A Letter in the Scroll: Understanding Our Jewish Identity and Exploring the Legacy of the World's Oldest Religion by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (29-Mar-2004) Paperback

by Jonathan Sacks

For too long, Jews have defined themselves in light of the bad things that have happened to them. And it is true that, many times in the course of history, they have been nearly when the First and Second Temples were destroyed, when the Jews were expelled from Spain, when Hitler proposed his Final Solution. Astoundingly, the Jewish people have survived catastrophe after catastrophe and remained a thriving and vibrant community. The question Rabbi Jonathan Sacks asks is, quite How? How, in the face of such adversity, has Judaism remained and flourished, making a mark on human history out of all proportion to its numbers?Written originally as a wedding gift to his son and daughter-in-law, A Letter in the Scroll is Rabbi Sacks's personal answer to that question, a testimony to the enduring strength of his religion. Tracing the revolutionary series of philosophical and theological ideas that Judaism created -- from covenant to sabbath to formal education -- and showing us how they remain compellingly relevant in our time, Sacks portrays Jewish identity as an honor as well as a duty.The Ba'al Shem Tov, an eighteenth-century rabbi and founder of the Hasidic movement, famously noted that the Jewish people are like a living Torah scroll, and every individual Jew is a letter within it. If a single letter is damaged or missing or incorrectly drawn, a Torah scroll is considered invalid. So too, in Judaism, each individual is considered a crucial part of the people, without whom the entire religion would suffer. Rabbi Sacks uses this metaphor to make a passionate argument in favor of affiliation and practice in our secular times, and invites us to engage in our dynamic and inclusive tradition. Never has a book more eloquently expressed the joys of being a Jew.This is the story of one man's hope for the future -- a future in which the next generation, his children and ours, will happily embrace the beauty of the world's oldest religion.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Religion, Nonfiction, Judaica, Spirituality, Philosophy

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Henry Sacks was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name was Yaakov Zvi.

Serving as the chief rabbi in the United Kingdom from 1991 to 2013, Sacks gained fame both in the secular world and in Jewish circles. He was a sought-after voice on issues of war and peace, religious fundamentalism, ethics, and the relationship between science and religion, among other topics. Sacks wrote more than 20 books.

Rabbi Sacks died November 2020 after a short bout with cancer. He was 72.

Reviews

[Jeffrey (Akiva) Savett · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would.

Oddly enough, even though I'm a huge fan of Rabbi Sacks and have read many of his books, this one, one of his earliest, came to my attention through the journalist, David Gregory. He was recently interviewing Simon Schama and R. Sacks because of Schama's new book, A History of the Jews. In passing, Gregory said "Rabbi, I believe that your book A Letter in the Scroll should be required reading for every B'nai Mitzvah student specifically and Jewish person in general. It means a great deal to me personally at many times in my life."

That's a very strong recommendation from someone as smart, and as far as I know, as secular as Gregory.

So why is it so good? A Letter in the Scroll feels to me now as Rabbi Harold Kushner's To Life! felt two decades ago: it's the most thoughtful, compelling, loving, and well written answer to the question, as Sacks puts it in the preface, "Who am I and why should I remain a Jew? That question can never be answered in the abstract. It is intensely personal and demands a personal reply. This is my personal reply. None of us can answer this question for anyone else. But it sometimes helps to know how other people have thought about it."

If you know anything about Rabbi Sacks, you already know that his answer, in the form of this short brilliant book, is not going to be parochial or arrogant, or dependent neither on the supernatural nor an abandonment of individual dignity, identity, or intellectual honesty.

I am not going to spoil the joy of discovering his answers to these questions by listing some of the beautiful quotes from the book. But as expected, know that Sacks is going to draw upon Isaiah and Isaiah Berlin, Ezekiel and Einstein, Shlomo and Shakespeare, Noah and Nietzsche to make his arguments.

And they ARE wonderful arguments. Each chapter, I believe, builds upon and improves upon the previous, until the book ends in a rapturous yet cogent summation of WHY this genius Philosophy professor at Oxford, against all the pressures of his cultural milieu, came to embrace his religion and eventually found himself Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.

