…force, was one the greatest contributions Judaism ever made to the moral horizons of humankind and it can be seen most clearly in the Book of Devarim, when Moses for the last month of his life summoned the next generation and taught them laws and lessons that would survive, and inspire, as long as there are human beings on earth….
…command others to work, “so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do” (Devarim 5:15). At many times in history, people have dreamed of an ideal world. The name given to such visions is “utopia” meaning “no place”, because at no time or place have these dreams been realised on a society-wide basis. Shabbat is the sole successful…
…of chessed (kindness), but the Midrash also tells us: Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [The verse states,] “After the Lord your God you shall walk” (Devarim 13:5) … [What does this mandate of imitatio Dei entail?] At the beginning of the world’s creation, the Holy One occupied Himself first with planting, as it says, “And the Lord God planted…
Lecturers of the highest quality, both local and international, are scheduled to deliver shiurim which will develop Rabbi Sacks’ ideas on each parsha in Sefer Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar, and Devarim, and they will distill key ideas in his approach to Chumash. This new course, offered by the London School of Jewish Studies, is open to all, available online, worldwide, and…
Delve into our collection of sources and guiding questions on notions of covenant, inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, compiled by Sacks Scholar Mijal Bitton. Download in English Download in Hebrew Download in Spanish Download in French Download in German You may also wish to view our full range of Shavuot and Tikkun Leil resources….
…one of the very first imperatives in the Torah. It is our task to protect the natural environment. A lot of the laws of environmental concern derive from the prohibition of ba’al tashchit, the prohibition against cutting down fruit-bearing trees in the course of a siege (Devarim 20:19). But in truth, environmental concern is scattered throughout the Torah. Both in…
Delve into our collection of sources and guiding questions this Shavuot, and discover a deeper understanding of the idea of what it means to be a chosen people. Inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, compiled by Rabbi Joshua Spodek. What does it mean to be a Chosen People? Download in English You may also wish to…
There is one aspect of Christianity that Jews, if we are to be honest, must reject, and that Christians, most notably Pope John XXIII, have also begun to reject. It is the concept of rejection itself, the idea that Christianity represents God’s rejection of the Jewish People, the “old Israel”. This is known technically as Supersession or Replacement Theology, and…
I had been engaged in dialogue for two years with an Imam from the Middle East, a gentle and seemingly moderate man. One day, in the middle of our conversation, he turned to me and asked, “Why do you Jews need a land? After all, Judaism is a religion, not a country or a nation.” I decided at that point…
It was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated tsara’at, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Tazria and Metzora as “lepra”, giving rise to a long tradition identifying it with leprosy. That tradition is now widely acknowledged to be incorrect. First, the condition described in the Torah simply does not fit the…