One of the most striking features of the Torah is its emphasis on love of, and vigilance toward, the ger, the stranger: Do not oppress a stranger; you yourselves know how it feels to be strangers, because you were strangers in Egypt. Ex. 23:9 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God,…
Here are the questions written by young readers of the Family Edition and sent in to Rabbi Sacks, along with his responses. The competition ran in the weekly Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition series, and the children whose questions are featured below received an inscribed copy of the Koren Aviv Weekday Siddur. Question from David, aged 7, from Arizona, USA:…
There is no life without a task; no person without a talent; no place without a fragment of God’s light waiting to be discovered and redeemed; no situation without its possibility of sanctification; no moment without its call. It may take a lifetime to learn how to find these things, but once we learn, we realise in retrospect that all…
In the beginning, God created the world. Thereafter He entrusted us to create a human world which will be, in the structures of our common life, a home for the Divine Presence. That command still addresses us with its momentous challenge, the persisting call of faith….
This five-part series of mini booklets is all available to download for free. It was created in 2007, following a discussion with student leaders, who were troubled by many of the typical questions plaguing young people today. These booklets are a way of sharing the conversation, the questions and answers, and the ideas discussed on that day. To be a…
I believe that to love God is to love our fellow humans. To honour God is to honour our fellow humans. We may not ask God to listen to us if we are unwilling to listen to others. We may not ask God to forgive us if we are unwilling to forgive others. To know God is to seek to…
The Parsha in a Nutshell Parshat Tazria discusses the laws of purity (tahor) and impurity (tamei) and the key role that the Kohen plays in distinguishing between them. If you were impure, you were forbidden from entering the holy space of the Sanctuary. These laws show us the difference between God and human beings. God is immortal (exists forever), humans…