In keeping with my promise not to quote some of the most compelling and material HERE, let me just suggest that his chapter on Shabbat is at least as wonderful as Abraham Joshua Heschel's famous little book, The Sabbath.

Enjoy.

[Matt Berkowitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dove into this book not expecting to be persuaded by it, but rather with the intent to understand why Jews retain their identity as Jews. I was brought up in a modern, secular (Conservative) Jewish family and, unlike most with a similar upbringing, I now do not consider myself Jewish—I don’t subscribe to its religious beliefs, nor do I find any value in so-called “Jewish” values (I prefer a reason- and evidence-based moral foundation, i.e., secular humanism), and I certainly don’t wish to be part of a Jewish community (why would I, when I’d share little with those in that community other than ancestry?). So, at the recommendation of my parents who still retain their Jewish identities, I gave this a read in part to help understand Judaism’s appeal.

Unfortunately, I found this to be a very sloppily argued book. The first quarter explores possible answers to the question “Why be Jewish?”, ultimately highlighting the apparent allure of continuing a very long tradition that one feels connected to (an argument from antiquity / appeal to tradition). Sacks remarks that “Judaism is a religion of continuity. It depends for its very existence on the willingness of successive generations to hand on their faith and way of life to their children, and on the loyalty of children to the heritage of their past” (p. 20). But doesn’t every tradition depend on this sort of continuity? This reasoning presupposes that said tradition is worth continuing, a point which Sacks poorly defends throughout the book.

Another reason Sacks offers to be Jewish is that those who attempt to assimilate “would still be called Jews against their own will…” (quoting Arama; p. 22). That is, the attempt to renounce one’s religious identity would not be accepted by others. It’s very bizarre (and rather sad) to accept an identity based on what others impose on you—not to mention it reinforces the essentialist, anti-Semitic propaganda (propounded by the Nazis and others) that to be Jewish is an immutable trait, like, say, sex. To me, it seems like a much more formidable indication of character to reject such external impositions, and instead to forge one’s own sense of identity based on values that are based on a dispassionately rational foundation. Sacks reaffirms later in the book that “That is one reason why I am a Jew. A world, a nation, a religion that does not have room for Judaism or Jews is a world, a nation, a religion that does not have room for humanity.” Again, Sacks is allowing intolerance towards Judaism to bolster his sense of Jewish identity—a sort of martyr or victim complex, in which you feed on persecution to fulfill a psychological need. (Curiously, Sacks contradicts this claim later in the book, asserting that Jews should “never let it [anti-Semitism] affect our idea of who we are” (p. 213). So which is it?) More rationally, one can and should stand firm against bigotry (including anti-Semitism); but we ought to question why the pervasiveness of such bigotry should motivate or reinforce the need to be part of that targeted group.

The two aforementioned reasons (appeal to tradition and external imposition) may have contributed to the longevity of the Jewish people (or at least of Jewish traditions), but they are certainly not compelling reasons in themselves for why a set of ideas ought to be preserved.

The second part of the book discusses, in Sacks’ view, what Judaism has contributed to the world and what characterizes Jewish values and ideas. I didn’t find the historical part of this section very engaging, but I was interested to understand what supposedly constitute Jewish values. The latter commentary was frustrating for me. Sacks subscribes to what many religious critics call “cafeteria religion”; that is, they pick and choose certain elements of what they like from their religious scriptures, using an interpretation that appears totally unprincipled. What methods exactly are being used to determine what are Jewish values and what are antithetical to Jewish values (more on this point soon)? There is a lot of horrendous content in the Torah / Old Testament that does not get discussed at all in this book (e.g., that homosexuals ought to be stoned to death, that rape victims should marry their rapists, that slavery is OK, etc.), yet most secular Jews thankfully ignore this stuff in favour of more modern secular values that we arrived at through secular reasoning processes. Many Jewish scholars / teachers have often castigated these abhorrent values, and that is great—this clearly sets the modern characterization and practice of Judaism far ahead of other religious practices that still attempt to defend such morally indefensible values. But it’s difficult to say that this is a uniquely Jewish phenomenon; rather, Jews have been quicker than adherents of other religions to shed the antiquated values enshrined in their holy books. The real triumph here is our science- and reason-based modern world that has continually expanded its circle of moral concern outward.

