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An Ode to Joy: Judaism and Happiness in the Thought of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Beyond
Before his rather sudden passing in 2020, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was one of the most eloquent and influential religious leaders of the generation. As Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for over two decades, he offered a universal message cultivated from the Jewish and Western cannons he knew so well. One concept that figured prominently in his work was joy. “I think of Judaism as an ode to joy,” he once wrote. “Like Beethoven, Jews have known suffering, isolation, hardship, and rejection, yet they never lacked the religious courage to rejoice.” In this volume, organized by the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, academics and writers explore the significance of joy within the Jewish tradition. These essays and reflections discuss traditional Jewish primary sources, including Biblical, Rabbinic and Hebrew literature, Jewish history and philosophy, education, the arts, and positive psychology, and of course, through the prism of Lord Sacks’ work.
420 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2023
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About the author
Erica Brown
67 books23 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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May 30, 2024
It is a Torah prohibition to speak Lashon Ha'ra against another individual, even if the information is accurate. And it is much worse to speak Lashon Ha'ra before a large group, as the greater the number of people listening, the greater the speaker's transgression. As the person they are talking about is further disgraced by the heightened publicity.
The opposite is true when speaking praiseworthy about someone. Sharing stories of great people and their myriad accomplishments brings glory to them and is a sanctification of the name of God. And in An Ode to Joy: Judaism and Happiness in the Thought of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Beyond (Palgrave Macmillan), editors Erica Brown and Shira Weiss have done a fantastic service to the memory of Rabbi Sacks in this remarkable volume.
Here, Brown, Weiss, and almost 50 others share their thoughts and reflections on how Rabbi Sacks approached the topics of joy and happiness. These are not essays of abstract thought and theory. Rather they are insightful essays from those who had a relationship with Rabbi Sacks and how he affected their lives.
In October 2021, YU announced the founding of the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Center for Values and Leadership, of which Brown is the Vice Provost and Weiss Assistant Director.
Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar pioneered the study of happiness. He writes in the foreword of meeting Rabbi Sacks on a plane and how the long flight passed instantly when speaking with him. Like many of the contributors, he noted that Rabbi Sacks was a bridgebuilder. And that he built countless bridges among religion, disciplines, and people. And that our goal should be to live up to his vision of a world with myriad bridges connecting us together.
The fascinating thing about the essays in the book is that they are not written as academic overviews of Rabbi Sacks. Rather they are vignettes from some of his closest students. And these students span the gamut of the Jewish world. Rabbi Sacks did not want to live in an echo chamber where his adoring students mimicked his words. He wanted to be challenged and grow with them.
In her chapter on the joy of the Hasidim of the Baal Shem Tov and R' Nachman of Breslov, Dr. Biti Roi writes that the image of Hasidim dancing in a forest and drinking wine is a superficial view of a complex and demanding emotional and spiritual discipline. And to that, all of the contributors show how Rabbi Sacks, a man of incredible depth and brilliance, was able to eloquently answer the many demanding topics of our times. He did this in the most intellectually honest manner, never trying to dumb down his answers. He was the antithesis of superficial, as is manifest in each of these insightful essays.
If this volume were about the life of it would be a wonderful book just for that. But this is a book on only one of countless topics that were near and dear to him. This book is a testament to his greatness and vision, and all of the authors contribute to ensuring his brilliance and legacy stay with us.
The opposite is true when speaking praiseworthy about someone. Sharing stories of great people and their myriad accomplishments brings glory to them and is a sanctification of the name of God. And in An Ode to Joy: Judaism and Happiness in the Thought of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Beyond (Palgrave Macmillan), editors Erica Brown and Shira Weiss have done a fantastic service to the memory of Rabbi Sacks in this remarkable volume.
Here, Brown, Weiss, and almost 50 others share their thoughts and reflections on how Rabbi Sacks approached the topics of joy and happiness. These are not essays of abstract thought and theory. Rather they are insightful essays from those who had a relationship with Rabbi Sacks and how he affected their lives.
In October 2021, YU announced the founding of the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Center for Values and Leadership, of which Brown is the Vice Provost and Weiss Assistant Director.
Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar pioneered the study of happiness. He writes in the foreword of meeting Rabbi Sacks on a plane and how the long flight passed instantly when speaking with him. Like many of the contributors, he noted that Rabbi Sacks was a bridgebuilder. And that he built countless bridges among religion, disciplines, and people. And that our goal should be to live up to his vision of a world with myriad bridges connecting us together.
The fascinating thing about the essays in the book is that they are not written as academic overviews of Rabbi Sacks. Rather they are vignettes from some of his closest students. And these students span the gamut of the Jewish world. Rabbi Sacks did not want to live in an echo chamber where his adoring students mimicked his words. He wanted to be challenged and grow with them.
In her chapter on the joy of the Hasidim of the Baal Shem Tov and R' Nachman of Breslov, Dr. Biti Roi writes that the image of Hasidim dancing in a forest and drinking wine is a superficial view of a complex and demanding emotional and spiritual discipline. And to that, all of the contributors show how Rabbi Sacks, a man of incredible depth and brilliance, was able to eloquently answer the many demanding topics of our times. He did this in the most intellectually honest manner, never trying to dumb down his answers. He was the antithesis of superficial, as is manifest in each of these insightful essays.
If this volume were about the life of it would be a wonderful book just for that. But this is a book on only one of countless topics that were near and dear to him. This book is a testament to his greatness and vision, and all of the authors contribute to ensuring his brilliance and legacy stay with us.
Displaying 1 of 1 review