Judaism engaged with the world – new Sacks chumash is a compendium of wisdom
The new Sacks Koren chumash includes a carefully compiled Torah commentary by the late Chief Rabbi, 'seamlessly bringing in ethics, morality, science, philosophy and medicine'
In the late 2010s, the former Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, began what was intended to be a flagship writing project. It would be a chumash – the five books of the Torah – which would feature not only his extant translation but his own extended commentary, a compilation of decades’ worth of wisdom and insights. After Rabbi Sacks’ tragic passing in late 2020, a dedicated team at Koren publishers, including his niece Jessica, worked tirelessly to pursue his vision. This, almost half a decade later, has culminated in the publication of the Sacks Koren chumash.
Joanna Benarroch, President of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, described how for the late Chief Rabbi emeritus, “it was really important that we were inspiring the next generation of proud, knowledgeable Jews. Knowledge was everything, as far as he was concerned. And not just Hebrew knowledge, Jewish knowledge, Torah knowledge, but the wisdom of the wider world.
“He wanted people to understand that they didn’t have to leave that wisdom at the door when they were learning Torah. And I think his commentary shows that Judaism engaged with the world seamlessly bringing in ethics, morality, science, philosophy and medicine.”
In bringing together the commentary, the Koren team – Benarroch particularly praised Jessica Sacks’ work, saying: “she’s a wordsmith in her own right and I think she felt the responsibility very weightily on her shoulders” – had a wealth of writings to choose from. These included Rabbi Sacks’ widely acclaimed Covenant and Conversation series of Torah essays, as well as references to Torah issues in each of his bestselling books. The result is a commentary which is unmistakably the work of one of Britain’s most prominent religious and moral thinkers of the last century. This shows, throughout its pages – find another chumash, for example, which quotes from BBC Thought for the Day, lectures at Trinity College and speeches from the House of Lords.
A “for further reading” bibliography is also included at the back, enabling those who have enjoyed particular insights from the Sacks chumash to search out the original, in-depth articles he wrote on those specific topics.
Benarroch, who worked with Rabbi Sacks for almost a quarter century, described how “people used to say [about Rabbi Sacks’ writing] that it’s worth just reading the bibliography so that you get an idea of who he quoted and whom you should be reading next.
“He gave us an education through his writings and the commentary is exactly that. It’s taking you on an amazing journey…at the back of the chumash, you’ll be able to see where those quotes and those pieces are taken from. If you want to read the whole essay because you really are interested in a topic…it tells you where to go and read more.”
Many United Synagogue members are likely to be seeing the chumash in shul soon, thanks to a generous donation by the Morris family. Several thousand copies of the work – which contains an introduction from Chief Rabbi Mirvis – have been gifted to the denomination. But the publishers believe that there will be strong international interest as well.
“His readership is much broader and wider in the in the US than it is even in the UK”, says Benarroch.
“I was packing up our office in London this week and looking at the different languages that he’s been translated into: Korean, Chinese, Romanian, Hungarian, Czech, and that’s apart from French, Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew” Benarroch says.
“It’s quite phenomenal how his reach is expanding; we’re getting requests on a daily basis for translation rights.”
There will be launch events held in both the US and the UK in the coming months.
“Around the world, people would stop him, particularly in the States, and say, Rabbi Sacks, we learn with you every week. You’re at our Shabbat table, you’re with us”, Benarroch says.
“So this is bringing them his drashot – commentaries – in a way that can take them through the parsha, in shul, in school, at home – and take them on the journey that Rabbi Sacks wanted to bring to their to their table, to their family.”
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