Moreover, as an aside, there is often a nebulousness with respect to what “Jewish” means—it is too often conflated to refer to either/or/all of: a) “Jewish, the religion”; b) “Jewish, the (so-called) ethnicity”; c) “Jewish, the cultural values” associated with a) and b). And it’s a conflation that Jews often exploit to make it seem like being Jewish is something immutable. Clearly, one can opt out of a) and c); for b), “Jewish” isn’t really an ethnicity—Ashkenazi, Sephardic, etc. denote ethnic distinctions, but they are too often conflated with “Jewish”. This book is rarely clear about the usage. If any of the above are to be given credit for Jews’ overperformance in the sciences and arts, it’s c), and it would be interesting to see someone try to tackle this question empirically. But I digress…

In the third part of the book, Sacks insists that “Everything that could be seen as the unchanging, inevitable way of things, endorsed by nature or nature’s gods, is perpetually questioned in Judaism. If it is wrong, it must be changed. If it is right, it must be sustained by a conscious moral decision, an act of the free human will” (p. 111).

This oft-repeated mantra among Jewish scholars and educated secular Jews alike—that if something in Judaism is wrong, it ought to be challenged and replaced—should not be convincing to anyone, Jewish or not. This mantra is also offered as the method by which Jews determine whether to take the bible literally or metaphorically. If something in Judaism is indeed wrong (as discovered by modern scientific understandings and/or moral progress), then it indeed ought to be challenged. But there are countless Jewish traditions that are preserved that fly in the face of our best scientific and moral understandings—and many more for which there is an absence of evidence. For example, Jewish dietary laws (kashrut) have little basis in modern nutrition science, nor are they compatible with our best moral standards (e.g., animals slaughtered to make “kosher” meat are typically treated appallingly); and infant circumcision is a rather barbaric practice for which medical science does not support the routine use of, and as such, it violates moral principles of autonomy/consent for those who are circumcised against their will (almost every baby boy born to Jewish parents). Moreover, the aforementioned mantra is a God of the gaps argument (a type of argument from ignorance fallacy), whereby those religious claims that aren’t yet contradicted by science are asserted as truths—this is exactly anathema to the scientific attitude, where the burden of proof is on those making a claim, not on others to disprove it. So, it seems to be completely insincere when Sacks (and other Jewish thinkers) claim that Judaism really abides by an ethic of disputation—it may be the case compared to other religious traditions, but that’s a pretty low bar.

Towards the end of the book, Sacks comments: “Only now, perhaps, can we appreciate the depth and pathos of Jewish faith. For what are the alternatives? We can deny the reality of either God or evil. Then the dissonance would disappear, and we could live at peace with the world. But if God exists and evil is an illusion, then Auscwhitz is justified. We may not know why, but this we know, that from the vantage point of heaven there was a reason for it and we must accept it as God’s unfathomable will. The alternative is that God does not exist, and thus the universe is blind to our hopes, deaf to our cries, indifferent to our existence. In such a world there is no reason not to expect an Auschwitz. Jewish faith is the principled refusal to accept either answer, because each would allow us to live at peace with the world, and it is morally impossible to live at peace with a world that contains an Auschwitz” (p. 188-189).

This is some tortured reasoning surrounding what is commonly known as the “problem of evil”. Since there’s no good evidence nor compelling reasons to support the existence of a god(s), all indications are that we live in this “alternative” scenario that Sacks alludes to. But rather than despairing about a universe blind to our hopes, this can empower us to collaborate to make society better using tools that reliably work (e.g., see “Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker). Again, insofar as Judaism is compatible with secular humanism and science, it offers nothing unique nor valuable; insofar as it differs (because it conflicts with science and reason), it should be rejected—unless one prefers delusion and fantasy to reality.

