On Sept. 1, the day that Israeli students returned to school after summer vacation, the Jerusalem-based Koren Publishers aptly released The Koren Shalem Humash by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, billed as “his greatest work.”
Sacks’s magnum opus, whose full title is The Koren Shalem Humash With Rashi and Onkelos: Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (The Magerman Edition), features the legendary former British chief rabbi’s translation of all five books of Moses presented in plain, readable English.
Sadly, Sacks was unable to complete the mission before his death on Nov. 7, 2020, at the age of 72. The new Humash was painstakingly collated posthumously by a group of scholars who also sifted through 40 years of the rabbi’s books, essays, lectures and media appearances to find “the perfect blend of contemporary and ancient wisdom.”
The Koren team, in partnership with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, crafted this Humash to make Rabbi Sacks’ teachings more accessible than ever, ensuring that his unique voice continues to guide future generations.
“For decades, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks inspired the Jewish world with his profound wisdom, bridging ancient tradition with contemporary thought,” Koren states. “More than just a book, the Koren Shalem Humash is a gateway to Rabbi Sacks’s enduring vision of Judaism—rooted in tradition and speaking powerfully to the challenges of today.”
‘The integration of all of those thoughts’
Alan Sacks, who is eight years younger than his famous brother and serves as president of the Israel board of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, told JNS in a studio interview on Aug. 27 that the Humash had been Rabbi Sacks’s “last major project.”
“His death came as a surprise in the sense that he did not realize how ill he was,” said his brother, a top attorney who made aliyah with his family in 1981 and lives in Jerusalem. “I think he did understand that [the Humash] was the last major project that he was going to undertake beyond all of the other activities that he was involved in, in terms of diplomacy and speaking on behalf of Israel and educating and so on.”
He said, “The Humash is a culmination of a life’s work on the part of Rabbi Sacks, synthesized into what is a rather hefty book. But I think that anyone who takes the time—and I imagine it’ll take time over the years to absorb everything that Rabbi Sacks has to say there—will come out with an added dimension of what it means to study the Torah in contemporary circumstances.”
Although Rabbi Sacks’s three brothers—Alan, Eliot and Brian—all made aliyah, he maintained close relationships with them and their families from his home in London, and they visited one another often. Alan Sacks shared that he had accompanied his brother—"sometimes from close and sometimes from afar"—for more than 15 years in his weekly commentaries on the Torah that culminated in the Humash.
“What we can see here is the integration of all of those thoughts in one volume,” he said. “As my brother tried to say, the Torah is a commentary on life, and life is a commentary on the Torah. It’s extraordinary how contemporary the weekly parshah (Torah portion) turned out to be in the hands or under the fingertips of my brother, and this is what comes across so beautifully in this work.”
The Magermans’ message
In their dedication, sponsors Debra and David Magerman of Philadelphia and Jerusalem offer thanks for having been blessed to have spent time with Sacks and his wife, Lady Elaine Sacks.
“Learning from Rabbi Sacks is a privilege and pleasure he has shared with the world through his publications and public speaking,” they write.
“Spending time with Rabbi Sacks—the man, the beautiful neshama [soul]—is more rare and those experiences we had with him in our home and in our community, at Shabbat meals and on Shabbat afternoon walks, are priceless experiences we will never forget.”
Calling Sacks “the authentic Torah voice for our generation, simultaneously steeped in Torah tradition and deeply engaged with people of all faiths,” they note, “He succinctly understood and eloquently conveyed both the particular Jewish identity of our sacred writings as well as their universal relevance.”
The Magermans conclude, appropriately, with a prayer. “We pray that this unique, traditional, painstakingly researched and annotated translation and commentary on the Humash enlivens Torah for klal Yisrael [the entire Jewish people], unites us in our traditions, inspires us with new and old ways of thinking, and ultimately brings us closer to the Redemption.”
Publisher Matthew Miller’s message
Publisher Matthew Miller says the Humash is a reminder that while the rabbi’s living presence is no longer with us, “his Torah lives on and continues to grow in influence.”
“Rabbi Sacks was our guide through the bewildering thickets of modernity, our guide to a fresh and refreshing engagement with Torah, and we gratefully follow the path he has charted for us,” Miller writes. “We hope these writings will engage, provoke and inspire the next generation of Torah scholars, teachers, laypeople, and indeed, all God-seekers.”
Noting the teaching by the rabbi, “In Judaism, we not only learn to live; we live to learn. In study, we make Torah real in the mind so that we can make it actual in the world.” Miller concludes with his prayer: “We pray that this masterful commentary on the Torah will allow countless people to ascend to ever greater heights in living and learning, to internalize the Torah’s relevance to the individual and to society, and to help heal our fractured world.”
The Editor’s Note points out that Rabbi Sacks intended this Humash to be his “flagship project, one in which he could incorporate many of his timeless messages and ideas.”
After translating the Humash for The Koren Tanakh (published in September 2021), Sacks began writing his commentary on the Torah, beginning with the book of Exodus. “Regretfully, he was unable to see it to completion. The Humash editorial team at Koren, led by Rabbi Sacks’ niece Jessica Sacks, compiled the rest of the Humash commentary from his vast array of books, articles, commentaries and lectures.”
The Editor’s Note stresses, “The work was always done with Rabbi Sacks’ intention for the Humash commentary as our guiding light, mission statement and purpose. Great care was taken to present his invaluable ideas and messages in his own words, only adapting and shaping them to preserve his style in the new format.”
It, too, concludes with a prayer. “We pray that we have managed to bring Rabbi Sacks’ words alive through the Torah and his dream project to fruition. May this work allow his beautiful Torah to enlighten and inspire all of us for generations to come.”
Among the wonderful bonuses in the Humash are the additions of Targum Onkelos, the authoritative Aramaic translation of the Torah written in the early second century, and Rashi’s comprehensive commentary from the 11th century presented in modern type.
In addition, following the Humash section are all the haftarot (weekly Torah portions), “according to the various customs of the Ashkenazim, Sepharadim and Yemenites.” Each haftarah is accompanied by a short commentary originally written in Hebrew by Rabbi David Nativ for Koren’s Humash Yisrael and nicely translated by Rabbi Yedidya Naveh.
“We hope that these commentaries provide the reader with the context to appreciate the significance of the words of the prophets and their depth and timeless teachings,” the Editor’s Note concludes.
In his own words
In his first chapter on Genesis (Bereshit), Sacks notes, “Torah is God’s book of humanity and each of us is a chapter in its unfinished story. Its words form our covenant with Heaven. And as we listen and respond, we add our voice to the unbroken conversation between the Jewish people and its destiny.”
For those who have had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Sacks speak, in person or on video, when you read his writing, you can almost hear his elegant eloquence articulated in the King’s English.
He enjoyed a good relationship with the royal family and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II 20 years ago for his services to the Jewish community and interfaith relations.
When Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, died in 2020, then-Prince Charles and now King Charles III wrote succinctly: “With his passing, the Jewish community, our nation and the entire world have lost a leader whose wisdom, scholarship and humanity were without equal.”
