Essays on ethics : a weekly reading of the Jewish Bible / Jonathan Sacks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sacks, Jonathan, 1948-2020, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jewish ethics.

Ethics.

Judaism--Doctrines.

Judaism.

Jewish way of life.

Physical Description:

xxxvii, 342 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Jerusalem : Maggid Books, 2016.

Summary:

Why was Abraham ordered to sacrifice his son? Was Jacob right in stealing the blessings? Why were we commanded to destroy Amalek? What was Moses' sin in hitting the rock? And how did the Ten Commandments change the Jewish people, and humankind, for good? Essays on Ethics is the second companion volume to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's celebrated series Covenant & Conversation. Believing the Hebrew Bible to be the ultimate blueprint for Western morality, Rabbi Sacks embarks upon an ethical exploration of the weekly Torah portion, uncovering its message of truth and justice, dignity and compassion, forgiveness and love.

Contents:

Genesis

Bereshit: The Genesis of Justice 3

Noah: Beyond Nature 9

Lekh Lekha: How Perfect Were the Patriarchs and Matriarchs? 15

Vayera: The Binding of Isaac 21

Hayei Sara: The Kindness of Strangers 27

Toledot: Was Jacob Right to Take the Blessings? 33

Vayetzeh: Love Is Not Enough 41

Vayishlah: The Parable of the Tribes 47

Vayeshev: The Heroism of Tamar 53

Miketz: Appearance and Reality 59

Vayigash: The Birth of Forgiveness 65

Vayehi: When Is One Permitted to Tell a Lie? 71

Exodus

Shemot: On Not Obeying Immoral Orders 79

Va'era: Free Will 85

Bo: Telling the Story 91

Beshallah: The Face of Evil 97

Yitro: The Structure of the Good Society 103

Mishpatim: Healing the Heart of Darkness 109

Teruma: The Labour of Gratitude 117

Tetzaveh: The Ethic of Holiness 123

Ki Tissa: Can There Be Compassion Without Justice? 131

Vayak'hel: The Spirit of Community 137

Pekudei: Integrity in Public Life 145

Leviticus

Vayikra: What Do We Sacrifice? 153

Tzav: Violence and the Sacred 159

Shemini: Fire - Holy and Unholy 165

Tazria: The Circumcision of Desire 171

Metzora: The Power of Shame 177

Aharei Mot: The Scapegoat - Shame and Guilt 183

Kedoshim: From Priest to People 189

Emor: Sanctifying the Name 195

Behar: The Economics of Liberty 201

Behukkotai: The Politics of Responsibility 207

Numbers

Bemidbar: Law as Love 215

Naso: Two Versions of the Moral Life 221

Behaalotekha: From Pain to Humility 227

Shelah: Assembling Reminders 233

Korah: When Truth Is Sacrificed to Power 239

Hukkat: Anger Management 245

Balak: A People That Dwells Alone? 251

Pinhas: Elijah and the Still, Small Voice 257

Matot: Honouring the Word 263

Masei: Retribution and Revenge 269

Deuteronomy

Devarim: Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers? 277

Va'ethanan: The Right and the Good 281

Ekev: The Power of Gratitude 287

Re'eh: The Second Tithe and the Making of a Strong Society 293

Shofetim: Environmental Responsibility 299

Ki Tetzeh: To the Third and Fourth Generations 305

Ki Tavo: The Pursuit of Joy 311

Nitzavim: Why Judaism? 317

Vayelekh: Torah as Song 323

Haazinu: The Arc of the Moral Universe 329

VeZot HaBerakha: Moses' Death, Moses' Life 335.

Notes:

"Foreword by Senator Joseph L. Lieberman."

"The Brickman Edition."

ISBN:

159264449X

9781592644490

OCLC:

957302729