6 | NOVEMBER 4 • 2021
PURELY COMMENTARY
1942 - 2021
Covering and Connecting
Jewish Detroit Every Week
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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.