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2 years ago, I bought the haggadah he put after hearing a recommendation from a friend. I loved it! In my shul, in the divrei Torah booklet they have available, they almost always have something from him.
Now, I ordered his sefer on parshas hashavuah, for Bereishis. Does anyone have it? What do you think of it?
I am definitely a big fan of his stuff. Anyone else?
Feif Un, are you trying to cause problems? You know what this is going to lead to…..
Definitely one of the best writers out there. He writes so eloquently and knows how to make his point in a way that is hard to disagree with, even if he is a bit controversial at times.
my father gets them every week but im not such a fan.
From Wikipedia
“After the publication of his book The Dignity of Difference, a group of Haredi rabbis, most notably Rabbis Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and Bezalel Rakow, accused Sacks of heresy against traditional Orthodox viewpoint. According to them, some words seemed to imply an endorsement of pure relativism between religions, and that Judaism is not the sole true religion, e.g. “No one creed has a monopoly on spiritual truth”. This led him to rephrase more clearly some sentences in the book for its second edition, though he refused to recall books already in the stores.[13]”
On a personal note, I think highly of him and read his articles frequently.
I am going to hear him speak. I know absolutely nothing about him.
R. Sacks went to a Christian church for a religious service for William’s marriage.
mods…..what do you think this is going to lead to?!?!?1 be smart and close this thread maybe!!
Wikipedia is not considered the best source for anything.
It is user modified meaning anyone can modify any entry the please.
While popular entries are harder to “Graffittize” like say Barack Obama, a less popular entry can easily be “Graffitize”
True, but what optimusprime cited is common knowledge.
I did a quick wikipedia on Rav Bezalel Rakow and it said he was upset with R Sacks saying that jews cannot learn things from other religions.
The Soup Kitchen is not really a jewish idea and we did not really have them until recently until Masbia came around. While Food Charities like Tomche Shabbos have been around, the place where they make the food for you and serve you like Masbia has not really.
zahavasdad – What was the ??????
Adorable, I don’t think that the mods close a thread because it might lead to something bad. Each thread has the potential to become a bad thread.
I am not 100% sure here, but I think some of the servers at Masbia as paid, While there are some volunteers it seems thats it tough to get full time volunteers to serve the food at Masbia.
The Soup kitchens are almost all volunteers and all donations can go to help the hungry eat.
I am not 100% sure here, but I think some of the servers at Masbia as paid, While there are some volunteers it seems thats it tough to get full time volunteers to serve the food at Masbia.
The Soup kitchens are almost all volunteers and all donations can go to help the hungry eat.
It’s almost impossible to run a commercial kitchen entirely with vollenteers and still comply with food safety (documentation) requirements.
This is my favorite quote from Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks:
“Western civilisation has moved from what was once called the Judeo-Christian ethic to a consumer-driven, choice-fixated culture… Such a world is not chol but chiloni, not secular but secularist. It is impermeable to the values of kedushah.”
Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the UK is a great writer and inspirational speaker. Of course we have here in Britan disagreements between different groups of orthodox Jews, something perhaps that is not so new!!!
He is a controversial figure, and that makes him rather interesting As for attending the royal wedding, in his role of Chief Rabbi for the UK he represents British Jewry, he is our ambassador. Of his intellect and fabulous eloquency there is no question. His views may not please everyone , but why should they?
all i know about him is from an insider source; a source highly respected who is one of the bigest poskim in england. he said that R J sacks constantly makes problems for the right wing community.
Toi,
1. An unnamed source is not a valid one. If he is so highly respcted and big, why not name him?
2. Please define ” right wing”
less- it quite sensible, as this source holds a public position and if i didnt name him than obviously i feel that info this sensitive could potentially harm him and i dont want that to happen.2. the more yeshivish less zionist crowd.
tahini succinctly said it all
Toi,
Since you won’t name your source or how the right wing is being harmed, what is your point other than motzei shem rah?
How can a Jew attend a Christian church service? Especially the church sanctuary. For an avodah zora service. It is strictly prohibited to enter. According to all poskim from the mishna and gemorah Avoda Zora to S”A (and Rambam, Ritba, Rosh, Rashba, etc.) to contemporary poskim (Rav Moshe, Tzitz Eliezer, Rav Ovadia Yosef, etc.)
The Rashba says even for pikuach nefesh you can’t enter.
Dr. Seuss –
According to all poskim…
That is a very broad statement.
Off the top of my head, here are some things to consider: Was it a trinitarian or a unitarian church? Even if it was trinitarian; since everybody knows his intention when he’s going in, is it still assur?
yitay: It was an Anglican Church — The Church of England. And it was an actual Avoda Zora service. Galachim with tzeilim’s invoking yushke’s name and saying the Christian lithurgy. With the “Chief Rabbi” sitting in the pew. Please find me ONE posek from the time of the Tannaim through Rav Moshe. There isn’t any.
The Me’iri held that Christianity is not avodah zara.
old man: For goyim the Meiri writes that. (And even in that case many seforim write that that was written in the Meiri for the Christian censors.)
But that is irrelevant for this case, as for Yidden everyone including the Meiri agrees Christianity is Avoda Zora.
And in any event, all the poskim agree it is strictly forbidden to attend a Christian church service. (It is even forbidden to go into a church sanctuary when there is no service being held.)
Dr. Seuss: There is also a possible issue that Mishum Eivah the argument of “Eis La’asos Lahashem” might apply. I don’t think he was Matir any other Jew to go.
