Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

Why the binding? Why put Abraham and Sarah through the agony of thinking that the son for whom they have waited for so long is about to die? We cherish what we wait for and what we most risk losing.

The most influential man who ever lived, does not appear on any list I have seen of the hundred most influential men in history. He ruled no empire, commanded no army, His name, of course, is Abraham

Sukkot is the most universalistic of all festivals. At the same time, however, it is the most particularist of festivals. When we sit in the sukkah, we recall Jewish history

The heart of Sukkot is to know that life is full of risk and yet to affirm it, to sense the full insecurity of the human situation and yet to rejoice in it. Chag Sameach!

The last two commands of the Torah, mentioned in this week's parsha-Hakhel and the command to write, or at take part in writing, a Sefer Torah-are about renewal, first collective, then individual.

We are what we remember, and the first-fruits declaration was a way of ensuring that Jews would never forget.

The opening three laws of this parsha- a captive woman taken in war, the law about the rights of the firstborn, and the “stubborn and rebellious son” – are all about dysfunctions within the family.

Judaism is a religion of compassion, for without compassion law itself can generate inequity. Justice plus compassion equals tzedek, the first precondition of a decent society.

In Judaism, joy is the supreme religious emotion. Moses says again and again that joy is what we should feel in the land of Israel, the land given to us by God.

There is something profoundly spiritual about listening-shema. It is the most effective form of conflict resolution I know.

Most people talk about what. Some people talk about how. Great leaders, though, start with why. This is what makes them transformative.

There is something moving about seeing Moses, at almost 120, looking forward as well as back, sharing his wisdom with the young, teaching us that while the body may age, the spirit can stay young

Pagan prophets like Bilam had not yet learned the lesson we must all one day learn: What matters is not that God does what we want, but that we do what He wants.

If you seek to understand an accusation, look at the accuser, not the accused. That is the key to the Korach affair and to understanding anti-Semitism.

Despite the Divine anger, the people were not condemned to permanent exile. They simply had to face the fact that their children would achieve what they themselves were not ready for.

According to Maimonides there is not one model of the virtuous life, but two. He calls them, respectively, the way of the saint (chassid) and the sage (chacham).

Without belief in the covenant, there would be no State of Israel or any significant Jewish history after the Holocaust. Jews kept hope alive; Hope kept the Jewish people alive.

What is the difference between philosophy and the political vision at the heart of Tanach? The answer lies in their different understandings of time.

In a way not shared by any other festival, Sukkot celebrates the dual nature of Jewish faith: the universality of G-d and the particularity of Jewish existence.

As Jews became defined by religion, Christians could work to convert them--You can change your religion but you cannot change your race

Social media brought about a return to an ancient phenomenon, public shaming providing us a way of understanding the otherwise bewildering phenomenon of tsara’at,

The sedrah of Tazria begins with the law of circumcision Why this physical mark on the flesh? What does it tell us about the nature of Jewish identity?

What is the logic of kashrut? And why are they placed here in parshat Shemini? AND what is their connection with the sanctuary?

What was sacrifice in Judaism and why does it remain important, at least as an idea, even today?

Like our bodies, our souls were not made for sitting still. We were made for moving, learning, searching, striving, growing

For G-d, the Sabbath was the last day of the week; for human beings, it was the first.

The paradox of Jewish spirituality: No religion holds God higher, but none feels Him closer

The only way to understand life is by living itL "Na’aseh venishma//We will do and we will obey.”

Moses prepares the Israelites for freedom by discussing-children, several times in the parsha

God is found in this world, not just the next. To grow spiritually, first satisfy material needs.