The Philosophy of Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)

"Providing a concise but comprehensive overview of Joseph B. Soloveitchik's larger philosophical program, this book studies one of the most important modern Orthodox Jewish thinkers. It incorporates much relevant biographical, philosophical, religious, legal, and historical background so that the content and difficult philosophical concepts are easily accessible. The volume describes his view of Jewish law (Halakhah) and how he answers the fundamental question of Jewish philosophy, namely the "reasons" for the commandments. It shows how many of his disparate books, essays, and lectures on law, specific commandments, and Jewish religious phenomenology, can be woven together to form an elegant philosophical program. It also provides an analysis and summary of Soloveitchik's views on Zionism and on interreligious dialogue and the contexts for Soloveitchik's respective stances on issues that were pressing in his role as a leader of a major branch of post-war Orthodox Judaism. The book provides a synoptic overview of the philosophical works of Joseph B. Soloveitchik. It will be of interest to historians and scholars studying neo-Kantian philosophy, Jewish thought and philosophy of religion"--

Zelcer, Heshey

Zelcer, Mark

Reference

Routledge

Providing a concise but comprehensive overview of Joseph B. Soloveitchik's larger philosophical program, this book studies one of the most important modern Orthodox Jewish thinkers. It incorporates much relevant biographical, philosophical, religious, legal, and historical background so that the content and difficult philosophical concepts are easily accessible. The volume describes his view of Jewish law (Halakhah) and how he answers the fundamental question of Jewish philosophy, namely, the "reasons" for the commandments. It shows how many of his disparate books, essays, and lectures on law, specific commandments, and Jewish religious phenomenology can be woven together to form an elegant philosophical program. It also provides an analysis and summary of Soloveitchik's views on Zionism and on interreligious dialogue and the contexts for Soloveitchik's respective stances on issues that were pressing in his role as a leader of a major branch of post-war Orthodox Judaism. The book provides a synoptic overview of the philosophical works of Joseph B. Soloveitchik. It will be of interest to historians and scholars studying neo-Kantian philosophy, Jewish thought, and philosophy of religion.

This volume of Ḥakirah emerges amidst a period of uncertainty, unease, and change, both in the world in general and in the Jewish world in particular. The articles in this issue deal with the challenges of responding to changing times and circumstances, both historically and in our own era. 
Our Jewish Thought section deals with Israel’s response to change and to modernity in general. Our opening article, “Maimonides on the Messianic Era: The Grand Finale of Olam Ke-Minhago Noheg,”shows that Rambam’s core messianic teaching is an outgrowth of his entire religious perspective “which eschews divine intervention and promotes human initiative.” The second article, “For the Love of Humanity: The Religious Humanism of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch,” looks closely at Hirsch’s universalist vision and seeks to use it as a guide for dealing with modernity. In “The Search for the Elusive Center: Norman Lamm and American Orthodoxy,”the authorexplains that Rabbi Lamm’s goal in renaming Modern Orthodoxy as Centrist Orthodoxy was to clarify the movement’s ideology and enhance its attractiveness. He contends, however, that “the failure of the attempted rebranding illustrates the internal contradictions of an Orthodox Judaism open to the intellectual and social currents of the wider world” and then points out new challenges that still need to be faced. 
A collection of the private correspondence of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zẓ”l, opens a window into the Rav’s views on a host of issues. Of special interest are letters dealing with his relationship to the State of Israel. While the Rav never ceased his great support for the State of Israel—one letter confirms his support for Mizrachi—other letters show he also recognized secular Zionism’s anti-religious trends and sought to oppose them. Ultimately, he refuses to vie for the chief rabbinate, explaining that the time dedicated to politics would not enable him to learn and teach Torah properly, and concluding, “I am a melamed.”In yet another letter, “A Letter from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to Aaron Zeitlin,”the Rav speaks of his belief—in direct opposition to that of Israel’s leaders—that the new State of Israel must be guided by the philosophy that emerges from halakhah and that, indeed, the entire world needs to be guided by it. Rambam’s messianic view lies at the heart of the Rav’s vision of a New World Order emerging from the sources of halakhah. 
In our Jewish Law section, in “Tax Ethics in Rashba’s Responsa to Saragossa,”we see the universalist potential of halakhah, as the insights of one of our greatest rishonim are echoed much later by the legendary justice, Judge Learned Hand. Another article in this section, “Criminal Proceedings Against a Jew in a Non-Jewish Court for Get Refusal: The Effect on the Validity of the Get,” argues that modern government institutions can be used to aid Jewish courts in preventing the state of igun.