Lastly, Sacks compares the lack of Jewish faith to a lack of appreciation for humour, music, or love, asserting that “one can live a life without these things, but it will be a smaller, more circumscribed and impoverished life. How much more so in the case of faith” (p. 223).

This reflects Sacks’ total lack of imagination for how to derive meaning absent unjustified beliefs in the supernatural. To claim that without faith—let alone the Jewish faith—one cannot lead a rich, fulfilling, awe-inspiring, meaningful life is both sad and empirically wrong. Personally, I derive meaning through my field of expertise (statistics), by advancing what I consider to be good ideas (based in empiricism), by helping others, through music (playing and listening), in romance, through connections with friends, and in the endless exploration of reality through reading, travelling, and communicating with people who hold divergent views. There is no necessity to believe things on insufficient evidence, or to join a community that subscribes (or professes to subscribe) to such beliefs. But that’s me.

Overall, this was a very poor read. While the writing style is, at times, engaging, the reasoning is extremely sloppy—full of logical fallacies (like the aforementioned appeal to tradition) and presuppositions that are never challenged. While it offers some insight into why many Jews retain their Jewish identity and carry on its traditions, customs, and culture, it makes little effort to rationally justify the reasons Sacks and other Jews apparently find compelling enough to retain their Judaism. Thus, for a secular-minded reader, it’s difficult to derive any value from this book. It appears to mostly serve as a catharsis for Jews: to derive emotional comfort from an eloquent-sounding story of Judaism having been preserved for so long, one drenched in confirmation bias. With a little skepticism, this book shouldn’t convince a neutral reader of much beyond this purpose it serves.

[Spike Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I've been waiting to read my whole life on 'why be Jewish'

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to be part of a discussion group about it. Rabbi Sacks wrote about it so lucidly and logically. I loved the way he invited and even encouraged the reader to think about issues of religion and Jewish identity.

[Bronte Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Rabbi Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth (may his memory be a blessing), gives his overview of the philosophy of Judaism, and attempts to answer "why be Jewish" in response to his concerns about growing secularism within the Jewish People

I found this book a bit slow to get into and didn't necessarily find the initial section of "why be a jew" particularly meaningful (mainly because Rabbi Sacks thesis here basically boils down to "you don't really get a choice" which while true in a lot of cases, isn't true in all.

However, this book really took off in the middle section which I'm going to entitle "what is it to be a Jew?" and I spent most of my Shabbat this week entranced by Rabbi Sack's explanations of the Jewish partnership with God, the inherent dignity of mankind, the challenges and triumphs of building Jewish society and community, and wrestling with the goodness and power of god with the evil in the world.

Rabbi Sacks has this style of writing that I'm never sure does entirely what the book says on the tin , but instead takes you through the journey of theology and philosophy that is enriching and poignant. Do I always agree with his perspective on things? No. But all the same after each book of his I read I always feel like I am better off for having read it and a little more in love with Judaism each time.

[Avigayil · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest books I've ever read. Just wow.

[Simcha York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' A Letter in the Scroll is a brilliant and beautifully written exploration of Jewish identity and of the legacy of the Jewish tradition for Jews and for Western Civilization in general.

Rabbi Sacks begins with a question raised 500 years ago by Rabbi Isaac ben Moses Arama about the nature and logic of the covenant between God and the children of Israel: "How could one generation bind its successors? How could children be born into duties to which they had not given their consent? How was the eternity of the covenant morally possible?" In short, why be Jewish? Why feel obligated to a covenant simply by accident of having been born to descendants of those with whom the covenant was actually made?

In the course of answering these questions, Rabbi Sacks explores the legacy of the Jewish tradition, noting the many ways in which much of what seems so familiar to us today was, in its age, earth-shaking in its novelty and strangeness. He explores questions of assimilation and the challenges to Jewish identity that have arisen as religiously-driven anti-Judaism has given way to nationally-driven anti-Semitism. In a particularly astute chapter on the concept of chosenness, Rabbi Sacks eschews the dichotomy of tribalism and universalism, and argues that Judaism has always represented a third way - one God, reflecting the shared humanity of all peoples, but the possibility for multiple faiths and paths toward relating to God, reflecting human diversity (at the same time, however, he avoids any simplistic or morally relativistic argument that all belief is equally valid).

