Sacks - Studies in Spirituality

STUDIES IN SPIRITUALITY
A WEEKLY READING OF THE JEWISH BIBLE

Other works by the author

Faith in the Future

The Politics of Hope

Celebrating Life

A Letter in the Scroll / Radical Then, Radical Now

The Dignity of Difference

The Jonathan Sacks Haggada

From Optimism to Hope

To Heal a Fractured World

The Home We Build Together

Covenant & Conversation Series

Future Tense

The Koren Sacks Siddur

The Koren Sacks Mazorim

Not in Gods Name

Ceremony and Celebration

Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times

Judaisms Life-Changing Ideas

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Maggid Books & OU Press

Studies in Spirituality
A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible
First Edition, 2021

Maggid Books
An imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.

POB 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531, USA
& POB 4044, Jerusalem 9104001, Israel
www.maggidbooks.com

Estate of Jonathan Sacks, 2021

Cover Image Yoram Raanan, Kabalat Shabbat, www.yoramraanan.com

The publication of this book was made possible
through the generous support of The Jewish Book Trust.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case
of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

ISBN 978-1-59264-576-3, hardcover

Printed and bound in the United States

In memory of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents
Irving and Toni Rosen

Dedicated

In memory...
tribute and gratitude to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks ztl, who taught us by
written and spoken word, Jewish values and deeds, what it means to be a
Torah Jew immersed in the highest form of spirituality.
May this work continue his teachings for many, many years to come.

And in honor of...
our Parents: Peggy zl and Philip Zimmerman,
Howard Lasher
and Doreen Casella
and our children: Jake, David and Gabrielle and Jake Moskovitz,
and our Grandson Noah Lev,
these words from Rabbi Sacks ztl can guide you well
to a fulfilling and successful life:

Dont wait to be praised: praise others. Dont wait to be respected: respect
others. Dont stand on the sidelines, criticizing others. Do something yourself to
make things better. Dont wait for the world to change: begin the process
yourself, and then win others to the cause Be the change you seek in the world. Take the
initiative.
Rabbi Sacks ztl

Cheryl & Lee Lasher
Englewood, NJ, USA

Writing Our Own Chapter

Sivan Rahav Meir

D o not read this book. If this book has made its way into your hands, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks first to be published in English since his passing, I beg of you: Do not read it. What should be done with it? Two things.

First, learn it. Its a good idea to do this together with someone else, and best if it is someone from the next generation, one of your children or grandchildren, or other young people in your community. Rabbi Sacks did not just write another book to be read between a thriller, a cookbook, and political non-fiction. He wanted us to read his words actively, not passively. This is the only way that we can pass on our heritage to the next generation: with passion, through discussions, questions and answers, with curiosity, with a spark in our eyes (and who can forget the spark in Rabbi Sacks eyes when he learned and taught?). Judaism is not something to be learned by rote, and its students are not meant to be robots, he would constantly remind us. This is historys most captivating story, and we are called upon to write our own chapter in it.

Rabbi Sacks legacy is not reading material. It is life-changing, reality-altering content. So take this book and try to internalize its message. Agree or disagree with it. Try to ensure that your objective is not reading but application. Ask yourself: How are these nice ideas relevant to my life? Read it to others and discuss it, or at least stop every few paragraphs to consider your own opinions.

Second, dont think that by buying this book, you have done something to ensure Rabbi Sacks legacy. We all loved him very much. We were all deeply pained when he was suddenly taken from us. Although he was not a victim of COVID-19, his passing occurred at the height of the pandemic, meaning that only a small group of people could escort him to his resting place, with thousands joining online. So perhaps we feel that if we have his new book on our bookshelf, we have done something to honor his memory. But the great vacuum that has been created in the Jewish world by his parting will not be filled if we love Rabbi Sacks. It will only be filled if we strive to be Rabbi Sacks. The task that he left us is not to purchase his books, but to adopt his path. Exactly as he said about the Lubavitcher Rebbe: This man did not want to create followers, he wanted to create leaders. Rabbi Sacks did not want people only to know how to quote his ideas by copying and pasting. He desired that people take responsibility, that they transcend themselves in order to change the Jewish world and bring the Torah to every Jew. After all, he too could have remained a student who was satisfied to buy nice Jewish books. But he understood that the most pressing problem of our times is the Jewish peoples ignorance and their disappearance, and therefore he changed his life course to dedicate himself to this cause. Although he was a Lord, a professor, a scholar, and a commentator, he was first and foremost a Rabbi. Above his studies of the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, and Nietzsche, he placed Jewish continuity.

That is why it moved me so deeply to hear the way in which his wife, Lady Elaine, began the memorial ceremony marking one month since his passing. Participating in the worldwide virtual ceremony were Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Prince Charles and the Archbishop of Canterbury, and yet, Lady Elaines opening words were these: We received so many letters and stories this past month. People told us that they sent their children to get a Jewish education because of my husband. This was her message, before all of the eulogies delivered by honored guests, because this truly was Rabbi Sacks core idea. Not to sit in lavish mansions with kings and princes, but to make sure that one more Jewish child will continue on the path of his or her ancestors.

* * *

After having shared those two preliminary warnings, you are invited to enjoy this wonderful book, which follows our eternal Jewish heartbeat, the weekly Torah reading. And, lo and behold, when I studied two readings that were significant to me, I discovered precisely the two messages that I presented above.

Rabbi Sacks passed away on Shabbat morning, just as, throughout the Jewish world, the portion of Vayera was being read. What did Rabbi Sacks teach us about this portion? That the most fundamental principle is education. Who was Abraham, and why was he chosen? he asks, and answers: Abraham is not described as a righteous man, as Noah is, or as one who protests injustice, like Moses, or as a warrior, like David, or a prophet, like Isaiah. There is only one place, in Parashat Vayera, where the Torah mentions why God chose Abraham: For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. To translate this into our vernacular, it is as if God is saying: I know this guy. I know what hes all about. And do you know what he is? He is a good teacher. A good parent. A good educator. And I know that I can trust him in the area that is most important to Me. Not the army, not money, not territory, not charisma but education. He will know how best to pass the flame on to the next generation, and to ignite the same spark in their eyes. The point is not to amass knowledge. Abraham is not meant to compel his children to read many books, but to live their lives in accordance with these books. Abraham succeeds in his task, and for this reason, to this day, we all call him our father. Rabbi Sacks passed away on the Shabbat that reminds us all to continue the path of our father Abraham, to direct our sons and daughters to safeguard Gods path.