Podcast appearances and mentions of Jonathan Sacks

Listen as Rabbi Cosgrove talks to Rabbi Daniel Ross Goodman about his past studies of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, how it led to his recent book, Soloveitchik's Children: Irving Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and the Future of Jewish Theology in America, and what it meant to be a student of "The Rav."

The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel offers an innovative and refreshing approach to the Hebrew Bible. By fusing extraordinary findings by modern scholars on the ancient Near East with the original Hebrew text and a brand new English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel clarifies and explains the Biblical narrative, laws, events and prophecies in context with the milieu in which it took place. This is an interview with Jeremiah Unterman, academic editor of The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel offers an innovative and refreshing approach to the Hebrew Bible. By fusing extraordinary findings by modern scholars on the ancient Near East with the original Hebrew text and a brand new English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel clarifies and explains the Biblical narrative, laws, events and prophecies in context with the milieu in which it took place. This is an interview with Jeremiah Unterman, academic editor of The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel offers an innovative and refreshing approach to the Hebrew Bible. By fusing extraordinary findings by modern scholars on the ancient Near East with the original Hebrew text and a brand new English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel clarifies and explains the Biblical narrative, laws, events and prophecies in context with the milieu in which it took place. This is an interview with Jeremiah Unterman, academic editor of The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel offers an innovative and refreshing approach to the Hebrew Bible. By fusing extraordinary findings by modern scholars on the ancient Near East with the original Hebrew text and a brand new English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel clarifies and explains the Biblical narrative, laws, events and prophecies in context with the milieu in which it took place. This is an interview with Jeremiah Unterman, academic editor of The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

R. Jonathan Sacks observed that “Jews have survived catastrophe after catastrophe, in a way unparalleled by any other culture. In each case, they did more than survive. Every tragedy in Jewish history was followed by a new wave of creativity.” Even at this early date, we have begun to witness the emergence of creative responses to the events of Simchat Torah 2023 and its long aftermath. That some of the more significant products have been delivered from within our own Orthodox community, both in Israel and abroad, makes these works especially worthy of our attention, and this week TraditionOnline ran a series of excerpts from three new books that have been written and published from within the fog of war; each aiming to offer religious insight and respond to the traumas of our collective Jewish experiences since Simchat Torah 2023. In this podcast we chat with those three authors about their writing, the challenge of responding “from the gut” in real time, and how powerful and responsive works of this nature impact in their moment and resonate across the years. Our guests are: Erica Brown, “Morning Has Broken: Faith After October 7th” (Toby Press). Rachel Sharansky Danziger discussing the tefillot she contributed to “Az Nashir—We Will Sing Again: Women's Prayers for Our Time of Need,” compiled and edited by Shira Lankin Sheps, Rachel Sharansky Danziger, and Anne Gordon (Shvilli Center). Moshe Taragin, “Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below” (Yeshivat Har Etzion & Kodesh Press). As many readers and listeners know, the son of R. Moshe and Atara Taragin was badly wounded in Lebanon. Please pray for Noam Avraham ben Atara Shlomit along with all of Israel's soldiers, citizens, and the entirety of the Jewish people.

In this episode Richard Pater talks to Professor Jonathan Rynhold about the impact of Trumps's victory on the region. They explore the potential impact on the current fighting in Lebanon and Gaza as well the Iranian threat and the prospect of normalisation with Saudi Arabia. Professor Rynhold is the Head of the department of Political Studies and the Academic Director of the Jonathan Sacks institute, both at Bar Ilan University. He is also the author of The Arab-Israeli Conflict in American Political Culture.

Rabbi Sacks' Favourite Song and EpitaphMany many times has the 929 corresponded eerily with other events happening. But I have not had one like this before.In 1991, Dr Jonathan Sacks, then chief rabbi elect of the United Kingdom was the guest on a deeply beloved British radio show, Desert Island Disks, in which guests are asked to select the songs they would take with them to a desert island. One of Rabbi Sacks' choices was the famous niggun צמאה נפשי לאלהים my soul years for you, the living God which is taken from today's 929. These words come from Tehillim 63 but are pre-empted in today's chapterWhen at the end of the interview, he was asked which one would he pick if he had to choose just one, he said, it would be צמאה נפשי - for he hopes that one day such a line would be his epitaph - that it could be said of him when he died that his soul yearned for God.צָמְאָ֬ה נַפְשִׁ֨י ׀ לֵאלֹהִים֮ לְאֵ֪ל חָ֥י מָתַ֥י אָב֑וֹא וְ֝אֵרָאֶ֗ה פְּנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִֽים׃my soul thirsts for God, the living God; O when will I come to appear before GodThe whole interview of R Sacks' favourite songs can be listened to at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0093z8bThis is Berry Sacharov and Yonatan Razal's rendering of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgxGVmYJ5pw Ilana Stein shares her wisdom on both ch.42 and 43 which are considered by many to be a single unit. Text here: www.sefaria.org/Psalms.42, www.sefaria.org/Psalms.43

Does God transform us through travel? Jeremy Daggett, missionary in Peru and director of Harding University's Latin America international program thinks so. Join me and Jeremy as we talk about "intercultural spiritual formation" through travel, and how God uses these experiences to help us grow in love for others. In our episode, Jeremy mentioned the following resources: Michael Frost's book, Surprise the World: https://mikefrost.net/books/surprise-the-world/ Jonathan Sacks's book, The Dignity of Difference: https://www.rabbisacks.org/books/the-dignity-of-difference/ Willie James Jennings's commentary on Acts: https://a.co/d/dL7Syl5

