59 Lessons
Retribution and Revenge
Near the end of Bamidbar, we encounter the law of the cities of refuge: three cities to the east of the Jordan and, later, three more within the land of Israel itself. There, people who had committed homicide could flee and find protection until their case was heard by a court of law.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Retribution and Revenge
Even justified acts of bloodshed, as in the case of war, still communicate impurity. That is what lies behind the idea of revenge.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Av 1 5782
Oaths and Vows
Can freedom and order coexist in the human sphere? Can there be a society which is both free and just at the same time?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tamuz 22 5782
Elijah and the Still, Small Voice
To preserve tradition and at the same time defend those others condemn is the difficult, necessary task of religious leadership in an unreligious age.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tamuz 16 5782
The Curse of Loneliness
The battle against antisemitism can be won, but it will not be if Jews believe that we are destined to be alone. That is Bilaam’s curse, not God’s blessing.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tamuz 8 5782
Anger Management
“Is this the Torah and this its reward?” we are tempted to say. What was Moses’ sin that it merited such punishment?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tamuz 1 5782
When Truth Is Sacrificed to Power
What was wrong with the actions of Korach and his fellow rebels? They had a point. Why was there a hierarchy, with Moses as leader and Aaron as High Priest?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 24 5782
Assembling Reminders
You are driving ever so slightly above the speed limit. You see a police car in your rear-view mirror. You slow down. That is precisely the psychology behind the mitzvah of tzitzit in this week’s parsha.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 17 5782
From Pain to Humility
Those who have humility are open to things greater than themselves while those who lack it are not. That is why those who lack it make you feel small while those who have it make you feel enlarged.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 10 5782
Two Versions of the Moral Life
Is a Nazirite positive or negative? Or maybe it's both of them?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Law as Love
Joy in the celebration G-d's love led King David to “leap and dance” when the Ark was brought into Jerusalem. When love defeats dignity, faith is alive and well.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Iyar 25 5782
Conflict Resolution
One of the hardest tasks of any leader – from Prime Ministers to parents – is conflict resolution. Yet it is also the most vital. Where there is leadership, there is long-term cohesiveness within the group, whatever the short-term problems.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tammuz 28 5781
Lessons of a Leader
The Parsha of Pinchas contains a masterclass on leadership, as Moses confronts his own mortality and asks God to appoint a successor. In the case of Moses, the Sages sensed a certain sadness at his realisation that he would not be succeeded by either of his sons.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tammuz 19 5781
Leadership and Loyalty
Is leadership a set of skills, the ability to summon and command power? Or does it have an essentially moral dimension also? Can a bad person be a good leader, or will their badness compromise their leadership?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tammuz 14 5781
Miriam, Moses’ Friend
The commentators disagree as to which aspect of Moses’ behaviour was wrong: His anger? His act of striking the rock instead of speaking to it? The implication that it was he who was bringing water from the rock?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Tammuz 7 5781
Servant Leadership
What exactly was wrong in what Korach and his motley band of fellow agitators said? was what they said true or false?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 30 5781
Confidence
One of the fundamental tasks of any leader, from president to parent, is to give people a sense of confidence: in themselves, in the group of which they are a part, and in the mission itself.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Siavn 22 5781
Power or Influence?
It is essential to grasp the difference between two concepts often confused, namely power and influence. We tend to think of them as similar if not identical. People of power have influence.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 16 5781
The Politics of Envy
Few things in the Torah are more revolutionary than its conception of leadership. Not just kings but all of us, regardless of colour, culture, class or creed, are in the image and likeness of God.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks | Sivan 9 5781