Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksThe Unexpected Leader (Vayigash — Lessons on Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)I was once present when the great historian of Islam, Bernard Lewis, was asked to predict the course of events in the Middle East. He…Jan 5, 2017Jan 5, 2017
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksThe Power of Dreams (Miketz — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)In one of the greatest transformations in all literature, Joseph moves in one bound from prisoner to prime minister. What was it about…Dec 28, 2016Dec 28, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksThe Power of Praise (Vayeshev — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)Reuben is the leader who might have been but never was. He was Jacob’s firstborn. Jacob says of him on his deathbed, “Reuben, you are my…Dec 21, 2016Dec 21, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksBe Thyself (Vayishlach — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)I have argued in previous years of Covenant and Conversation that the episode in which the Jewish people acquired its name — when Jacob…Dec 14, 2016Dec 14, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksLight in Dark Times (Vayetse — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)What is it that made Jacob — not Abraham or Isaac or Moses — the true father of the Jewish people? We are the “congregation of Jacob,” “the…Dec 7, 2016Dec 7, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksThe Price of Silence (Toldot — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)In an earlier post I quoted the Netziv (Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, 1816–1893, dean of the yeshiva in Volozhin), who made the sharp…Nov 30, 2016Nov 30, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksBeginning the Journey (Chayei Sarah — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)A while back, a British newspaper, The Times, interviewed a prominent member of the Jewish community — let’s call him Lord X — on his 92nd…Nov 23, 2016Nov 23, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksAnswering the Call (Vayera — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)The early history of humanity as told in the Torah is a series of disappointments. God gives human beings freedom, which they then misuse…Nov 16, 2016Nov 16, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksThe Courage not to Conform (Lech Lecha — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)Leaders lead. That does not mean to say that they don’t follow. But what they follow is different from what most people follow. They don’t…Nov 9, 2016Nov 9, 2016
Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksRighteousness is not Leadership (Noah — Lessons in Leadership from the Hebrew Bible)The praise that Noah is accorded is unparalleled anywhere in Tanakh. He was, says the Torah, “a righteous man, perfect in his generations…Nov 2, 2016Nov 2, 2016