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“You may be tempted to believe that God has changed because your circumstances have, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be God. He'd be you.”~Jackie Hill Perry in Holier Than Thou: How God's Holiness Helps Us Trust Him “We should challenge the relativism that tells us there is no right or wrong, when every instinct of our mind knows it is not so, and is a mere excuse to allow us to indulge in what we believe we can get away with. A world without values quickly becomes a world without value.”~Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), former Chief Rabbi in the UK “If we don't re-enact Jesus's dying and rising, then justification by faith can become a feel good formula…. The Gospel turns in on itself and becomes one more thing to make us feel good about ourselves.”~Paul Miller in The J-Curve “On and on the rain will fallLike tears from a star like tears from a starOn and on the rain will sayHow fragile we are how fragile we are.”~from “Fragile” by Sting “Look, if someone wrote a play, to glorify what's stronger than hate,Would they not arrange the stage, to look as if the hero came too late?He's almost in defeat; it's looking like the evil side will win,So, on the edge of every seat; from that moment the whole thing begins.”~from “Show the Way” by David Patrick Wilcox “When through the deep waters I call you to go,The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow,For I will be with you your troubles to blessAnd sanctify to you your deepest distress. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;The flame shall not hurt thee; I only designThy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”~from the hymn “How Firm a Foundation”SERMON PASSAGEDeuteronomy 8:1-10 (ESV) Deuteronomy 8 1  “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Hebrews 12 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the  discipline of the Lord,   nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,  and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Pastor Sean Palmer continues our series in the Beatitudes and challenges us to continue to hunger for justice even in the midst of seemingly impossible problems. ResourcesMatthew 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness—they will be filled.___________“There are two major purposes in our criminal justice system, your Honor: the pursuit of justice and the protection of the innocent. Neither of these purposes can be met if anything less than the maximum available sentence under the plea agreement is imposed upon Larry for his crimes. Not because the federal sentence he will already serve is lacking, but because the sentence rendered today will send a message across this country, a message to every victim and a message to every perpetrator…I realize you have many factors to consider when you fashion your sentence, but I submit to you that the pre-eminent question in this case as you reach a decision about how best to satisfy the dual aims of this court is the same question that I asked Judge Neff to consider: How much is a little girl worth? How much is a young woman worth?”— Rachel Denhollander, Victim Impact Statement____________“Jesus has a blessing for people who hear the screaming inside, who know in their bodies and brains and feelings and souls that there's a gap between what is and what should be…It's a blessing for refugees whose homelands have been turned into wastelands by the powers of empires that have treated them like collateral damage in their quest for domination. It's a blessing for women who have had to play along with the patriarchy. It's a blessing for anyone who wakes up and discovers that we have so far to go and that we're all in this together.”— Jason Adam Miller, When The World Breaks___________________“Much has been said and written in recent years about the connection between religion and violence. Three answers have emerged. The first: Religion is the major source of violence. Therefore if we seek a more peaceful world we should abolish religion. The second: Religion is not a source of violence. People are made violent, as Hobbes said, by fear, glory and the ‘perpetual and restless desire for power after power that ceaseth only in death'. Religion has nothing to do with it…It may be used by manipulative leaders to motivate people to wage wars precisely because it inspires people to heroic acts of self-sacrifice, but religion itself teaches us to love and forgive, not to hate and fight. The third answer is: Their religion, yes; our religion, no. We are for peace. They are for war.” ― Jonathan Sacks, Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence————————————-Job 37:23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress. ———————“The Resistance...consisted, day after day, of small efforts…to calculate their actions—abetting escapes, circulating mimeographed news, hiding fugitives, obtaining money or needed documents, engaging in various forms of noncooperation with the occupying authorities or the quisling bureaucrats, wearing armbands, disrupting official communications—in terms of odds against the Nazi efficiency and power and violence and vindictiveness would seem to render their witness ridiculous…The risks for them of persecution, arrest, torture, confinement, death were so disproportionate to any concrete results that could practically be expected…yet these persons persevered in their audacious, extemporaneous, fragile, puny, foolish Resistance.”— William Stringfellow

In this new series, “Scripture, Science and Spirituality,” we will explore what it takes to flourish as human beings in the midst of a culture that is increasingly disconnected and despairing. Using the wisdom of the Judeo-Christian scripture as our guide, we will focus on the nature of desire, what actually satisfies our desire, and the practices it takes to thrive as human beings. In this first episode, we dive into a vision for living in balance and connection, as we avoid the ego temptations of mere appearance and the allure of false certitudes and ground our lives in courage, hope, and practices for sustained change and transformation.

In deze aflevering: Henri's wervelende start, ‘Straaljager' Hannie van Leeuwen, Jonathan Sacks, Herman Finkers en Dostojevski. 

Today, Hunter spoke with Patrick Crowley, Michael Naughton and Jonathan Sacks to talk through the attorney shortage crisis in rural America and what we can do to reverse the trend. While today's episode focuses a lot on what is happening in rural Michigan, make no mistake, this is a problem facing nearly every state in the country. As rural, small town America has declined over the past decades, it has become harder and harder to entice young public defenders, laden with outrageous student debt, to want to practice in the rural parts of a state. So what can be done? With this conversation, Hunter hopes to spark new conversations and solutions to a problem that is seemingly only getting worse as the years go by.     Guests: Patrick Crowley, Chief Public Defender, Marquette County, Michigan Michael Naughton, Attorney and Partner, North Coast Legal, PLC. Jonathan Sacks, Director, Michigan State Appellate Defender Office   Resources: Michael's Report on the Issue https://michiganidc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/M.-Naughton-Report-Attorney-Shortages.pdf SADO.org https://sado.org/ MIDC https://michiganidc.gov/ Marquette County Public Defender https://mqtpubdef.org/     Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN  

In occasione dell'anniversario della nascita di Rav Lord Jonathan Sacks, due studentesse del liceo della scuola ebraica di Milano, Ghila Schreiber e Linda Halfon, hanno approfondito l'eredità lasciata da uno dei più importanti rabbini della nostra generazione. Partendo dalla loro esperienza personale, ripercorrono le caratteristiche che lo hanno reso così carismatico e apprezzato in tutto il mondo. Un episodio speciale del podcast di HaTikwa, un dialogo amichevole riguardante una fonte di ispirazione per persone di tutte le età e vissuti. Per conoscere meglio la figura di Rav Jonathan Sacks, ascolta l'episodio 18 della prima stagione. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hatikwa-ugei/message

Pastor Sean leads us through the Exodus story and explains how God's power is not displayed by delivering us to comfort, but delivering us through challenge. Live Teaching Podcast Scriptures & References Exodus: 5: 1-3Exodus 13:1 7-18Exodus 14: 4-14Exodus 15: 1-5, 19-20“The passage can be read two ways. The first is that what happened was a suspension of the laws of nature. It was a supernatural event. The waters stood, literally, like a wall. The second is that what happened was miraculous not because the laws of nature were suspended. To the contrary, as the computer simulation shows, the exposure of dry land at a particular point in the Red Sea was a natural outcome of the strong east wind. What made it miraculous is that it happened just there, just then, when the Israelites seemed trapped, unable to go forward because of the sea, unable to turn back because of the Egyptian army pursuing them. There is a significant difference between these two interpretations. The first appeals to our sense of wonder. How extraordinary that the laws of nature should be suspended to allow an escaping people to go free. It is a story to appeal to the imagination of a child. But the naturalistic explanation is wondrous at another level entirely. Here the Torah is using the device of irony. What made the Egyptians of the time of Ramses so formidable was the fact that they possessed the latest and most powerful form of military technology, the horse drawn chariot. It made them unbeatable in battle, and fearsome.What happens at the sea is poetic justice of the most exquisite kind. There is only one circumstance in which a group of people traveling by foot can escape a highly trained army of charioteers, namely when the route passes through a muddy sea bed. The people can walk across, but the chariot wheels get stuck in the mud. The Egyptian army can neither advance nor retreat. The wind drops. The water returns. The powerful are now powerless, while the powerless have made their way to freedom.” — Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and ConversationReflection“God is going to lead you, he's not going to force you,” suggests Pastor Sean. Is there a particular place in your life and story where this hits closely for you? Whether facing a critical decision or crossroads, do you trust that God is waiting for you on the other side of it? Practice bringing your tambourine along with you in the coming days, with an attentiveness to name and give thanks for God's blessing and presence as you witness and experience it.

What is meant when we say we are good? Is man essentially good? When we talk of goodness it is often against the backdrop of evil. This contrast of good and evil is missing something though. Scripture defines what good and evil are. So are you good? Good enough to go to Heaven when you die?Join the conversation on Twitter @TeleiosTOr, email us at teleiostalk@gmail.comCheck out our book "Six Good Questions" https://a.co/d/bCtOzajThanks for listening!

