Customer Reviews

To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility

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This is a beautifully written and inspiring work. It is rich in personal anecdote, story and example. It teaches the essence of Jewish ethics as a way of living in the modern and post- modern world. Rabbi Sacks speaks much in this book about responsibility. He speaks much about the world having gone to far in concentrating on individual development alone, without demanding connection and contribution to family and community. His message is that the Jewish covenant with God is one for recreating the world as better place, for improving the situation for others. He is concerned here with social justice and with righteousness. He believes that the seperation of the ethical from the religious is like separating two different parts of the brain that are meant to work together. He believes the Jewish imperative is to be both holy and good. And also he teaches this means finding a way to make tikkun olam and improve the well- being of all of mankind.

Rabbi Sacks tells us inspiring stories of people who have suffered and somehow managed to in that suffering still give to others. He tells us about many of the people who do goodness and acts of kindness for others modestly. He says that when he as a young person a young Rabbi first began to officiate at funerals he discovered that what relatives wanted said about the person who was gone, was nothing about their wealth power achievement in the world, but rather about their kindness and goodness to others.

His message is that each individual human being can by being good to others help mend the brokenness of the world. It is not that he is naive or believes that all the problems of this world, many of which he discusses in detail in this book can be instantly solved by such goodness. But rather that such goodness and giving to others cannot only help make it better for them, but can be the key to finding and making meaning in one's own life.

This book is a sound sane sensible ethical and moral guide for humanity.

An outstanding work but a teacher who understands that it is better to love than to fear, and better to light a single candle than to suffer in the darkness.

To Heal a Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility

This is a beautifully written and thought provoking discussion of the ethical responsibilities that we all have to ourselves, each other, and to society as a whole. It is written from the Jewish perspective, but as my Sunday school class has discovered, is an excellent launching pad for Christians, as well. It is a perfect addition to the study of Leviticus, for example.

I think this book should be required reading for all those in our government who are looking for and working toward a peaceful solution to the war in Iraq. Rabbi Sachs draws on his deep understanding of the Torah and of human nature in discussing the basics of a religious perspective on the seemingly irreconcilable problems of relationships in the middle east. He has moved beyond the political, geographical, religious discussion of the issues which create enmity and sets our thoughts on basic theological components which we must consider if we are serious about healing our divisions. He takes us deep into our own hearts and challenges us to heal our own hearts first.

A good grasp of fundamental concepts for the modern world concerning Jewish life.
Very inspiring, his breadth of knowledge and compassion knows no bounds.
Highly recommended for all levels of Jewish education..

I thoroughly enjoyed R. Sachs's work. He draws on his rich knowledge of classic Jewish sources and secular philosophy to craft a beautifully written work that is both insightful and thought-provoking.

After a decade of growing anti-Semitism, some Jews seem more willing then ever to retreat from the secular and non-Jewish world. Sacks's book is a ringing rebuttal to this view, quoting a variety of Jewish sources. For example, he quotes the Talmud: "for the sake of peace, the poor of the heathens shall be supported as we support the poor of Israel..."

By and large, this is not the sort of book that imparts new information so much as the sort of book that tells us what we already know- a kind of pep-talk for burnt-out, bummed-out Jews. I liked it, but thought it was a bit too long for its message.

I found this book inspirational. Rabbi Sacks' draws from millenia of literature and philosophy, including the Torah and famous Jewish sources but also from current literature and events. He writes with a magnetic charm and eloquence.
My wife, a social worker, bought this book, but I started reading before she did, and I couldn't put it down till I'd read it from cover to cover.
I commend it to you without any reservation whatsoever.

This book by Britain's Chief rabbi is a very well written, thoughtful analysis of Judaism's role in the world. He brings in his own experience is explaining where Jews belong in world society. It is one of the best books that I have ever read on this subject. It has materially changed how I look at Judaism and its influence on world society.

As a child, I was told stories of the BeshT, the Baal Shem Tov, and one of my most favourites forever was of an un-named tzadik, righteous person, sage who stood deep in prayer, with spiritual connections few could muster. As he prayed and connected with G-d, there passed by him a blind beggar, a poor barefoot child, a man with no legs who could only get around on a cart, a young crying starving woman with emaciated and barely clothed children. He cried out in his prayers, "Merciful Master of the Universe, all of this pain and suffering in your world! Why don't you DO something???" And out of the silence, G-d answered him, " I DID do something: I made YOU."
Strange but thinking child that I was, I realized early that G-d gave us choice even beyond the choice of doing right or not right; He gave us the choice to DO SOMETHING, to partner with Him in doing good in the world, in fixing the world. G-d did not tell us what our 'rights' were, what He owed us, what everyone else owed us, but rather made clear to us, from the very beginning, that we as humans on this planet have RESPONSBILITIES, and that taking them on, or passing them to everyone else, is the human challenge and choice.
Many give mention to, or rally the cry of, the concept of Tikun Olam, fixing the world, but it is beyond a quick phrase and is really a mandate for each and all of us, especially clear in the path of Judaism. We can either be part of the problem by letting it (suffering, pain, poverty, dispair, war, hunger, et al) continue, or we can be part of the solution.
Rav Sachs sets out in his wonderful lucid intelligent prose, how each and all of us can and ought to be part of the solution, to contribute to fixing what needs to be fixed, from the neighbours on your street to the neighbours on the rest of the planet; how to heal our fractured world.
It is not required of us to complete the task, but surely we ought not shirk from it. Let rav Sachs show you the way; Read this book, and join us.

I can't add much to what the other reviews have said about this book (we mostly all agree). To (mostly) quote one; It is a well written "discussion of the ethical responsibilities that we all have to ourselves, each other, to society as a whole". Rabbi Sacks draws mostly from traditional Jewish sources and also references modern material and examples as well.

IMO, Rabbi Sacks has written a great book about why we are all obligated to do tikkum olam (Hebrew for "repairing the world"). As most books that I've personally seen on this subject that were written from a Jewish perspective have been written by non-orthodox (Jewish) authors, it is good to see one written by a well respected orthodox religious leader (full disclosure: I am a non-orthodox Jew). Highly recommended!