Dr. Tanya White begins the series with an exploration of the first book - A Letter in the Scroll (what we have termed “The Call”) - with Dr. Erica Brown. Together, they discuss the book’s context, structure and central themes, including the challenge of identity in a postmodern world and how young Jews are reconnecting with their roots in the wake of a post-7/10 reality. They help to highlight the unique message Rabbi Sacks offers on the Jewish role in a global world. A Letter in the Scroll was also published under the title Radical Then, Radical Now.
Diving into an engaging conversation between host Dr Tanya White and YU Dr Erica Brown, this carefully crafted narrative episode features Rabbi Sacks’ voice alongside reflections from contemporary voices who challenge and expand upon his teachings.
It's an immersive experience for listeners ready to engage deeply with questions of Jewish identity, adversity and resilience, morality, community, and the intersection of faith and modernity, beginning with A Letter in the Scroll (published as Radical Then, Radical Now in the UK
This new podcast series, Books and Beyond, invites you to explore the timeless, transformative ideas of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in a compelling new way. Hosted by Dr. Tanya White, this eight-episode series explores four of Rabbi Sacks most celebrated books combining in-depth discussions with a feature-documentary style, making Rabbi Sacks’ wisdom accessible, dynamic, and relevant.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Twenty years since A Letter in the Scroll was first published, this book continues to act as a crucial voice in the conversation of what it means to have faith, to be a Jew, and to build a better world.
In a way that is both timely and timeless, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks asks how, in the face of such adversity, has Judaism remained and flourished, making a mark on human history out of all proportion to its numbers? And how, in this speedily changing world, can it continue to do so?
If a single letter in a Torah scroll is damaged, missing, or incorrectly drawn, then a Torah scroll is considered invalid. We can understand the Jewish people by seeing them as a living Torah scroll. Every individual Jew represents a letter within it, for every individual is considered a crucial part of the people, without whom the entire religion would suffer. Rabbi Sacks uses this metaphor to make a passionate argument for why we must understand the importance of our heritage, our Jewish purpose, and our role in continuing the chain of Jewish generations. Never has a book more eloquently expressed the joys of being a Jew.
This is the story of one man’s hope for the future - a future in which the next generation, his children and ours, will happily embrace the beauty of the world’s oldest religion.
A Letter in the Scroll was also published under the title Radical Then, Radical Now.
Dr Erica Brown is the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and the founding director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership.