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.Freedom is a byproduct of virtue. And virtue is a byproduct of objective moral restraint. In other words, the only way you can be truly free is not by doing what you want, but by being the kind of person who does what's right. This is why the late Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, spoke of “freedom” as a “moral achievement”.1 The Framers of our constitution understood this well. They knew the precarious position they had placed this new country in by not having a king or pope to restrain or rule over the moral behavior of the people. They understood that if the people did not voluntarily govern themselves before God, then this experiment in self-government would inevitably fail. As the great Benjamin Franklin put it:“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”2This is why Rabbi Sacks spoke out against what he identified as the “idols” of our age: “self-esteem without achievement, sex without consequences, wealth without responsibility, pleasure without struggle and experience without commitment.” He correctly noted that such “relativism that tells us there is no [objective] right or wrong” leads only to nihilism, to meaninglessness. “A world without values quickly becomes a world without value” (Rabbi Jonathan Sacks). As the book of Proverbs suggests, where there is no object/divine moral law, the people become unrestrained (Proverbs 29:18). A world without objective moral truth is not a world of freedom; it is a world of chaos.Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.Proverbs 29 (ESV)16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases,   but the righteous will look upon their downfall.17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;   he will give delight to your heart.18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,   but blessed is he who keeps the law.19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined,   for though he understands, he will not respond.References:1 Speech delivered at 2016 Bradley Prize by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (2016). Accessed online at https://rabbisacks.org/free-society-moral-achievement-read-rabbi-sacks-acceptance-speech-receiving-bradley-prize/).2 “Letter to Messrs, the Abbes Chault, and Arnaud” by Benjamin Franklin (17 April 1787).

“Prayer is the language of the soul in conversation with God. It is the most intimate gesture of the religious life, and the most transformative.” Those lines are from an essay called “Understanding Jewish Prayer” by Jonathan Sacks, the late chief rabbi of the United Kingdom. “As the sea smooths the stone,” he writes, “as the repeated hammer-blows of the sculptor shape the marble, so prayer—cyclical, tracking the rhythms of time itself—gradually wears away the jagged edges of our character, turning it into a work of devotional art.” To pray, he says, is to be “brushed by the wings of eternity.” Descriptions such as these are inspiring, and, based on them, one might expect prayer to be a powerful emotional experience. Sometimes it can be. But often it isn't. The structures of prayer in the traditional Jewish liturgy sometimes impede the very sentiments that prayer promises to kindle. That tension is the subject of this week's podcast conversation between Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver and the president of Shalem College Russ Roberts. Roberts recently published a short essay titled “The Agnostic's Guide to Jewish Prayer” in which he confesses that “The words by themselves don't work for me.” Still, he's prayed three times a day for more than 30 years. Why? “I prayed to have prayed.” Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

Today's meditation comes from The Book Of Ecclesiastes in The Old Testament and from the writings of Jonathan Sacks, with music by Outside The Sky.Passage: "All rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is never full. To whatever place the rivers flow, There they continue to flow again." —Ecclesiastes 1:7Perspective: “God has given us many faiths but only one world in which to co-exist. May your work help all of us to cherish our commonalities and feel enlarged by our differences.” ―Jonathan SacksMusic: “Counting Breaths” by Outside The SkyNarrator: Ryan Phipps

Prominent founder-CEO Gilles (Yaakov) Gade joins Charlie Harary and Dean Noam Wasserman (and the Sy Syms Honors Program students) to explore the power of focusing on values, how to maintain that focus despite explosive growth, how R' Jonathan Sacks zt”l shaped the founding of his company, and other founding dilemmas he has faced at Cross River Bank. Produced by Uri Westrich 

