…Bar Ilan Conference 2023: On Rabbi Sacks’ Jewish Philosophy Introductory Course on Sefer Bereishit Covenant & Conversation Family Edition for Vayechi featuring Dr. Tanya White Mourning Rabbi Sacks, one of God’s greatest defenders (Jerusalem Post) Only tears (Times of Israel) A year without Rabbi Sacks (Jerusalem Post) Contextualising the Canon: An essay to mark the reprint of Crisis and Covenant…
…with the next generation, by inviting a range of scholars and educators who shared a close connection with Rabbi Sacks to contribute to the series. We will featuring one new voice each week, beginning with Gila Sacks who will share her ideas on her father’s teachings for parshat Bereishit. We hope that this will further illuminate the ideas of Rabbi…
…take possession of it.” Gen. 15:7 And so on, seven times in all. Yet now he owns not one square inch in which to bury his wife. This sets the scene for one of the most complex encounters in Bereishit, in which Abraham negotiates for the right to buy a field and a cave. It is impossible in a brief…
…plastic and various other detritus of civilization. And all in all, we are not obeying the biblical imperative. That imperative is set out in the second chapter of the Torah, when God plants the first human being in a garden and does so “l’avdah ul’shamrah”, to serve it, or to work it, and to protect it (Bereishit 2:15). That is…
…that have resonated with me, these past days, go back to the first recorded conflict in the land. In Bereishit chapter 13 we read of the argument between the shepherds of Abraham and Lot. Their flocks and herds were large. They were unable to graze together (Genesis 13:6). At that point, Abraham turned to Lot and said: “Let there not…
Last year, in Covenant & Conversation, I pointed out the other side of the Esau story. There is a midrashic tradition that paints him in dark colours. But there is a counter-tradition that sets him in a more positive light. First, Esau was indeed blessed by Isaac. In fact, his blessing came true long before Jacob’s did. The Torah emphasises…
“If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” It was the first, but certainly not the last, quarrel over the land. Abraham and Lot have returned to Canaan after their brief exile to Egypt. Abraham “had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.”…
This collection makes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ brilliant essays on the weekly Torah portion available in book form for the first time. Rabbi Sacks fuses Jewish tradition, Western philosophy and literature to present a highly developed understanding of the human condition under God’s sovereignty. This is the first volume in the original five-volume series. It contains several concise essays for each…
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….
In this week’s sedra, we see Isaac as the parent of two very different sons. “The boys grew up. Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed at home among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebecca loved Jacob.” Gen. 25:27-28 We have no…