William Ury, founder of the Harvard Program of Negotiation, tells a marvellous story in one of his books.[1] A young American, living in Japan to study aikido, was sitting one afternoon in a train in the suburbs of Tokyo. The carriage was half empty. There were some mothers with children, and elderly people going shopping. Then at one of the…
Behind Jewish belief in Torah she-be-al Peh, the “Oral Law”, lies a fundamental truth. The meaning of a text is not given by the text itself. Between a text and its meaning lies the act of interpretation – and this depends on who is interpreting, in what context, and with what beliefs. Without an authoritative tradition of interpretation – in Judaism,…
Among the many legal provisions of this week’s sedra is one stated briefly and unemphatically, yet it has far-reaching implications as well as subtlety and moral beauty: “If you see your enemy’s ass sagging under its burden, you shall not pass by. You shall surely release it with him.” Ex. 23:5 The principle is simple. Your enemy is also a…
…things we can do together that none of us can do alone. MISHPATIM: If you seek to change anyone’s behaviour, you have to enter into their mindset, and then say the word or do the deed that speaks to their emotions, not yours. TERUMAH: The effort you put into something does not just change the object: it changes you. The…
…of edah, congregation. Edah is related to the word ed, witness. Edot (as opposed to chukim and mishpatim) are the commands that testify to Jewish belief – as Shabbat testifies to creation, Passover to the Divine involvement in history, and so on. An edah is not a defensive formation but a creative one. People join together to do what none…
…cannot aspire to the kind of cosmic wisdom that would allow us to see its point and purpose. Or perhaps, as Rav Saadia Gaon put it, it is a command issued for no other reason than to reward us for obeying it.[1] The Sages recognised that whereas Gentiles might understand Jewish laws based on social justice (mishpatim) or historical memory…
…stories and ideas of Rabbi Sacks scholars. Henry Grunwald OBE KC is President of World Jewish Relief. He chaired the Rabbi Sacks Legacy’s Board of Trustees from its foundation in 2013 to 2022. A Closer Look Henry Grunwald now shares his reflections on Rabbi Sacks and his writings on Mishpatim. What is your favourite quote from Rabbi Sacks’ essay this…
…Conversation, Bechukotai) On Judaism and Islam (Covenant & Conversation, Chayei Sarah) Particular Paths to a Universal God (Covenant & Conversation, Yitro) Loving the Stranger (Covenant & Conversation, Mishpatim) The Universal and the Particular (Covenant & Conversation, Mikketz) Minority Rights (Covenant & Conversation, Behar) The Home We Build Together (Covenant & Conversation, Terumah) Short Quotes from Rabbi Sacks on Interfaith Dialogue…
…they share a vision, an aspiration, a set of ideals. This is the meaning of edah, a congregation. Edah is related to the word ed, a witness. Edot (as opposed to chukim and mishpatim) are the commands that testify to Jewish belief – as Shabbat testifies to creation, Pesach to the divine involvement in history; and so on. An edah…
…materialism 35, 36 McCartney, Paul 26 Meaning of History, The (Berdyayev) 36 Melchizedek 114 Mendel of Kotsk, Rabbi Menahem 154 Merneptah stele 31 Mesopotamia 49, 59, 64, 73, 75, 143, 169 Micah 93, 120, 142, 160 midrash 52, 55, 56, 98, 180 Mill, John Stuart 114 mishkan (tabernacle in wilderness) 153 mishpat (justice-as-reciprocity) 120 mishpatim (judgements) 164 monarchy 118, 145…