Russian Jewry Mourns the Loss of Rabbi Sacks of London
It was with deep sorrow that the bitter news were received in Russia about the passing of the great man, Rabbi Professor Yaakov Zvi Sacks O.B.M, who served for years as the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain. Many of Russia’s Jews expressed their feelings that he was a true friend of Russian Jewry.
A longtime friend of his, Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, sent a letter of condolences on behalf of Russian Jewry to the esteemed Sacks family.
In his letter he writes:
“Your father was a great man in every way. He possessed a unique mindset and independent thinking, vast and comprehensive, truly encyclopedic knowledge, and an unparalleled ability to express and deliver his ideas. He was a rare individual blessed with so many virtues in so many versatile fields.
And his greatest virtue – in the spirit of “Great is learning that leads to action”, was applying all this greatness, all of the talents he was blessed with, to bringing Torah to the people of Israel, to delivering the beauty and depth of G-d’s word to everyone, including the nations of the world.
This was his attitude to the entire Torah. And in particular, your father was privileged to have a deeply special and personal connection with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As a result of this connection, he was able to bring the Rebbe’s character, and especially his teachings to tens of thousands of people. Here he also sided with the Rebbe’s position of “Great is learning that leads to practical action” in both aspects: in delving into the depth of the Rebbe’s Torah, in the spirit of “great is learning”, and in delivering it to thousands of people thus “leading to practical action”.
I can point out that every time I met him, he was very interested in the state of Russian Jewry and delighted to hear about the progress and the evident miracles that had happened in this country.
Your father’s life is the embodiment of the explanation of the verse from this week’s Torah portion, “And Avraham was old, advanced in days” – he advanced all his days, each day was fully utilized. Your father used his time to influence the entire world, not a single moment not implemented, not filled with meaning and action.
What a great man, what a great loss! Indeed, it is a great loss to you, as family, and a great loss to all of Israel!”
It should be noted that many of his letters and books have been translated into Russian, leaving a strong impression on all readers. With his passing, the Jewish community has initiated a reprinting of some of his popular books.
