Radical Responsibility: Celebrating the Thought of Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

by Michael J. Harris (Editor), Daniel Rynhold (Editor), Tamra Wright (Editor)

Celebrating one of the greatest Jewish scholars of our time, Radical Responsibility brings together thirteen luminaries of Jewish and Western thought to explore the intellectual legacy of Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Centered on the fundamental themes of his ethics, justice, religion, and leadership,this collection advances Rabbi Sacks's lifelong quest to bridge Torah and secular wisdom, highlighting the relevance of the Jewish tradition to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jeffrey Spitz Cohan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What distinguishes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks is not just his marrying of Jewish and outside sources, but his talent for inspiring people to lead more ethical lives. His skill in communicating in lively and accessible terms sets him apart from, say, Rav Soloveitchik, who also valued secular knowledge but whose writing was more intellectual than inspirational.

Ironically, most of the essays in Radical Responsibility are, in style, closer to Soloveitchik than Sacks. Much of the writing is dry and a chore to read.

I can't recommend this book, even for Sacks' most ardent admirers. If you want to experience Sacks, go directly to the source. He's written several wonderful books that will reach your heart and soul.

[Justin Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edited volume, which was published in early 2013 several months before Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks stepped down as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth endures as a wonderful tribute following his succumbing to cancer in November 2020. The former Chief Rabbi was admired well beyond the Jewish community and this work from a diverse range of scholars reflects that - highlighting his thought leadership in ethics, justice, religion, and leadership. It is also is a reminder of the unique path he travelled within the Orthodox tradition to become the Chief Rabbi, from his primary and secondary education at Christian institutions growing up in North London to his First Class Honours Degree in Philosophy at Cambridge. Throughout the work I found some of the writing dense, but even when struggling along I continued to think about Rabbi's Sacks's enduring effort to connect timeless Jewish wisdom to the broader world in an increasingly secular age in Britain (and beyond). The third section of the books really resonated with me the most - "Religion and Contemporary Society." The first essay begins with Rabbi Sacks's book "The Dignity of Difference" where he stated "Those who are confident in their faith are not threatened but enlarged by the different faith of others."

[H.L. Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book one will rush through reading. Lots of thought-provoking essays that require much contemplation. This is a book one needs to ponder and revisit.