While this can be classified as a work of theology, the reader will find little abstract thought here, no lenghty discussions on the nature of God or theodicy. The covenental nature of Judaism reveals itself best through adherence to the covenant. As Rabbi Sacks has written in his introduction to the Koren Siddur, "For Judaism, theology becomes real when it becomes prayer. We do not talk about God. We talk to God."

A Letter in the Scroll is a compelling argument for the enduring power and beauty of the coventental relationship and the role it has played and will continue to play in the survival of the Jewish people.

[Michael Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about Jonathan Sacks' use of language that is just overpowering (in a good way). He is eloquent, yes, but more than that he uses words to create insight in ways that most writers do not. I do not agree with all of his thinking, but I find myself highlighting certain phrases and simply stated ideas that are powerful enough to alter my view of the universe. How does one do that? To have that kind of power over language is a remarkable gift.

He is motivational and inspiring, but he also challenges us to think about why Judaism exists and what it might mean both to society and to us as individuals. He expresses more eloquently than I have ever heard his view that Judaism does not believe that there is only one path to God. It serves as the basis for his deep love of and respect for other religions.

In the end, he argues that to be Jewish is to be part of a story that started thousands of years ago and that continues to be written today. That connection to the story is what roots him in his faith.

Even if you are not Jewish, read this book for the writer's remarkable use of language, nuanced ideas and open-hearted acceptance of all those that intend well in this world.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. As a Masorti/Conservative Jew, it both taught me new things about Judaism’s contributions to the world, and reaffirmed what I already knew. This book could be an excellent introduction to Jewish philosophy and ethics, though it’s not completely beginner level (there’s references to Torah stories that a complete beginner would have to look up). It was very interesting to learn some of the ideas that Judaism originally gave to the world that were radically new at the time, such as the concept of a day of rest. Where would we be now without a weekend?! Even though I just read it for the first time, I look forward very much to re-reading it.

There are a couple spots where I got the impression that Rabbi Sacks is more personally conservative than I am, in his fears of crime for instance. Statistics show that crime has actually been falling for decades. But this book offers beautiful material that would make a great compliment to the introduction to Jewish theology in Sarah Hurwitz’s book “Here all Along.” I’m thinking about giving “A Letter in the Scroll” as a B’nei Mitzvah gift, and I will be looking for more titles from Rabbi Sacks.

[Yitzchok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book in 2008 (Finished it on Oct 22, 2008). I am now re-reading it. Started on Feb 27, 2016.

I have now re-read it a third time on 11/9/19. I actually bought a case of this book to give out to Jewish people who were either alienated from Judaism or never had a close connection to Judaism. This book is incredibly accessible to the average person and was designed for the laymen, and not the academic. I highly recommend this book as resource to understand why by a Jew, why Judaism is important and why our personal involvement matters.

Beautifully done!

[Martin Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Reminds me of why I am proud to be Jewish.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Sacks is someone that I have for many years wanted to read. He’s written dozens of books about Judaism and religion, so it was always hard to know where to jump in. A Letter in the Scroll: Understanding Our Jewish Identity and Exploring the Legacy of the World's Oldest ReligionA Letter in the Scroll seemed to fit the bill. It is more personal and direct, not a weighty tome. Intended at first as a gift for his son on his wedding day, it is an attempt by Rabbi Sacks to answer central questions about Jewish identity. What does it mean to be Jewish? Why continue to be Jewish? Sacks' reply is both deeply personal and theological. To answer the question, Sacks retells the story of Judaism, its origins and developments through the millennia.

