Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, has won the 2009 National Jewish Book Award in Modern Jewish Thought and Experience for his brilliant work, Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Genesis: The Beginnings, published by OU Press and Maggid Books, an imprint for books of contemporary thought from Koren Publishers Jerusalem.
The National Jewish Book Awards, now in its 59th year, is a prestigious, long-running awards program that recognizes outstanding books. The award to Rabbi Sacks of this prize is a testament to the power and effect of his writing. He will be honored along with other winners of the 2009 National Jewish Book Awards on March 9 in New York City.
The Koren Sacks Siddur, published by OU Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem, with an introduction, English translation and commentary by Rabbi Sacks, was one of the finalists for the National Jewish Book Awards.
Covenant & Conversation is the first-ever collection of Rabbi Sacks’ essays on the weekly Torah portion. Erudite and eloquent, Covenant & Conversation allows readers to experience Chief Rabbi Sacks’ sophisticated approach to life lived in an ongoing dialogue with the Torah. Rabbi Sacks uses his expertise in modern philosophy and mastery of rabbinic texts to make the book of Genesis seem like a contemporary work. In his reading, the Bible addresses the challenges of our day and offers important ethical and philosophical direction.
This book is one of the latest offerings from OU Press, the recently created publishing house of the Orthodox Union, that last year published The Seder Night: An Exalted Evening, a haggadah commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik; and Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada, a fresh examination by Rabbi Yitzchak Blau of the rich world of ethics, psychology, and wisdom that is found in the Talmud.
Exciting future books in the pipeline include an inspiring haggadah commentary by Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm titled The Royal Table, edited by Dr. Joel B. Wolowelsky; a moving commentary on the Tisha B’Av Kinot based on the teachings of Rabbi Soloveitchik, edited by Rabbi Simon Posner and incorporating a new translation of the Kinot by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President Emeritus of the OU; and a new Siddur with a profound commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Soloveitchik, accompanied by the eloquent translation of the prayers by Rabbi Sacks with the popular Koren layout.
More information about these books is available at https://oupress.org/.