Yonason Sacks is an Orthodox

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and the

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

of Lander College for Men, a division of Touro University, as well as the spiritual leader of the Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov in

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

Family

Sacks' grandfather was one of the leaders of Jewish education in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and his great-grandfather was the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, Rabbi

Tzvi Pesach Frank Tzvi Pesach Frank (; 20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960). Biography Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna Governorate, the son of Rabbi Yehuda ...

. Sacks dedicated his first book, ''Chemdas Yomim'' (focusing on the laws of the Sabbath) in memory of his father. Sacks lives with his family in Passaic.

Education

Sacks attended the high school headed by Rabbi

Shlomo Riskin Shlomo Riskin (; born May 28, 1940) is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Is ...

and Rabbi Pinchas Bak in

Riverdale, New York Riverdale is a residential neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Riverdale, which had a population of 47,850 as of the 2000 United States Census, contains the city's northernmost point at the Colle ...

in the mid-1970s. Sacks graduated from Yeshiva University in 1981 and was ordained by the university's affiliated

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan S ...

in 1984. Two years later, he was awarded ''yadin yadin semicha''.

Rosh Yeshiva

Sacks was

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

from 1994 until 2012, when he became rosh yeshiva at Beis Midrash L'Talmud, a part of Lander College, a division of Touro University.

Works

Sacks is the author of more than 45 Jewish books, including: *'' Hagadas Chazon L'Yomim (Hebrew and English) *''Chazon L'Yomim 1, 2 & 3'' on Tractates

Pesachim Pesachim (, lit. "Paschal lambs" or "Passovers"), also spelled Pesahim, is the third tractate of '' Seder Moed'' ("Order of Festivals") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate discusses the topics related to the Jewish holiday of Passove ...

and

Beitzah Beitza () or Bei'a (Aramaic: ביעה) (literally "egg", named after the first word) is a tractate in ''Seder'' ''Mo'ed'', dealing with the laws of Yom Tov (holidays). As such, in medieval commentaries on the Talmud, the text is sometimes refer ...

*''Chemdas Yomim'' on the laws of

Shabbos Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...

*''Orchos Yomim'' on kriyas shema and shmoneh esrei *''Yimei Temimim'' on Pirkei Avos *''Yimei HaPurim'' on the holiday of

Purim Purim (; , ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Genocide, annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther (u ...

*''Yimei HaSefira'' on the days of Sefirat Ha'omer *''Yom HaZikaron'' on the holiday of

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

*''Yimei Chanuka'' on the holiday of

Chanukah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Han ...

*''Vihigasa Bo Yomam Valaya'', a three-part series on

mitzvos In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discussion of these commandments ...

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's Sifrei kodesh, religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the ''mi ...

, and middos (traits)

References

External links

Articles and audio
at torahweb.org
Biography of Rabbi Yonason Sacks
at yutorah.org Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American rabbis American male non-fiction writers American Orthodox rabbis Jewish American non-fiction writers Yeshiva University rosh yeshivas Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary semikhah recipients People from Passaic, New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) Touro College faculty {{US-rabbi-stub