake of future generations.” — Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
15 Shevat 5786
Begins: Sundown on Sunday 1 February 2026
Ends: Nightfall on Monday 2 February 2026
The video offers some key quotes from Rabbi Sacks' message for Tu Bishvat. You can also read the full article, similarly entitled The Stewardship Paradigm.
Transcript Because the Jews were first to believe in one God who created the universe, they also laid out in the Torah the world’s first-ever environmental legislation. And so we have in the Torah laws about letting fields go fallow...
Transcript We are ready for Zionism Mark Two, because Zionism Mark One had a very simple challenge - brilliantly achieved - the creation of a Jewish State. Zionism Mark Two has not yet been done. Not seriously yet been tried....
Resources designed for kids and students of all ages to help them discover new insights within the Jewish festivals and encourage dynamic discussion around your Yom Tov tables.
Essays and writings from Rabbi Sacks' extensive body of work.
ARTICLES, REFLECTIONS
Few texts have had a deeper influence on Western civilisation than the first chapter of Genesis, with its momentous vision...
CREDO
One of my favourite Jewish sayings is, “Many people worry about their own stomachs and the state of other people’s...
BOOK EXTRACTS, BOOK EXTRACTS
It was one of those moments when you wish the ground would open and swallow you up. We had been...
BOOKLETS, LECTURES, PAMPHLETS, SPEECHES
Download a PDF of this lecture on environmental ethics delivered by Rabbi Sacks at the JNF Rabbinical Conference which took...
ARTICLES, JEWISH CHRONICLE ARTICLES
Following the publication of the government's policy document, "This Common Inheritance", which set out Britains's environmental strategy, Rabbi Sacks, then...
The Ceremony & Celebration Family Edition is a resource for parents, families, and educators to enhance intergenerational conversations surrounding the Jewish festivals.
In this book the Chief Rabbi addresses some of the major themes of our time: the fragmentation of our common...