Sacks' discussion of faith and the nature of Judaism as a religion is, to me at least, novel. As Sacks argues, the faith of Judaism is not one of miracles and believing the irrational: it is as he puts it, more a call or a summons. It is a call to see the world as it is and to do something about it. He situates Jewish faith between a nihilism or cynicism that sees the world as it is but without a need to make it better and a utopian/mystical vision that rejects the world as it is for some other world. Judaism is of this world, this life: each of us must live in this world. For the believer, God created humans as the ones able to see the world as it is and how it ought to be, and that we are responsible for bridging the gap. This a compelling vision (and one that I think can secularized as well).

Sacks' discussion of the problem of evil or theodicy is quite interesting as well. In the face of the Holocaust, he says, we might reject the reality of God or the reality of evil. But if we reject the existence of evil, then Auschwitz is justified – at least from some unfathomable vantage point of God. On the other hand, Sacks argues, if we reject God for a blind, material universe then “there is no reason not to expect an Auschwitz” (180). Sacks says Jewish faith is the refusal take either horn of this dilemma: “each would allow us to live at peace with the world, and it is morally impossible to live at peace with a world that contains an Auschwitz” (180). Furthermore, Sacks argues, this world really is the only possible world or rather a world in which Auschwitz is a possibility is the inevitable result of God creating man. In many ways this is not a satisfying answer to the problem of evil (there are many ‘moves’ one could make here). But there is also something compelling about it: This is the world. It has tragedy and devastation. But it also has love, beauty and hope. We cannot ignore the former or let it overwhelm us; and we cannot forget the latter: we must live in the reality of both. Judaism, as Sacks casts is, is a way of doing just that.

The covenantal aspects of Judaism, as well as Sacks discussion of the dichotomies of the individual and the collective, the particular and the universal, were also very interesting. Though I am not capable of believing as Sacks does, I find much of what he says thought-provoking. It makes a kind of sense to me.

Sacks doesn’t see much future for Jewish life without the Jewish religion: I am more hopeful on that front. In part, I think a secular philosophy can provide justifications for the equal dignity and respect of all humans; the made in the image of the God is not the only way to get there. I do have some minor quibbles about Sacks comments about philosophy, and Spinoza in particular, but these don’t play major roles in the discussion and so do not ultimately detract from the book.

The central point of the book was an attempt to answer questions about Jewish Identity. Sacks gives his answer and there is much to commend in that: but I am not sure it fits with my view: both in the general answers one might give to these questions, but also with my own answers. I think Sacks would be okay with that. This is his answer and his answer made me think more about my own answer. I think that was, at least in part, one of his goals for the book.

For this interested in learning more about the uniqueness of Jewish theology, without having to wade into waters too deep, this is a good starting point.

[BookishlyJewish]

This review first appeared on my blog BookishlyJewish

A Letter In The Scroll by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is that rarest of things - a radical book written by an Orthodox Rabbi that is easily read and understood by lay people. From the introduction, in which the central premise of the book is laid out, it is clear that A Letter In The Scroll is different than other books I've read on Jewish thought and identity. Written in response to a group of students seeking to understand modern Jewish life and identity the Rabbi poses a question - why be Jewish at all?

This might not seem revolutionary to someone who is not Jewish, but for a person born and raised an Orthodox Jew, that question is wild. It almost doesn’t make sense. We're raised knowing that we are Jewish because we're born Jewish. There’s no escape, no way to undo it. Our Jewish souls are part and parcel of our existence, even if we wish they weren’t. Even if we no longer practice Judaism at all. It’s a burden so heavy it can at times feel oppressive. Having a Rabbi indicate that being Jewish is in fact a choice - one that should be made with joy and pride - is deeply moving. (A feeling I get every single time I speak with a Jew by choice BTW).

Rabbi Sacks is discussing the phenomenon of Jews across multiple types of Jewish observance choosing to remove themselves from Jewish life and identity, but his compelling answer to the question - why be a Jew at all? - is just as useful for those of us who never entertained leaving Judaism as a possibility. 