Listen to ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology essay, “Preparing for the End Game,” by Dr. William Beck, a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Genetics at The University of Illinois at Chicago. The essay is followed by an interview with Beck and host Dr. Lidia Schapira. Beck reflects on his own mortality and what it means to live, following his good friend's illness and death from lung cancer.   TRANSCRIPT  Narrator: Preparing for the End Game, by William T. Beck, PhD (10.1200/JCO.22.01758) Recently, Jordan, a dear friend who had stage 4 lung cancer, died of his disease, a year and a half from his diagnosis. His tumor had activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor, making him a candidate for treatment with osimertinib, a targeted therapy, one of the recent rewards of the remarkable advances in precision medicine. Jordan was my age, late 70s when he died. He was a lifetime nonsmoker, had several outstanding lung cancer oncologists, and was determined to fight his disease. That said, 3-year and 5-year survival rates for people with his disease are not high, but living beyond those years is statistically and biologically possible. That was not so in Jordan's case. Jordan's illness was distressing to me because he was my good friend. We went back decades and began our academic careers together, and we bonded through our shared academic experiences and our love of good wines, food, books, humor, and politics. Over the course of his illness, I tried to think of how I could be there for Jordan and his wife, also a good friend, as he went forward on this very difficult journey. Jordan was very fortunate to have state-of-the-art medical care, a loving wife and adult children, and many close and caring friends who wanted to walk with him on this journey to the extent that he wanted us with him. Because I was in the cancer field, I was able to help him and his wife better frame the questions to ask his oncologists, understand the tests ordered and drugs he was taking, identify other oncologists for second opinions, and search the literature to help them find the best treatments to hold the tumor at bay.   Jordan's illness, however, was distressing to me for another reason. It made me think about my own mortality and how, if it were me, would I want to spend my last months and years, knowing that the end is now a reality. Jordan was a retired academic, scientist, and long-term and consequential university administrator. Like my friend, I have been retired for a few years, having run a productive academic cancer research laboratory and having held a number of administrative positions as well. My distress was compounded by external events over these past few years. We have seen the deaths of so many people from COVID-19 in this country and the world, all so painful and many unnecessary. We have also seen the continued violent deaths due to guns and drugs. These, however, were largely deaths in the abstract; they did not have a face for me. That began to change with the extraordinary culmination of the epidemic of Black deaths at the hands of the police, especially the murder of George Floyd. These deaths brought home to me the face and randomness of death and fragility of life, writ large. The past year brought more faces of death to me: many prominent artists and baseball players, whose careers I had followed; internationally impactful cancer scientists and physicians, many of whom I knew personally; and the untimely death of the famous architect, Helmut Jahn, at age 81 years, in a bicycle accident. All these passings have given me pause in a way that I had not expected and starkly reminded me that there is absolutely no guarantee of a tomorrow. Indeed, I will no longer live by the brilliant conceit offered by William Saroyan: “Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case. Now what?”1 Now what, indeed. One frequently hears about people who have survived near-death experiences or those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, having an epiphany and wanting to live each day to the fullest extent possible. One also hears about realists who exhort us to live every day as if it were our last. Certainly sound advice. But do we normals really adhere to these dictums? Many people probably do, but my experience, both personal and from talking with friends, is that most of us still go about our lives doing the quotidian things that we have always done. There is always tomorrow, but Jordan's illness has caused me to rethink that. Indeed, it has become increasingly clear to me, finally, that I should not put off doing things for another tomorrow, a tomorrow that is not guaranteed. Despite knowing—in the abstract—that much more of my life is behind me than in front, my good health and full days have led me to think that this can go on for some time, with the inevitability of death still relatively far in the future. Jordan's situation, however, has changed that perception and has got me thinking about how I would like to spend my remaining days, hopefully many, and thinking about how to really prepare for this end game, taking these final laps. Paul Kalanithi, a young surgeon, wrote so tenderly in When Breath Becomes Air2 about his struggles while suffering the ravages of lung cancer and his hopes for his wife and young children. Even at my advanced age, I too have similar hopes for my wife, children, and grandchildren. And Christopher Hitchens chronicled, in Mortality,3 his last year with esophageal cancer as fiercely as he had always done in his critical atheist's view of the world. But it was not until Jordan's sickness and death that I have taken Hitchens's clear view of life's limitations to heart. In his book, Being Mortal,4 Atul Gawande, the physician-writer, has chronicled both the advances and limitations that modern medicine has brought us as we face the end, including the complications that limit our autonomy in this passage. Gawande notes that as we age and become infirm, either as a normal process or because of disease, we become more dependent on medical and social networks that may, unfortunately, effect on our independence. Gawande suggests that a good death may be difficult to achieve but a good life less so. I saw this good life in Jordan's terminal illness. Indeed, another physician-writer, Oliver Sacks, emphasized in a short collection of four essays entitled Gratitude,5 the utility of a good and fulfilling life in helping us cope as we approach the end. Near the end of his life, as his body was being consumed by cancer, Sacks continued to do what he always did, for as long as he could: His days were always full, and he wrote beautifully of his clinical and social observations. Importantly, Sacks expressed enormous gratitude for his life as a sentient and thinking person, who loved and was loved, and whose life was consequential. What more can one want? My friend Jordan was such an individual: sentient, smart, and funny; a man who lived a consequential and impactful life, who loved and was loved. His illness, however, was not one of going softly into the good night, as was depicted in the movie Love Story.6 Toward the end, my friend suffered with pain, balance problems, fractures from falls, shortness of breath, insomnia, and the like. But through it all, he presented, at least to me, an admirable grace and equanimity that gave us all hope that despite his suffering, there would be one more day, one more week, one more month. My wife and I went out to northern California last winter to visit Jordan and his wife, and although unsaid, to say good-bye. But now, more than a half year later, he died, just days short of their 50th wedding anniversary. We have stayed in close contact with Jordan's wife since his death. The funeral was private, but my wife and I attended a subsequent memorial service for Jordan at which family, friends, and colleagues remembered him and his consequential life and bid him a proper farewell. So, here we are. My good friend is gone, and his struggles have been hard to watch, even from a distance, but he has helped me see more clearly that this all does come to an end at some point. So how do I want to pursue this end game? Certainly, I want to stay engaged in my science-related activities. But I also want to use what time I have left while I am healthy to spend as much time as I can with my wife and family, to be with good friends as much as they will tolerate me, to continue to read, to go to theater and concerts, to travel, finding humor in life, and enjoying good wines and food—all the typical things that people do and say they want to do as they approach the end game. Indeed, I want to do as many of these things as possible, but with a renewed sense of wonderment and gratitude, gratitude in the way Oliver Sacks expressed it. My friend, Jordan, the academic, still has some lessons to offer, so I will try to follow his example to live as good a life as possible, and if I become infirm, I will try to remember how he approached the end: with grace, courage, and equanimity and reflect on all the good things I have had in this life, with a great sense of gratitude. Dr. Lidia Schapira: Hello, and welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology, brought to you by ASCO podcasts, which covers a range of educational and scientific content, and offers enriching insight into the world of cancer care. You can find all ASCO shows, including this one at: podcasts.asco.org. I'm your host, Lidia Schapira, Associate Editor for Art of Oncology and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. Today, we are joined by Dr. William Beck, a university distinguished Professor Emeritus, and Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois, at Chicago. In this episode, we will be discussing his Art of Oncology article, 'Preparing for the End Game.' At the time of this recording, our guest has no disclosures. Bill, welcome to our podcast. Thank you for joining us. Dr. William Beck: Thank you, Lidia. I appreciate the opportunity. I think this is a unique and valuable feature of JCO, and I hope I can do it justice. Dr. Lidia Schapira: It's terrific to have you. Tell our listeners a little bit about the motivation for writing about Jordan, and the effect that his illness and passing had on you. Dr. William Beck: Yes. Well, his illness and death made me think of my own mortality, and how if it were me, would I want to spend whatever remaining days I have, hopefully, many. But hopefully, in a way that would allow me to honor his life, and also do justice to my own situation. So, that was the nexus of the issue. I spoke to a writer friend, Eric Lax, he's written a number of books; one is, The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's about commercialization issues during World War II, and he's written some other books as well, a book with the hematologist Robert Peter Gale on radiation. And I asked him what he thought about this, and he was very positive. As you, I'm not accustomed to opening myself up in the scientific literature. I write scientific papers, and they're not emotional. One might get emotional about the reviewer's comments, but that's another story. And so, this was a difficult thing for me to write, but I felt if done correctly, it might be useful not only to help me articulate my own feelings, but it might be useful for others, especially oncologists with whom I've been around in my entire professional life, and who deal with these matters daily, as you do. But most likely, and of necessity, keep their thoughts and their own mortality locked away. And I sort of thought that this might be a way to help others think about ‘Preparing for the End Game'. Dr. Lidia Schapira: You bring up some interesting points because in order to write a piece that will resonate with others, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable, and that is not something that we are taught to do in our academic and professional lives. Was that hard for you? Dr. William Beck: Very, yes. Dr. Lidia Schapira: And how did you work through that period of deciding to make yourself vulnerable and then share that with colleagues whom you may never know or meet? Dr. William Beck: Thank you for that question. I wanted to write somewhat of an homage for my friend, Jordan, and that made it a little easier to open myself up. And I might add, I shared this, after it was accepted, with Jordan's family - his wife, who is a friend, and his two adult children. And they all very, very much appreciated what I had done. So, I felt I was on the right path with that. So, it was in part for an homage to Jordan, and I had walked with him and his wife during his illness, and then with his death, and I wanted to mark the event in a way that I felt more than just giving money to a memorial fund. I felt I wanted to make it very personal, he was a good. I don't know if that answers your question, but that's why I started it. Dr. Lidia Schapira: In thinking about your essay and the way you chose to honor your friend and his memory, what do you think is the message for some of our young readers? Dr. William Beck: That's a good question. I put myself in the 40-year-old Bill Beck mindset, and back in those days, as I said in my essay, you know, everyone has to die, but in my case, I thought an exception would be made. Jordan's death, and those of others around my age have led me to understand that an exception will not be made, and I want to make the best of it, and if our young readers who know that this is an abstract that's very far away, but it becomes more and more of a reality as you approach the end, and I'm guessing that our younger readers who are oncologists can wall that off with difficulty, but can wall it off to a certain extent. But it's there. It's inescapable, and so, maybe preparing early, if it even makes you think about enjoying a little bit more time with your kids, enjoying a vacation for another day, or even putting a little bit more money away for your IRA for your retirement, that could be very useful for them. Dr. Lidia Schapira: On the flip side of that, Bill, you write in your essay that you have continued to remain involved in your science, and I imagine that's because you love your science. So, tell us a little bit more about how you're thinking now, as you are mature-- I won't use the word senior, or old, about continuing to remain involved in a career that is not just work, but something that you love. Dr. William Beck: I could not imagine retiring. What I enjoy about my retirement is that I basically do everything that I did before, except the administrative part - the running a department for so long. And I do it on my schedule, not somebody else's schedule, and that is liberating. I just came back from a two-hour lecture that I gave yesterday; I mentor young people, I review grant applications and manuscripts, I read the literature. So, I stay involved. I can't imagine not being involved. And as Oliver Sacks, whom I've cited in the essay, he went at it all the ways best he could all the way to the end, and I hope that I will have that opportunity to do so as well. Dr. Lidia Schapira: What advice would you have for some of our listeners who are themselves accompanying a friend who is ill, or perhaps a relative who is facing a chronic or terminal illness? Dr. William Beck: I'm loath to give advice, but I would suggest that they might want to be there as much as their friend wants them to be there for them. To be there, and for them to know that they're there. I was in a unique position because I knew a little bit about the cancer field, and I could help Jordan and his wife navigate the shoals of interacting with physicians, and understanding their drugs, and getting second opinions, actually, for them. So, I was in a fairly unique position, but I think that the key thing is to be there to the extent that the individual wants you to be there with them is important. That's what I've learned from my deep emotional involvement with Jordan, but with others as well. Dr. Lidia Schapira: As you know from reading the essays we've published in Art of Oncology, Grief is a common theme, and I ask many of our authors to recommend, perhaps, some books they've read, or works of art that have helped them in processing their own grief. So, let me ask you if you can recommend any books, or poems to our listeners. Dr. William Beck: I'm not much into poetry, but I did happen to see an amazing interpretation of Psalm 23 on the Jewish Broadcasting Network recently that was eye-opening to me as a non-religious person. That was very interesting. In terms of books, I think a good start is the beautiful essays of Gratitude by Oliver Sacks. I've started to peel into, and peer into a book on Morality, by Jonathan Sacks-- no relation, I don't think. He was the Chief Rabbi of the UK. And in terms of art, I can think of music - the ‘Pastoral', by Beethoven, and the ‘9th', by Beethoven, are the ones that just are so uplifting to me, that I think would be very important to calm one's soul. Also, if I might add, The Stones are pretty good too, for that. Dr. Lidia Schapira: So, let me conclude our interview by asking you a little bit more about the role of storytelling, and essays, and narrative, in helping us come together as a community of professionals who are actually dedicated to looking after patients who are seriously ill. How have you used stories in your approach to Medicine and Academia, and what do you see as the role of these narratives in the future education of oncologists and hematologists? Dr. William Beck: So, I think young people, especially, need to hear stories of how these things begin. They need to hear origin stories, and middle stories, and end stories. Joseph Campbell, is one who's delved into where we came from, and about storytelling, as being very important in development of societies and traditions. So, I've tried in my work, even though it's scientific work, and maybe some of my reviewer critics would say, "Well, it's all stories and fables," but I've tried to develop several lines of science storytelling for our colleagues. And I think in general, whether it's in science or this kind of essay, yes, it's very important that the young people get outside of the, "What do I need to know for the exam?" mentality, to look at the bigger picture; and I'm afraid that's getting lost in modern education. The guy who introduces me, when I give the general lecture to all the students who are first time, first day in the room, never to be in the room again, always says, "And Dr. Beck won't answer any questions about what's on the exam." Dr. Lidia Schapira: Well, I thank you for sharing some of your humanity with the readers of JCO, through the essay. I know, as you told us, during the review, that you're not used to writing these kinds of essays, and you're much more comfortable with scientific work. But I think we need to show the human side of our scientists. I think that Jordan's family is right in thanking you for the tribute you paid to him through this essay, and I'm very glad that you did write it, and decided to share it with us. Dr. William Beck: Thank you. Well, I'm really glad that you have this venue, and I'm honored to have my essay published in it. I thank you, and your colleagues. Dr. Lidia Schapira: Thank you, Bill. Until next time, thank you for listening to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. Don't forget to give us a rating or review, wherever you listen. Be sure to subscribe, so you never miss an episode. JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology is just one of ASCO's many podcasts. You can find all of the shows at: podcasts.asco.org. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy, should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show Notes: Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review.   Bio: Dr. William Beck is a university distinguished Professor Emeritus, and Professor of Pharmacology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois, at Chicago.  