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought (Volume 32)

Religion & Spirituality

Buchman, Asher Benzion

Shapiro, Marc B.

Warburg, A. Yehuda

Diamond, James A.

Krakowski, Eliyahi

Leibowitz, Atyeh

Loewenberg, F. M.

Zuckier, Shlomo

Judaism

Hakirah

In a lecture series titled “The Relationship between Halakhah, Aggadah, and Kabbalah” delivered at Bernard Revel Graduate School ca. 1950, Rav Yosef B. Soloveitchik, ztz”l, defines these three branches of Torah study, explains their relationship to each other, and sheds light on the religious experience that emerges from their study. In this volume of Ḥakirah, a special section keynoted by these lectures is augmented by additional essays dealing with the relationship between Halakhah, Aggadah, and Kabbalah. An essay titled “‘Truth’ and Authorial Intent in the Study of Torah”shows that some Torah scholars believed that they could interpret the works of earlier rabbis loosely, in a manner not in accord with their author’s intent. An accompanying article titled “Learning” argues that such an approach is not in accord with the mainstream of Halakhic interpretation, bringing evidence from the Rav’s analysis of Halakhah as presented in the above-mentioned lecture series. Another essay on Western philosophy’s sources in the Lurianic Kabbalah reviews a recent book on tsimtsum and shows how Christian thinkers in particular misunderstood the Arizal’s philosophical concept, quoting the following crucial passage from the Rav’s lectures to prove his point: “The Kabbalistic perspective rests on Halakhah. Even theology was Halakhic to the Jewish mystic: his fulcrum is to be found in Halakhic law. The religious commandment was interpreted by the Kabbalistic mystic not allegorically, but as Divine order impregnated with transcendental and cosmic significance and endowed with meaning of cosmic proportions.”\nIn our Jewish Law section, we deal with matters of increasing contemporary relevance. “Halakhic Approaches to a Man-made Epidemic: Opioids and Narcan” deals with a pressing issue as the use of dangerous drugs has made its way into our communities.In “Examining a Controversial Heter: A Woman Who Converted as an Infant Marrying a Kohen?” the authors explain and provide the sources for a psak of the noted posek Rav Ephraim Greenblatt, z”l. In “‘Are We Your First Choice?’: Is it proper to ask this question to a student applying to a yeshivah/seminary, and must they answer honestly?” the author deals with a common question relevant both to our Torah youth and Torah organizations.\nOur Talmud Torah section yields interesting insights from the analysis of two parshiyot in the Torah. “The Geographical Context of Devarim and Its Significance” argues that “establishing the book of Devarim on the ruins of Sodom symbolizes the dichotomy between the culture of Sodom and a society predicated on the precepts of the Torah and dedicated to the pursuit of justice.” And “Did the Israelites Eat Matzah While They Were Slaves?” contends that leḥem oni was not eaten by Jewish slaves in Egypt, and nothing in the Torah implies that they did.\nOur Jewish Thought section deals with fundamental issues. In one essay titled “Imitations and Semblances,” the author identifies how several Rishonim, including Rambam and Ralbag, explain the purpose of many mitzvot as directing us to explore the reality of the physical world. A review of Strauss, Spinoza and Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith introduces us to a new work composed of essays by modern Jewish writers dealing with faith. Closing out this section is a hesped by Rav Soloveitchik of an outstanding European Chassidic Rosh Yeshivah who taught Torah in America for almost 50 years. Here the Rav gives us insight into the nature of our ba’alei mesorah.

Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought (Volume 33)

Broyde, Michael J.

Goldman, David P.

Krakowski, Eliyahu

The Jewish Religious Experience from Halakhah, Aggadah and Kabbalah: Two Series of Lectures by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Based on the Notes of Rabbis Robert Blau and Yaakov Homnick

Soloveitchik, Joseph B.

Rynhold, Daniel

Blau, Robert

Homnick, Yaakov

Zelcer, Harry

Hakirah/Tradition

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