Before his rather sudden passing in 2020 Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was one of the most
eloquent and influential religious leaders of the generation. As Chief Rabbi of the United
Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for over two decades he offered a universal message
cultivated from the Jewish and Western cannons he knew so well. One concept that figured
prominently in his work was joy. I think of Judaism as an ode to joy he once wrote. Like
Beethoven Jews have known suffering isolation hardship and rejection yet they never lacked
the religious courage to rejoice. In this volume organized by the Rabbi Lord Jonathan
Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership academics and writers explore the
significance of joy within the Jewish tradition. These essays and reflections discuss
traditional Jewish primary sources including Biblical Rabbinic and Hebrew literature Jewish
history and philosophy education the arts and positive psychology and of course through
the prism of Lord Sacks' work.