In der 58. Folge von "Und was machst du am Wochenende?" ist Igor Levit zu Gast, Deutschlands bekanntester Pianist. Geboren 1987 in der damaligen Sowjetunion und aufgewachsen in Hannover, lebt er heute in Berlin, wo er gerade in eine neue Wohnung gezogen ist und endlich ungestört Klavier spielen kann. Im Podcast erzählt er, dass er auch am Wochenende um sechs Uhr morgens aufwacht, weil er grundsätzlich schlecht schläft. Mit seiner jahrelangen Leidenschaft Gewichtheben hat er vor Kurzem aufgehört, dafür macht er jetzt morgens Yoga. Und geht anschließend noch zum Sport. Igor Levit radelt für sein Leben gern, er besitzt sechs verschiedene Räder, "ich habe auch ein Angeberfahrrad, es ist eigentlich ein bisschen gaga". Er erklärt, warum ihm Russland fremd ist, warum sich in den vergangenen Jahren immer stärker mit seiner jüdischen Identität beschäftigt hat – und blickt zurück auf seine Twitter-Konzerte während der Pandemie. Er schwärmt von seiner Heimatstadt Hannover und spielt mit Podcastgastgeber Christoph Amend ein Lieblings-Café-Restaurant-Städte-Quiz. Am Sonntag macht er übrigens nichts – außer lesen, lesen, lesen. Und schaut möglichst viele Folgen seines Guilty Pleasures, der Serie "Family Guy". Am Schluss verrät er auch, was für ihn Liebe ist: "Ziel." In dieser Folge empfehlen Igor und Christoph: - das Café Ben Rahim Coffee Company in der Sophienstraße in Berlin-Mitte - das Buch "A letter in the scroll" von Jonathan Sacks - die Pâtisserie/Café Dukatz im Glockenbachviertel in München - das Hotel/Restaurant Die blaue Gans in Salzburg. Dort gibt es das von Christoph erwähnte "Schotterschnitzel". Ein klein gehacktes Schnitzel für die Pause. Das steht nicht dort auf der Karte, kann man aber beim Servicepersonal bestellen. - das Salzburger Restaurant St. Peter Stiftskulinarium - die Würstchenbude im Toscaninihof in Salzburg - das Restaurant Zurück zum Glück in Hannover - "Tristan", das neue Album von Igor Levit - den Film "Vengeance" von B. J. Novak, der leider noch kein deutsches VÖ-Datum hat - das Buch Flammen von Musikjournalist Volker Hagedorn - für "Family Guy"-Beginner: Einfach mal Family Guy Jewish oder Family Guy Rabbi bei YouTube eingeben Das Team erreichen Sie unter wochenende@zeit.de.

La Giornata Europea della Cultura Ebraica del prossimo 18 settembre avrà in Ferrara la città capofila per l'Italia e nel Meis, il Museo Nazionale dell'Ebraismo Italiano e della Shoah, una delle realtà che più saranno protagoniste. Anche attraverso una nuova edizione, ricca di ospiti prestigiosi, della Festa del Libro Ebraico. In queste settimane il Museo è al lavoro anche su una nuova mostra di prossima inaugurazione: “Sotto lo stesso cielo”, dedicata alla ricorrenza di Sukkot. Una delle tre solennità dette “Shalosh Regalim” in cui era prescritto in antichità il pellegrinaggio a Gerusalemme. Secondo il rav Jonathan Sacks, per paradosso, quella più votata a un messaggio dalla declinazione sia particolare che universale.

