By Daniel Jaffe

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l may be gone, but his positive impact continues to be felt to this day. One organization, appropriately named The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, focuses on maintaining the profound wisdom Rabbi Sacks shared with the world. It looks to continue the influence Rabbi Sacks had as both a leader and educator to future generations. The foundation contains many different subsections to accomplish this goal, sharing Rabbi Sacks’ teachings online and through social media, while also creating and operating extensive projects.

In particular, the project Torah V’Chochmah focuses on incorporating the thoughts and teachings of Rabbi Sacks into the curriculum of numerous Jewish schools. Through educating the teachers and school leaders, the importance and value of Rabbi Sacks’ thoughts can be passed on to the students themselves. Torah V’Chochmah looks to specifically enhance students’ understanding of chumash, Jewish philosophy and parsha by embracing the ideas of Rabbi Sacks, thereby helping the students better connect with their Jewish identities.

The “Summer Intensive,” Torah V’Chochmah’s first of three phases, took place this past week. Teachers from nearly 20 different Jewish schools from the United States, Canada and Mexico joined the Torah V’Chochmah faculty at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck. Many members of the program, both staff and teachers, enjoyed the unique opportunity to spend time with and learn from other educators from around the world.

Rabbi David Stein, a member of the Torah V’Chochmah leadership, shared his appreciation for the project, “Being able to be a part of this project, collaborate with the Rabbi Sacks Legacy and share the inspiration and the Torah of Rabbi Sacks, has been tremendous.”

Each day of programming consisted of interactive sessions and workshops, along with comprehensive lectures from various members of the Torah V’Chochmah team. Before the sessions began, the members gathered for a portion of learning taught by Rabbi Stein, drawing from different pieces of Rabbi Sacks’ Torah as the groundwork for the later programming.

One teacher, Maayanot’s Lori Linzer, noted the value of these small sessions, saying, “It was easy to get inspired and reminded us of our purpose each day.”

Jonny Lipczer, director of communications for The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, shared a meaningful anecdote that touched on Rabbi Sacks’ view on education. Lipczer explained that Rabbi Sacks held many titles, but his favorite of them all was “teacher.” This perspective served as a perfect example of just how important the continuation of knowledge was to Rabbi Sacks, and why this program focuses on helping these Jewish teachers realize that significance.

The next component of the Torah V’Chochmah program were the small learning sessions focused on helping teachers gain a better understanding of Rabbi Sacks’ content. After that the teachers attended curriculum-design sessions, where the Torah V’Chochmah leaders discussed the best possible methods in implementing Rabbi Sacks’ ideas in the classroom. After that, the teachers split into workshops to construct new ideas and solve critical questions regarding the curriculum. Finally, spread throughout these events were interactive lectures where the teachers became the students, raising their hands to share their personal findings as educators.

One example of these lectures was a session on how to craft “essential questions.” The session was headed by Tikva Wiener, the founder and co-director of The Idea School, an institution designed to promote project-based learning and other innovative teaching methods. Wiener described her desire for teachers to create a more personal Torah curriculum, as well as her goal of “putting Rabbi Sacks in the pantheon of rabbinic wisdom to which he deserves to belong.” During her session, Wiener opened the floor to the teachers, who one by one described incidents where they realized a better system was necessary and the solutions they created as a result.

This summer initiative is one of the three phases of Torah V’Chochmah’s programming, with the ultimate goal to implement the finished product into curricula for the 2024-25 school year. Until then, teachers will continue to have virtual meetings and will receive mentorship from the Torah V’Chochmah staff. In addition to that, Lipczer explained the even larger goal of expanding past North America, instituting the Torah V’Chochmah project globally.

In describing the bittersweet nature of the event, Maayanot’s Rabbi Jay Goldmintz explained, “One of the takeaways is just how much one misses Rabbi Sacks as a voice within the community at large, but I’m old enough to remember the profound effect Rav Soloveitchik had on the Jewish community, and I think Rabbi Sacks in his own right has had a similar impact.”

Thanks to these amazing staff and teachers, this program has been a tremendous step in achieving the goal of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy, truly demonstrating the timelessness of his wisdom, and upholding the relevancy of his Torah.

Daniel Jaffe, a Jewish Link intern, is a rising junior at Yeshiva University who lives in Teaneck.