You can read the book for the answer to that particular question. It would be a disservice to summarize it here when Rabbi Sacks is significantly more eloquent than whatever I'm going to type. Instead I'd like to focus on a few key concepts: that every human was created in the image of God, and the Dignity of Difference. Meaning, in Rabbi Sack's view, even non Jews deserve respect and care. It’s a concept that too often gets overlooked in favor of “chosen people” rhetoric. As a little girl I always held an idea in my heart that everyone was worshiping the same God in the end, even if we went about it in different ways, including some deeply problematic and harmful ways (crusades anyone?). I never said it out loud because I assumed it was heresy likely to get me criticized for being overly sentimental and naive. That little girl full of love and compassion felt really validated by this book. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the chapters dealing with antisemitism and how Jews have begun to identify themselves in response to it or in spite of it. Although the book was published in 2004, this is especially relevant right now. Of course we’re hemorrhaging members. Who wants to be defined by someone else who keeps changing the rules of the game to your disadvantage? Far better to forget the Jew hatred and instead remember the old Yiddish adage, which I recognized immediately because it was a favorite of my high school Chumash teacher - es gut tzu zein a yid. It’s good to be a Jew. 

The Rabbi anticipated the Jewish Joy movement years before it hit hashtag status. It’s good to be a Jew - and we should celebrate that. Not because we’re forced into it but because we are part of a special heritage that teaches us our religion is not about a perfect world. It’s about repairing an imperfect one and in so doing become partners with God. This is our legacy, the ongoing story of our forebears that we seek to continue as letters in their scroll. And it is a joy. So was reading this book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the late rabbi's The Great Partnership, about science and faith, belief and rationality, and I had expected this earlier book would overlap somewhat. It's actually less personal, to my surprise, even though it appeared ca. 2000 as a gift for his two children, an answer to another title aptly asking Will My Grandchildren Be Jewish? Given that thirty-five or so years earlier, over half of those who could be Jewish in terms of continuity have opted out, probably vanishingly few as we near 2025 are choosing in the affirmative to sustain Jewish life at least outside the Modern Orthodox community of the Rabbi. He covers about two-dozen topics, in an accessible but never pandering or pat fashion. Like I.B. Singer, Kafka, elusive Einstein, or foolish Freud, the rabbi rejects the baffling contortions of original sin, redemption by an incomplete messiah, or Paul's illogical guilt trips.

So I am not sure if studying this at least one generation and almost two on will make any difference. Rabbi Sacks writes clearly, if rather slowly (his books aren't rapid page turners, as he eschews glib platitudes or self-help pop-psych). He looks at issues dealt with, unsurprisingly, in his commentaries on the Torah (which are great by the by), and he is working out ideas such as the covenantal rather than mythic God-Us relationship, the Shoah, Israel's presence as a land and as a diaspora aspiration, and the vexed no-go of antisemites who invite the Jewish person to convert or change, but remind him or her that one so deeply flawed can never truly alter their fickle identity. As I tap this in 2024, I wonder what the Rabbi would have had made of the past Jewish year of pain.

He's very astute on the evolution of rabbinic Judaism, the synagogue, the family rather than the Temple as the center of community where only a minyan had to support scattered gatherings of Jews for two thousand years, amidst considerable persecution, assimilation, hatred, and ignorance.

While I would have liked more on how he saw today's inevitable capitulation to secularization, intermarriage, no marriage and no kids increasingly by default, he certainly cannot be gainsaid as to his prescience about the declining spirits amidst the increasingly affluent, coddled, and complacent, even self-hating, status quo of those who continue to imagine Bubbe's cooking before Shabbat a century ago, shtetl kitsch paintings, or folksy songs will have any chance of convincing those liberal Jews to keep up their side. If it was dire a quarter-century ago, what about right now?

[Nechamah Goldfarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time that I am reading this book, although I read it under a different name when I lived in Ireland.

I read a chapter or so each Shabbat meal since I have no guests during this year of pandemic, and I like to hear/learn insights and ideas, especially from Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (ztzl) who horrifyingly passed away this past November when I was reading his new book (Morality).