In his 2022 book The War on the West, the British journalist Douglas Murray argues that many now prominent cultural ideas unfairly single out Western sins, discounting the good that Western civilization has brought about and sowing discord in America and Europe. On this week's podcast, he joins Mosaic editor Jonathan Silver to explain why Western civilization should be defended, to discuss the role that Israel and the Jewish people play in that defense, and to reflect on two of his friends who recently passed away, the philosopher Roger Scruton and the rabbi Jonathan Sacks, each of whom embodied strands of the Western tradition that deserve to be defended and perpetuated. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.

Summer's here and it's time to head to the beach and bring a great book with you! Joining us to recommend some great summer reads is Bradley Tusk, the founder of the brand-new bookstore P&T Knitwear. Tusk is also the CEO and co-founder of Tusk ventures. We will also take calls about what summer reads you're loving right now. Recommendations from Bradley: Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone  The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocuumb  Fake by Erica Katz  Let's Not Do That Again by Greg Ginder  The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen  Recommendations from listeners:  This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub  The Hourglass Throne by K.D. Edwards  Love Marriage by Monica Ali  The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon  Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Vickel  The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgård Bewilderment by Richard Powers  All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Showbiz by Mel Brooks Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama by Bob Odenkirk  Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival: 1941-1946 by Greg Dawson Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times by Jonathan Sacks Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change by Day Schildkret Faron Goss by Diane Lechleitner  

How has social media frayed our social fabric? Boyd revisits a conversation he had with the former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, who called for a change in our cultural climate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of people just lost a lot of money in the cryptocurrency and NFT market.It's pretty bleak in a lot of sectors right now. Inflation is out of control globally. Gas prices are at an all time high, though in America it's not nearly as high as many places overseas that depended on Russian oil, and food prices have spiked. For those playing the stock market, tech stocks have crumbled. Coinbase in particular is down $51 billion in valuation.And for those who were hedging their investments with cryptocurrency, they felt the pain too. Bitcoin is down 53%. Ethereum's co-founds says he's no longer a billionaire after the crash. And for those poor, poor souls that invested in the now-ironically named stablecoins from Terra including the popular Luna, that went to zero.Ouch.But what about NFTs? Let's just say many are on sale. And that's not a good thing for collectors. Let me explain.Let's say you have a Bored Ape that's worth 100 Ether. If Ether is at $4,800, its peak, that means your ape is worth $480,000. But at the time of this writing Ether is at around $2,000, meaning your ape is worth $200,000. Add that to the falling price of ApeCoin and you're seeing a lot of boredom turn to depression.But as Jonathan Sacks once said ‘When others are selling, buy. When others are buying, sell.”I don't want to offer any financial advice as I'm not much of a gambler, but I wanted to wrap my head around what this bear market, often dubbed a crypto winter, means for the crypto and NFT markets.So I turned to my friend Seth Shapiro, a two-time Emmy winner, a former governor at the Television academy, and one of the first guys that got me into both crypto and NFTs well before they were household topics. He's spent the past few years advising companies in these spaces and works as a trader, so he's looked at all angles of this topic.FOR MORE INFO:Phil Ranta's Twitter: https://twitter.com/philrantaPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/NFTStoriesPodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwuexPh0bx-6jXQMRv3iq1gCopyright 2022 - We Are Verified, LLC

Al cumplirse un año de la publicación "Moralidad" (Nagrela Editores) del rabino británico Jonathan Sacks, la Federación de Comunidades Judías de España, la editorial Nagrela y el Centro Sefarad-Israel rinden homenaje al rabino. Para ello organizan esta conversación entre el filósofo estadounidense Michael Sandel, Premio Príncipe de Asturias, y el editor de Nagrela, Rubén Lerner. Durante la misma analizan el importante legado de Jonathan Sacks así como su pensamiento y su labor como estudioso de los textos judíos. Participan también Isaac Benzaquén, presidente de la FCJE; Maxo Benalal, secretario General de la FCJE y Esther Bendahan, responsable de Cultura del Centro Sefarad-Israel.

Wie was de beroemde Britse filosoof en theoloog Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020)? Wereldwijd wordt Sacks beschouwd als een religieus leider en een morele stem voor onze tijd. Zijn omvangrijke werk wordt gekenmerkt door de helderheid waarmee hij eeuwenoude bijbelteksten weet te verbinden met de actualiteit. In 2016 ontving hij de prestigieuze Templetonprijs voor zijn rol in de interreligieuze dialoog. Kom luisteren naar theoloog Marcel Poorthuis die uitlegt wie Jonathan Sacks was en wat wij van zijn denken kunnen leren. Actuele Denkers: Jonathan Sacks | Lezing en gesprek met theoloog Marcel Poorthuis| Dinsdag 22 maart 2022| 20.00 - 21.30 uur| Collegezalencomplex, Radboud Universiteit en online| Radboud Reflects Lees het verslag: https://www.ru.nl/radboudreflects/terugblik/terugblik-2022/terugblik-2022/22-03-22-actuele-denkers-jonathan-sacks-lezing/ Of bekijk onze video's: https://www.youtube.com/c/RadboudReflectsLectures Like deze podcast, abonneer je op dit kanaal en mis niks! Bekijk ook de agenda voor nog meer verdiepende lezingen: www.ru.nl/radboudreflects/agenda/lezingen/ Wil je geen enkele verdiepende lezing missen? Schrijf je dan in voor de nieuwsbrief: www.ru.nl/rr/nieuwsbrief

It was more than four hundred years ago that Francis Bacon, now recognized as the architect of the scientific method, made the claim that God has given us two books to study: Scripture and creation. God's Word and God's world. He believed that not only was there a beautiful synthesis between faith and science, but that they, in different ways, give us a fuller revelation of who God is. Times, however, have changed. According to a recent poll, 55% of Americans believe that there is an inherent conflict between faith and science. How should we respond? What does Christianity teach us about the interaction of faith and science?Resources:PursuingFaith.orgBooks Mentioned in this Episode:Cosmic Chemistry by John LennoxCan Science Explain Everything by John LennoxWhere the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism by Alvin PlantingaScience and Religion: a New Introduction by Alister McGrathThe Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning by Jonathan SacksWe'd love to hear from you! info@pursuingfaith.org

Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University, Charles Taylor and Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks discuss The Future of Religion in a Secular Age. This conversation was recorded on 3rd November 2011.

A decade in development, the new KOREN TANAKH offers an eloquent, faithful, and masterful translation of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings with the renowned Koren Hebrew text. Translation for the Pentateuch and much of the Psalms was accomplished by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory. Join us as we speak with Rabbi Reuven Ziegler, Chairmen of the Editorial Board of Koren Publishers, and Jessica Sacks, Translation Team Manager and niece of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, about the new Koren Tanakh. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus (Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A decade in development, the new KOREN TANAKH offers an eloquent, faithful, and masterful translation of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings with the renowned Koren Hebrew text. Translation for the Pentateuch and much of the Psalms was accomplished by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory. Join us as we speak with Rabbi Reuven Ziegler, Chairmen of the Editorial Board of Koren Publishers, and Jessica Sacks, Translation Team Manager and niece of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, about the new Koren Tanakh. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus (Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

A decade in development, the new KOREN TANAKH offers an eloquent, faithful, and masterful translation of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings with the renowned Koren Hebrew text. Translation for the Pentateuch and much of the Psalms was accomplished by the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory. Join us as we speak with Rabbi Reuven Ziegler, Chairmen of the Editorial Board of Koren Publishers, and Jessica Sacks, Translation Team Manager and niece of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, about the new Koren Tanakh. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus (Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus (IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

My mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. This podcast is a small part of what I do. Drop by https://constantine.name for my weekly email, podcasts, writing and more.

