…whole lot of choice! Why did God choose Noah? It says so at the beginning of Noah, last week’s sidra. “Noach ish tzadik tamim hayah bedorotav et-ho’elokim hithalech? Noach. Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. He walked with God.” None of which are ever said about Abraham. Why did God choose Moses? Well, look, if you read…
…- seven Noachide Laws – and the thick morality that creates Jewish life, the 613 mitzvos. Now I just want to point out to you how very real are these two different moral systems. Let me just give you a ‘for instance’ because when I talk about the Noachide law, I am talking about something a little bit abstract. But…
…have, well, Noach, of course, the only person in the whole of Tanach, who’s called a tzaddik. We have Iyov, “Job”, the most righteous person in the whole of Tanach, who isn’t Jewish. We have Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, who teaches him how to lead, who isn’t Jewish. And to my mind, the most poignant and in some ways the most moving…
…because what were Jesus and Paul doing? They were spreading sheva mitzvos bnei Noach, the seven Noahide Laws, and therefore, since they were dealing with Gentiles, they don’t have to keep Shabbos, and they don’t have to have a Brit Milah, and that’s exactly what they were doing. They weren’t dissenting from Judaism, they were taking sheva mitzvos bnei Noach,…
…eventually come to do it for the right reason (Pesachim 3b). I hope this helps. Thank you for your lovely question! Blessings and best wishes. Question from Akiva, aged 12, from Bet Shemesh, Israel: Rabbi Sacks, you started off your teaching on Noach by saying, “Humankind becomes wicked and this leads to God bringing a Flood and starting over”. If…
“For Jews, the response to antisemitism must be to fight it but never to internalise it or accept it on its own terms.” FIND MORE RESOURCES ON ANTISEMITISM Explore the life and work of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Discover articles, videos, books, commentary, and educational resources from an international faith leader, ambassador for Judaism and Jewish values, respected moral philosopher,…
This third video examines the importance of setting an example, living a life of high ethical ideals if you want your children to do the same. Transcript How to be an inspiring parent, Rule Three. Okay. Here’s a question: We know why Noah was chosen by God because Noach ish tzaddik tamim haya bedorotav et haElokim hithalech Noach. (Genesis 6:9) Noah…
…all of Humanity Bereishit 9:8-17 Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 56a (7 Noachide laws) Talmud Bavli, 105a (moral Gentiles have a place in the world to come) Core Questions Why does God need a covenant with humanity after Noach? What is the basis of the covenant (i.e. what are the respective responsibilities contained in it)? Why is so much more demanded of…
…- from the Sumerian city-states, to Plato’s Republic, to empires, ancient and modern, to the Soviet Union. It is the attempt to impose an artificial unity on divinely created diversity. That is what is wrong with universalism. The Dignity of Difference, pp. 51-52 Bereishit 2 (Adam) Bereishit 4:1-15 (Cain) Bereishit 6:9 (Noach) Bereishit 11:1-9 (Tower of Babel) Core Questions Why…
…& Conversation Vayishlach) Individual and Collective Responsibility (Covenant & Conversation Noach) Shavuot, TV Remote Controls, and Collective Responsibility (BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day, 25 May 2012) Personal Responsibility in the Sensationalist Age of the iPhone (The Sunday Telegraph, 5 November, 2017) Tikkun Olam: Orthodoxy’s Responsibility to Perfect God’s World (Transcript of a speech delivered by Rabbi Sacks on…