Why would attending an Avoda Zora service be any different than bowing down to an Avoda Zora “Mishum Eivah”? The poskim all say forbidden to enter a church. You will not find even one, otherwise, to allow attendance of a Christian church service.
Dr. Seuss –
You can’t go into a church because of mar’is ayin. Who says you can’t go in if everyone knows your intention, i.e. you are a chief rabbi going in for the purpose of public relations?
You can’t go into a church because of avoda zora. The gemora says you shouldn’t even go into a *city* where avoda zora is practiced, but we can’t follow that since it is virtually impossible. But as far as a church, ALL the poskim say forbidden. (Mishna, Gemorah, Rambam, Ritba, Rosh, Rashba, Rav Moshe, Tzitz Eliezer, Rav Ovadia Yosef, et al).
I’m still waiting for one who says otherwise.
Anyone? There isn’t any.
The gemora says you shouldn’t even go into a *city* where avoda zora is practiced, but we can’t follow that since it is virtually impossible.
You are making up reasons. Go vaiter in the Gemara, you’ll see why we “don’t keep” that one.
Still no posek that disagrees with the Rambam, Ritba, Rosh, Rashba, Rav Moshe, Tzitz Eliezer, Rav Ovadia Yosef, and every other posek who comments on going into the sanctuary for a christian church service?
Didn’t think so.
Point is, it’s because of mar’is ayin. And we do find heteirim for mar’is ayin when everybody knows.
Which posek provides this “heter” to enter the sanctuary of a christian church for the service with cross donning priests invoking cheese ‘n crackers and reciting the christian religious lithurgy?
All the aforementioned (and more) poskim strictly forbid it. None provide any such alleged “heter”.
…
Thanks Chocandpatience for your kind words!
Discussing Rabbi Sacks and the royal wedding is interesting, with different opinions making the exchange worth reading, but please remember here in Europe we Jews are not so comfortable as our American cousins.
We say a prayer every Shabbat in shul for our royal family, it is not done just out of respect, it is done to show the host nation we are loyal citizens albeit of a different faith. I am not a fan of the royal family and British establishment by any means, that is why I appreciate what Rabbi Sacks does in acting as our representative. Discussing halacha and the rights and wrongs of attending a state occasion we should remember that we are guests in our host countries, freedom to express and practice our religion must be accompanied by respect for the status quo. I do not like saying this, I do not like to conform but I recognise that we must guard our hard won privileges with respectful behaviour. In Israel we are free to disagree or question our fellow Jews, and we do, with protests, riots, petitions, etc,. Outside of our precious land, we need to protect our religious rights and show the establishment we pose no threat, we have been doing this for years all over the world, sometimes sitting quite wrongly with dictators and tyrants for the sake of good relations and being left alone in peace. Our brothers in Iran who choose to stay there, ( do not ask me why!) have perfected the art of being respectful guests, I do not agree with them at all, but I understand why. Rabbi Sacks here in the UK is a great ambassador for Jewry, showing himself to be a fantastic speaker and leader. Religious politics is an arena full of disagreement and debate, just look at our history!!
Jews for millenia have given up their freedom, homes and even lives rather than recognize a foreign religion.
tahini, as a fellow Britisher, I appreciate what you write.
Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jacobowitz declined to attend the wedding of Charles and Diana at Westminster Abbey. There were no anti-Jewish riots as a result.
???? ????? ?????? ?????
I was in London 12 years ago and I saw the Shul had a guard 24/7 .
When I was in Rome this summer, You could not attend services at the Shul unless you told them in advance .
My inlaws have shown me pictures of other shuls in Europe and its pretty much the same, Most shuls in Europe have guards, I saw one in Stockholm with a Jersey Barrier in front. Some you had to tell them in advance that you were going.
We are spoiled here in the US
Zahavasdad, you are indeed so right, we are envious of your comfortable approach in the US to religious tolerance.
There were no anti-Jewish riots in the UK when our great previous Chief Rabbi Jackobovitz did not attend a royal wedding. There would be no anti-Jewish riots now, instead there is a mood in Europe and Britain in particular which is not comfortable or truly safe for us. Charles and Diana married in 1981, today in 2011 the mood in the UK is very different. I teach in a London university, sometimes the things I hear are truly shocking. Ordinary people just want to get on with their lives, but at times especially on subjects such as Israel or Jewish education and the opening of new schools public sentiment is far from friendly. Chief Rabbi Sacks unfailingly presents a positive image of Judaism to the public, broadcasting on the radio with gracious dignity. The debate of whether or not he should attend a royal wedding were obviously carefully considered by him, and he responded with all the wisdom of the Chief Rabbi’s office behind him in the affirmative, if you were in the same boat and chose not to go, fine. Since when do we agree on everything?
The Late Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovitz Zt”l was quite different on many regards in comparison to R Jonathan Saks
I think everyone would agree Chief Rabbi Jakobovitz Zt”l had more “right winged” veiws than of R Jonathan Saks
besides for being a massive talmid chacham and respected dayan.
but putting down R Jonathan Saks is nothing short of lashon hara & motzi sheim ra
as far as that which someone quoted from wikipedia:
1) first verify that it is true before posting
2) besides, as I always say, stay out of the machloksim between gedolei ysroel. “gotta be a gaint to understand a giant, till then youre a midget”
There’s no machlokes between gedolei yisroel here. The Chief Rabbi isn’t one of the gedolim.
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