Netta Asner-Minster who is a Jewish Modern-Orthodox American-Israeli, currently living in Maryland as an Israeli emissary. She was born in Maryland and moved to Israel in 2004, later serving in the IDF in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. She did her first degree in Hebrew University studying International Relations and Jewish history. Jewish history is her personal passion, and she hopes to continue working in this field, sharing the beauty of Judaism. We spoke about some traditions and branches of Judaism and some of Netta's personal practices, and much, much more! Follow Netta on Instagram here. Visit Netta's blog here. The Great Partnership by Jonathan Sacks, History of the Jews by Paul Johnson, To Be A Jew by Hayim Halevy Donin, and any book by Michael B. Oren, specifically Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. . . . Through The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, you can become a certified health coach to transform your relationship with food and health, live your dreams, earn while you learn, and embark on a new future. Receive $2,000 off when you pay in full (or $1,500 off payment plans) by following this referral link here, or by mentioning my name, Samantha Nagel. Join the Empowered Spirituality Community for weekly video lessons, weekly journaling prompts, access to an additional guided meditation every week, monthly group meetings and teachings, online community, and 20% off all coaching sessions! Book a free exploratory coaching call with me. Follow me on Instagram @empowered.spirituality Join the free weekly meditation circle. This podcast is for educational purposes only. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/empoweredspirituality/message

In this magnum opus, Paul Vallely guides the reader on a journey through the history and meaning of giving in religion and society. Vivid with anecdote and scholarly insight, this magisterial survey – from the ancient Greeks to today's high-tech geeks – provides an original take on the history of philanthropy. It shows how giving has, variously, been a matter of honor, altruism, religious injunction, political control, moral activism, enlightened self-interest, public good, personal fulfillment and plutocratic manipulation. Its narrative moves from the Greek man of honor and Roman patron, via the Jewish prophet and Christian scholastic – through Puritan proto-capitalist, Enlightenment activist and Victorian moralist – to the robber-baron philanthropist, the welfare socialist, the celebrity activist and today's wealthy mega-giver. In the process it discovers that philanthropy lost an essential element as it entered the modern era. The book then embarks on a journey to determine where today's philanthropists come closest to recovering that missing dimension.  Philanthropy: From Aristotle to Zuckerberg (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2020) explores the successes and failures of philanthrocapitalism, examines its claims and contradictions, and asks tough questions of top philanthropists and leading thinkers – among them Richard Branson, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Jonathan Ruffer, David Sainsbury, John Studzinski, Bob Geldof, Naser Haghamed, Lenny Henry, Jonathan Sacks, Rowan Williams, Ngaire Woods, and the presidents of the Rockefeller and Soros foundations, Rajiv Shah and Patrick Gaspard. In extended conversations they explore the relationship between philanthropy and family, faith, society, art, politics, and the creation and distribution of wealth. Highly engaging and meticulously researched, Paul Vallely's authoritative account of philanthropy then and now critiques the excessive utilitarianism of much modern philanthrocapitalism and points to how philanthropy can rediscover its soul. Renee Garfinkel, Ph.D. is a psychologist, writer, Middle East television commentator and host of The New Books Network's Van Leer Jerusalem Series on Ideas. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this magnum opus, Paul Vallely guides the reader on a journey through the history and meaning of giving in religion and society. Vivid with anecdote and scholarly insight, this magisterial survey – from the ancient Greeks to today's high-tech geeks – provides an original take on the history of philanthropy. It shows how giving has, variously, been a matter of honor, altruism, religious injunction, political control, moral activism, enlightened self-interest, public good, personal fulfillment and plutocratic manipulation. Its narrative moves from the Greek man of honor and Roman patron, via the Jewish prophet and Christian scholastic – through Puritan proto-capitalist, Enlightenment activist and Victorian moralist – to the robber-baron philanthropist, the welfare socialist, the celebrity activist and today's wealthy mega-giver. In the process it discovers that philanthropy lost an essential element as it entered the modern era. The book then embarks on a journey to determine where today's philanthropists come closest to recovering that missing dimension.  Philanthropy: From Aristotle to Zuckerberg (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2020) explores the successes and failures of philanthrocapitalism, examines its claims and contradictions, and asks tough questions of top philanthropists and leading thinkers – among them Richard Branson, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Jonathan Ruffer, David Sainsbury, John Studzinski, Bob Geldof, Naser Haghamed, Lenny Henry, Jonathan Sacks, Rowan Williams, Ngaire Woods, and the presidents of the Rockefeller and Soros foundations, Rajiv Shah and Patrick Gaspard. In extended conversations they explore the relationship between philanthropy and family, faith, society, art, politics, and the creation and distribution of wealth. Highly engaging and meticulously researched, Paul Vallely's authoritative account of philanthropy then and now critiques the excessive utilitarianism of much modern philanthrocapitalism and points to how philanthropy can rediscover its soul. Renee Garfinkel, Ph.D. is a psychologist, writer, Middle East television commentator and host of The New Books Network's Van Leer Jerusalem Series on Ideas. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/van-leer-institute

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on the story of marriage in seven key moments. A meditation and midrash on evolution, monogamy in the Bible, the Genesis Creation story of Adam and Eve, and the meaning of marriage and the traditional family today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

REFLECTION QUOTES “For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it, If only we're brave enough to be it.” ~Amanda Gorman, first-ever youth poet laureate at the presidential inauguration “It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes. It may even lie on the surface; but we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions — especially selfish ones.” ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) in “Peace and Violence” (1973) “We should challenge the relativism that tells us there is no right or wrong, when every instinct of our mind knows it…is a mere excuse to allow us to indulge in what we believe we can get away with. A world without values quickly becomes a world without value.” ~Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), Chief Rabbi in the United Kingdom “Now we see how the astronomical evidence supports the biblical view of the origin of the world…. [T]he essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the… [universe] commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.” “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” ~Robert Jastrow (1925-2008), a leading astronomer, physicist and cosmologist “This universe is not a tragic expression of meaningless chaos but a marvelous display of orderly cosmos.” ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (1929-1968), slain civil rights leader “God cannot be Word-less, for the Word is God. Here then is a God who could never be anything but communicative, expansive, outgoing. Since God cannot be without this Word, he simply could not ever be reclusive.” ~Michael Reeves, president of Union School of Theology (Oxford) “None of the other active world religions says anything remotely similar or comparable…. There is likewise no parallel in the theologies of John's contemporaries – the dead myths of Greece or Rome, with their demigods and deified bureaucrats. …John hands us a brand-new thing.” ~Reynolds Price (1933-2011), professor, literary scholar on the Gospel of John SERMON PASSAGE John 1:1-18 (NASB) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. 6 A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John *testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.'” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.