His teachings had and have a profound effect on me and, through me, my students, and I am bereft and distressed at not having him in the land of the living, constantly providing the light that he shone everywhere.

However, we still have his books, his ideas, and his teachings, and this particular book is a core book for Jewish identity and understanding the essence of Judaism and Jewish Identity.

I am glad that we have it, and glad that I took the time to invite him to my table this way.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an incredible gift to read. I am a Christian and have always been curious about Judaism. I've always lived in the South - Bible Belt country - and have not had many close friends who are Jewish. I have had the opportunity to attend Yom Kippur services and meet with a rabbi, but even after those experiences I did not fully understand what Jews believed and how it differed from my own faith.

This book helped me answer those questions, but it also offered so much more. It is a beautifully written account of the history of the Jews and how that history impacts their current faith, philosophy, and interaction with the world. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks is brilliant, and I savored every word in this treasure of a book.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book That Will Make You Think

Although the subject matter is very deep, Rabbi Sachs takes you on a journey that is easy to follow and will leave you with new insights and many things to consider. The summary paragraphs of why I am a Jew bring together all that was revealed in earlier chapters. The book makes thoughtful distinctions among the many religions and philosophies in this world. The biggest difference, in my mind, is that most are systems of belief while Judaism is a system of actions that does insist it is the only system for all people.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

[Justin Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot speak more highly about this book. Though redundant at times, it is a book about Jewish history that made me unable to feel anything but pride and renewed identity. What means the most, is though I did not expect it, it validated many of the feelings I have struggled to articulate on my own.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book by the late and great Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. While I do have some major areas of disagreements, such as his framing of the issue intermarriage plays in assimilation (it does, but how he frames it I find to not the best most moral nor the most developed argument), the book overall is masterful. One need not be a scholar to appreciate this book. I highly recommend it.

[Kenn. Graiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legacy

The great and brilliant Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has, in this book, only defined Judaism but revealed its place in the world. His love and respect for his religion allows more than ample room for respect and admiration for other faiths. He has shown that he was truly a Citizen of All Mankind.

[Noa Ablin · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sacks book I read definitely not the last. I’m the beginning was hard to get into but the writing is impeccable hopefully I can write like that one day and you get sucked into his storytelling.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible and captures a lot of his big ideas in one place concisely. A bit heavy on the importance of marriage and the family compared to other things I have heard and read from him but that makes sense when you know the context in which it was written.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that helps explain why one, especially a Jew, wants to be a Jew. Insightful, touching, inspiring. I’ll refer to this book and to Rabbi Sacks’s, may he rest in peace, writings for years to come.

[David Thrale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good and thought provoking insights, supported by some good quotes by other authors. O got a lot from the book, but a fair bit of repetition. Probably longer than it should have been

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant mind, Rabbi Sacks elucidates what it means to be a Jew in relationship with Hashem. A stunning read....

[Stan Zoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

His basic premise is good, but it gets bogged down in history. An interesting, but not captivating read.

[Crimsonsabbath · Rating 5 out of 5]

An orthodox point of view on why be a jew

[Jayde Schwerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written. Rabbi Sacks was indeed a great man; a wise man and a superb author. He is missed.

[Beth Liebman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book for our synagogue reading project.

[Eli Mandel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had many thoughts while reading this book.

1. One overarching theme I kept seeing was that Judaism is malleable enough to be both the monarchy it used to be and the predecessor to, and superior to, Athenian democracy. I couldn't help but wonder: if democracy would never have been developed, would Judaism have developed it according to Rabbi Sacks?

2. He doesn't shy away from the fact that Judaism was developed by human beings in response to outside political and social events.

3. Towards the end, as he talks up the current form of Judaisms, he noticeably doesn't explain why we pray for the arrival of the messiah... hmmm

4. Overall, the beginning of the book was very philosophical while roughly the second half, after he skips over the entire period of the temples, moves fairly quickly.

My takeaway: I didn't feel very convinced that I'm a letter in the scroll, but then again I didn't live through the Yom Kippur war which was Rabbi Sacks's Jewish awakening moment.