6 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021 

PURELY COMMENTARY

1942 - 2021

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R

abbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, 
who passed away on Nov. 7, 
2020, left a legacy that is well 
known: As chief rabbi of the United 
Hebrew Congregations of the British 
Commonwealth, he led a 
renewal of vibrant Jewish 
life through the growth 
of Jewish schools and 
the revitalization of the 
London School of Jewish 
Studies; delivered erudite 
speeches, books and articles 
that inspired the United 

Synagogue and beyond by advocating 
a realistic, modern and yet uncompro-
misingly faithful view of traditional 
Orthodoxy; and served as a public intel-
lectual whose wisdom was sought by pol-
iticians, academics, CEOs and other faith 
leaders around the globe.
But can his contribution to modern 
Jewish thought be easily summarized? 
As a dedicated disciple, I would never 
even attempt such a thing. But I can offer 
this. The colloquial term for a leading 
rabbinic sage is gadol, meaning, simply, 
“great.” With the rise of ultra-Orthodoxy, 
the word today evokes aged men garbed 

in monochrome, surrounded by devotees 
and making pronouncements from their 
insular enclaves. But the intricate discus-
sions of Jewish law of which these men are 
experts were described by Maimonides, 
the 12th-century scholar, as a dvar katan 
(small matter), reserving the phrase dvar 
gadol (great matter) for discussions of the 
nature and purpose of Creation. 
A scholar must, Maimonides insisted, 
master the small before the great, for if 
the former makes up the framework of 
everyday Jewish life, it is the latter that 
establishes the ultimate value and mean-
ing of existence — what we would call 
philosophy. 
If one follows Maimonides’ argument, 
the so-called gedolim of today would 
be better termed ketanim, “small ones,” 
for they only concern themselves with 
Jewish law. The title “gadol” should be 
reserved for a rabbinic scholar who is 
not only steeped in Jewish law, but also 
able to understand and address the deep 
questions of life: Why are we here? What 
is our purpose? How can we make a dif-
ference? 
A true gadol can speak to the religiously 
minded as well as to those of little or no 
faith. A gadol can translate ancient Jewish 

JOHN DOWNING/GETTY IMAGES/JTAS

Rabbi 
Raphael 
Zarum
JTA

commentary

Rabbi Jonathan 
Sacks Was 
One of 
a Kind

Jonathan Sacks, seen as the chief rabbi of 
the United Kingdom, circa 2000. 