REFLECTION QUOTES “I simply argue that the cross be raised again, at the centre of the marketplace, as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles but on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; at a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek… and at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. ~George MacLeod (1895-1991), Scottish clergyman “The idols of today are unmistakable – self-esteem without achievement, sex without consequences, wealth without responsibility, pleasure without struggle...” ~Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), British Orthodox rabbi and writer “In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair...the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing.” ~Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957), writer and poet “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate...adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), slain civil rights leader “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), novelist and famed Soviet dissident “Today's…violence was a tragic illustration of what happens to a nation when it abandons God's person, principles, and policies…. The result is chaos, conflict, and lawlessness. Only a radical return to God by His people will change this.” ~Dr. Tony Evans, pastor and author regarding the Capitol Building riot “I really do not know what will remain of civilization and history if the accumulated influence of Christ…is eradicated from literature, art, practical dealings, moral standards and creativeness in the different activities of mind and spirit.” ~Dr. Charles Habib Malik (1906-1987), Lebanese President of the United Nations SERMON PASSAGE selected passages 2 Chronicles 12 (NASB) 1 When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the Lord. 13 So King Rehoboam became powerful in Jerusalem and reigned there….14 But he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. 2 Chronicles 17 (ESV) 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he… did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord… 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah…. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. Joshua 1 (ESV) 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 1 Timothy 6 (NASB) 3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a sick craving for controversial questions and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. James 3 (ESV) 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

REFLECTION QUOTES “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. ‘One word of truth outweighs the world.'” ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008), novelist and Soviet dissident “I freed thousands of slaves, but I would have freed hundreds more had they known they were slaves.” ~Harriet Tubman (1822-1913), key leader of the Underground Railroad “God cannot be Word-less, for the Word is God. Here then is a God who could never be anything but communicative, expansive, outgoing. Since God cannot be without this Word, he simply could not ever be reclusive.” ~Michael Reeves, president of Union School of Theology (Oxford) “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” ~Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician and thinker “We should challenge the relativism that tells us there is no right or wrong, when every instinct of our mind knows it is not so, and is a mere excuse to allow us to indulge in what we believe we can get away with. A world without values quickly becomes a world without value.” “The idols of today are unmistakable – self-esteem without achievement, sex without consequences, wealth without responsibility, pleasure without struggle and experience without commitment.” “Freedom is a moral achievement, and without a constant effort of education it atrophies and must be fought for again.” ~Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), British Orthodox rabbi and writer “Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing in guilt are nauseating to God and are a flat-out denial of the gospel of grace.” ~Brennan Manning (1934-2013), Franciscan priest and author SCRIPTURE PASSAGE 2 Chronicles 16 (NASB) 9 For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will have wars. 2 Chronicles 12 (NASB) 1 When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the Lord. 13 So King Rehoboam became powerful in Jerusalem and reigned there….14 But he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord. 2 Chronicles 14 (NASB) 2 And Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, 3 for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the memorial stones, cut down the Asherim, 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to comply with the Law and the commandment. 2 Chronicles 15 (NASB) 1 Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. 3 For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. 2 Chronicles 17 (ESV) 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah…. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 34 (NASB) 14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses…. 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for the wrath of the Lord which has poured out on us is great, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with everything that is written in this book.” 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. 32 Furthermore, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

Moral theologian, writer and former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks died of cancer earlier this week. He was 72-years-old.

We come to the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14. This is the iconic image of the book. Exodus literally means "the way out" - and here is God making a way for his people where there was no way. That's a message we need to hear right now. Discussion Questions: It's understandable that the Israelites “feared greatly” when Pharaoh's army showed up (v.10). However, read Exodus 4:29-31. How is that different from what they claim in v.12? How do our fears lead us to re-narrate our past? Why is it so hard for them and us to remember what God has done for us in the past? Can you think of similar situations in your own life? A change of location (or even 'physical distance') does not ensure they have fully escaped their slavery? What are some ways our society is struggling with that same problem now? How are you struggling with that right now? Egypt is preparing to crush Israel, yet what hope does Moses give the people (v.13-14)? Considering the doubts they had just expressed (v.11-12), what does this reveal about God? Are God's promises to us contingent on us 'getting it right' all the time? How might that encourage you? When did God get it right even though you were getting it wrong? Paul connects this event to baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-3). How might baptism similarly be an initiation into our new identity in Christ? The word "baptize" means 'to cleanse.' How are both an outward sign by which God demonstrates the work he is doing inside his people? Can you give a personal example of this working out in your own spiritual life? Jesus said that those who believe in him have "crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). The Israelites could literally say that about God here. How might this image equally apply to Jesus fighting for us and leading us through the 'waters'? After this crossing, we are told the people "fear the Lord" and believe in Him (v.31). Does that mean their struggles are over? Though the Israelites may have a new outward sense of status or identity after this event, how might their inward character still be a problem after this? Give an example of how you can relate to this inward struggle. Is God's agenda simply to rescue them from Egyptian slavery? Recall the refrain of Moses: "Let my people go... so they can worship!" (Ex.4:23; 8:1; 9:1; etc.) If God is not simply being narcissistic, why do we need worship in our lives? What does it cultivate? Hebrew scholar Jonathan Sacks said, "Memory is essential to identity." This passage is cited more throughout the Old Testament, and frequently to remind Israel who they are in the midst of trials. For example, look at Asaph in Psalm 77:1-3,16-20. Why is Asaph reminding himself of this past event? If the Exodus is the Gospel in the Old Testament, how might the cross function in the same way for us? What did you need to hear in the sermon?

Rabbi Sacks is an international religious leader, moral philosopher and author. He was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for 22 years, and has written books that have been formative for many including ‘The Dignity of Difference' and ‘Not in God's Name'. His most recent book is called ‘Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times.' In this episode he speaks about the twin threads of his life in religious leadership and academic moral philosophy, and how those two things have worked together, what his own religious practice looks like, and why the Holocaust makes him doubt humans but not God.

Social media, and the fake news that spread across it, no doubt played a role in delivering the “Brexiteers” their surprise victory in the UK's May 2016 referendum on EU membership. If the benefit of letting social media run amok is that doing so lays bare some chronic and unrevealed ills in democratic society, then we had best cherish those insights and act upon them. Because they come at a very high cost, opening cracks so wide, mere patches no longer suffice. Tribal tendencies. Historical grievances. Simplistic and exploitable stereotypes. Democracies have carried with them into the social media age a receptivity for ideas and attitudes that are fundamentally at-odds with the universalizing ideals upon which post-World War II institutions (like the European Union) were built. Amidst all this will social media be a universalizing force or another tribal tool? You can find Chris's most recent map, which served as the springboard for this conversation, here. (http://kutarna.net/map-38-broken-societies-and-the-post-truth-reconstruction-part-i/) We mentioned a book by Jonathan Sacks called The Dignity of Difference. You can find it here (https://www.amazon.com/Dignity-Difference-Avoid-Clash-Civilizations/dp/0826468500).

An article on Jonathan Sacks's divisive tenure as Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.The article that Oliver Sacks wrote two weeks before he died.

REFLECTION QUOTES “Religion survives because it answers three questions that every reflective person must ask. Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?” ~Jonathan Sacks, Jewish rabbi and scholar “What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could…invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God…. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” “When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.” ~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in Mere Christianity “It is much easier for me to imagine a praying murderer, a praying prostitute, than a vain person praying. Nothing is so at odds with prayer as vanity.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German theologian and pastor, executed for his opposition to Hitler “It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.” ~C.S. Lewis in Reflections on the Psalms (1958) “Happiness is a matter of one's most ordinary and everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self.” ~Iris Murdoch (1919-1999), Irish-born author and philosopher SERMON PASSAGE Matthew 6:7-15 (NASB) 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' 14 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”