Ten Paths to God
About this course
What are the great concepts Judaism introduced to the world? Is it possible to find God in such a fast-paced, chaotic world? Why are the Jews different?
Join Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks as he shares the mastery of his glittering career as author, speaker and Chief Rabbi of the UK.
An international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was described by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales as “a light unto this nation” and by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as “an intellectual giant”. Rabbi Sacks is a frequent and sought-after contributor to radio, television and the press both in Britain and around the world.
After stepping down as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a position he served for 22 years between 1991 and 2013 – Rabbi Sacks held a number of professorships at several academic institutions including Yeshiva University, New York University and King’s College London. Rabbi Sacks was awarded 18 honorary doctorates including a Doctor of Divinity conferred to mark his first ten years in office as Chief Rabbi, by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey.
Rabbi Sacks authored over 35 books. His most recent work, Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times (2020), was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller and was published in North America on 1st September 2020 and was named as the 2020 ‘Book of the Year’ by the National Jewish Book Council. Other works include: Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence; The Great Partnership: God, Science and the Search for Meaning; The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations (winner of the Grawemeyer Prize for Religion in 2004 for its success in defining a framework for interfaith dialogue between people of all faith and of none); To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility; and A Letter in the Scroll: On Being Jewish, winner of a National Jewish Book Awards in 2000.
Rabbi Sacks was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer, taking his seat in the House of Lords in October 2009. Born in 1948 in London, he married Elaine in 1970. Together they raised three children.
Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, one who bridged the religious and secular world through his remarkable and ground-breaking canon of work.
Course Outline
God is always close to us, but we are not always close to God. At some point in life, every reflective human being will ask three fundamental questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?
Through a sense that we are part of a special people with a special vocation and calling, we can connect to and develop further our relationship with God.
Prayer is arguably the principal connection to God in Judaism. Rabbi Sacks looks at some of the classic themes of Jewish prayer using texts and developing an understanding of these themes through his writings.
Study is so vital to Judaism. Rabbi Sacks delves into classic approaches to the mitzvah of Torah study and develops an understanding of these themes through his writings.
Mitzvot in the thought of Rabbi Sacks represent “miniature acts of redemption”, elevating the secular to holiness, bringing God into our world, becoming His partner in creation, ultimately leading to a universal redemption of the world.
Faith and our relationship with God are such challenging areas for Jewish educators that all too often they are avoided altogether. Rabbi Sacks provides the framework for understanding Jewish faith.
For Rabbi Sacks, the Jewish people living in security in their homeland, building a society based on the core values of Judaism, is critical to the fulfilment of Jewish destiny and the national Jewish mission.
The definition of a Jew is one who sees the problems in the world and seeks to fix them. Judaism is God’s call to responsibility and to be a Jew is to accept responsibility.
In this video, Rabbi Sacks explores the reasons why he is proud to call himself a Jew, and what that means to him, referencing each of the Ten Paths both directly and indirectly.
Tzedakah is based on four core concepts: Judaism’s approach to the ethics of material wealth, responsibility as a value and calling for every Jew, tzedakah as a vehicle for spiritual and moral growth, and the dignity of the human being.
While tzedakah is giving with our material resources, chessed is giving of ourselves, with our time and our hearts. For Rabbi Sacks, chessed is a critical element of the covenantal bond at the very core of Judaism’s vision for society.
The Jewish people have been commissioned by God to be His ambassadors on earth. We do that by creating a model society, and by being a role model nation, embodying the values that are inherent and central to Judaism.
