I awoke this morning to the terrible news that Lord Sacks ZT”L the former Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, had finally succumbed to the cancer that had on two other previous occasions threatened his life.
As a non-Orthodox Jew, Lord Sacks was not my Chief Rabbi, he didn’t control the communal group that I nominally belong to, but he was a man more than worthy of respect. He was a giant of Torah whose learning and humanity impressed and inspired all, not just in the United Synagogue who he led, but members of other Jewish movements and in the wider non-Jewish community.
The intellectual achievements of Lord Sacks, who was enobled and sent to the House of Lords in 2009, are legion. He’s won a remarkable number of prizes for his writings and earned praise from the current President of Israel for his call for violence not to be used in the name of G-d. Lord Sacks held the position of Chief Rabbi from 1991 to 2013. He served under four different British Prime Ministers and was an excellent ambassador for the Jewish community as a whole not just for the Orthodox Jews of Britain and the Commonwealth. You can find a full obituary of Lord Sacks at the Jewish News.
May his memory be for his family a great blessing. I would like to take the opportunity to wish for the wife of Lord Sacks ZT”L, Lady Elaine and all his family, a long life.
Here, here.
A great intellect, a great heart, a great communicator, a great loss.
He is a sad loss to the world of faith. He respected those of other faiths but was not one of the happy clappy naive morons who turn a blind eye to dangerous ideologies, like some of the Rabbonim in non Orthodox Judaism. His passing leaves a gap that I pray will be fullfilled. We have lit a Yarzheit candle for Rabbi Lord Sacks, may his memory be for a blessing.
Used to love listening to his little homilies when he broadcasted on ‘Thought for the Day’ on Radio 4. It was always beautifully composed, reassuring, but also challenging. He made most of other contributors appear as pygmies.
When I used to listen to Radio Four (I can no longer bear to do so now because of the Leftism) Rabbi Sacks was a highlight.
A sad loss for rationality and all humanity.
Jonathan Sacks, God bless you