‘Seek God where He is to be found, call Him when He is close.’ The Sages were puzzled by this verse. When is God not close? Surely God is everywhere. Their answer was profound. God is always close to us, but we are not always close to God.

In this first unit, through the texts that Rabbi Sacks has selected as well as from some excerpts from his own writings, we will explore the path to God through our personal Jewish identity and national Jewish destiny. 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.

In this second unit, we will explore the path to God through prayer, arguably the principle connection to God in Judaism. We will look at some of the classic themes of Jewish prayer using texts that Rabbi Sacks has selected, and develop an understanding of these themes through his writings.

In this third unit, we will explore the path to God through Torah study. We will look at some of the classic approaches to the mitzvah of Torah study using texts that Rabbi Sacks has selected, and develop an understanding of these themes through his writings.

In this fourth unit, through various quotes and texts written by Rabbi Sacks, the path to God through Mitzvot will be explored. 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. Most importantly, mitzvot are “truth lived” making Judaism unique as a religion of action rather than merely contemplation and thought.

In this fifth unit the mitzvah of tzedakah will be explored in the thought of Rabbi Sacks. For Rabbi Sacks, tzedakah is based on four core concepts, each of which will be fully explored in the unit: 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 finally the value that is at the very core of the concept of tzedakah in Jewish thought and practice, the dignity of the human being. For Rabbi Sacks struggles to find an appropriate English translation for the Hebrew word tzedakah. Some translate it as charity, yet the root of the word has the meaning of justice. For Rabbi Sacks, neither is sufficient because conceptually tzedakah encompasses both of these ideas, despite their seeming contradictory nature. Justice is dispensed by a judge or a king, and charity is a gift of love given by a parent. But God plays both roles in our life, Avinu Malkeinu, and tzedakah asks us to relate to our fellow human as both as well. Hence the title of this unit. Tzedakah is love as justice.

In this sixth unit the mitzvah of chessed will be explored in the thought of Rabbi Sacks. While tzedakah is giving with our material resources, chessed is giving of ourselves, with our time and with our hearts. For Rabbi Sacks, chessed is a critical element of the covenantal bond that he believes is at the very core of Judaism’s vision for society. A society that is founded on a social contract, concerned primarily with regulating power and justice, will have mishpat and tzedek / tzedakah as its core values, whereas a ‘society as extended family’ that is founded on a social covenant, built on the values of loyalty, fidelity and faithfulness, will have chessed at its core. To truly understand the values of chessed and the impact of chessed on society, one has to experience it. Thus, in this unit we have chosen to use storytelling as the primary vehicle for educating about chessed, allowing the student to experience chessed in an emotional as well as intellectual way.

In this eighth unit we will explore the role of the Land of Israel in Rabbi Sacks’ thought and philosophy of Judaism. Rabbi Sacks is well known for his advocacy and passion for the modern State of Israel, especially in his social media presence. Israel also plays a prominent theological role in his writings. 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.

It can be argued that this ninth unit is the most critical in understanding the thought of Rabbi Sacks, as it explores his concept of Kiddush Hashem, the Jewish national mission and the most central and critical idea in his philosophy of Judaism. For Rabbi Sacks, the Jewish people have been commissioned by God to be His ambassadors on earth, spreading the core values of Judaism. We are to do that by creating a model society, and by being a role model nation, embodying the values that are inherent and central to Judaism.

Building on the central concept of the Jewish national mission that was explored in the previous unit, this tenth unit presents Rabbi Sacks approach to Responsibility. For Rabbi Sacks 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.