Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993) profoundly influenced modern Orthodox Judaism in the United States--and Judaism as a whole--by opening up a discourse between the tradition of Torah study and Western philosophical thought. The future of both religious Zionism in Israel and of Orthodoxy in America hangs to a great extent on how we interpret his intellectual legacy. Dr. David Hartman's penetrating analysis of Rabbi Soloveitchik's work reveals a Judaism committed to intellectual courage, integrity, and openness.
A renowned theologian and philosopher, Hartman meticulously explores the subtlety and complexity of Rabbi Soloveitchik's theological thought, exposing a surprising intersection of halakhic tradition and modern Western theology--a confrontation that deepens and expands our spiritual understanding. Hartman's provocative interpretation bears witness to the legitimacy of remaining loyal to the Judaic tradition without sacrificing one's intellectual freedom and honesty.
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definitely teaches a lot about Soloveitchik's thought:
This book analyzes several of Rav Soloveitchik's responsa and essays, including: *Soloveitchik's essay "Halakhic Man". In this essay, Soloveitchik explains and praises "halakhic man": the self-confident scholar who not only follows halakha, but has a passion for study. The goal of this legal hero is not to know God through mysticism, but to find new legal insights through rigorous analysis. According to Hartman, Soloveitchik "discerns a profound dialectic between relevation and intellectual creativity.... more info
A honest pupil contends with his beloved teacher:
Rabbi David Hartman is a Torah teacher of courage and authenticiy. Here he expounds and contends with the beloved teacher who helped inspire him in ' learning' and ' thought'.This is from Rabbi Hartman's moving introduction." In the course of my philosophical studies and at crucial moments of life when I experienced difficult periods of doubt, and questioned some of the prevailing ,widely accepted theological and moral positions found in the halakhic tradition, he was the figure , the living image that... more info
