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Scholarly Man of Faith: Studies in the Thought and Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
This book sets forward a series of interesting and less-explored aspects of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik's teachings. These essays delve into the Rav's approach toward understanding biblical figures, his views on emotions and intellect, his appreciation of R. Yehudah ha-Levi, his understanding of medieval history, and the implications for modernity.
198 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2018
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 10, 2019
Mixed bag of essays. Some very good, some less so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2018
For someone whose educational career spanned over 50 years, the number of books from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik is rather scant. While there are a number of articles from him, the number of books he wrote is few.
Rabbi Jonathan Ziring quotes Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein and explained the reason why there are relatively few books from Rabbi Soloveitchik and his father Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein. He explained that in Europe, there were many great European rabbis who lived in very small towns and the entirety of their creative enterprise was based in writing. They did this as their rabbinic duties didn’t take up much of their time, or demand much of their intellectual energies. But as these figures become roshei yeshiva, their creative enterprise was with their students, and their writings become much less.
Perhaps no one personifies that more than Rabbi Soloveitchik. While we have his classics The Lonely Man of Faith, Halakhic Man, and a few others; they really don’t add up to more than a few hundred pages. While his page count is low, his legacy is bound up in his students, and their students.
In Scholarly Man of Faith: Studies in the Thought and Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, editors Rabbis Ephraim Kanarfogel and Dov Schwartz have gathered collected essays from 6 experts in the thought of Rabbi Soloveitchik. Namely Rabbis Shalom Carmy, David Shatz and Ephraim Kanarfogel, and Drs. Shira Weiss, Daniel Rynhold and Alex Sztuden.
As to the lack of written work by Rabbi Soloveitchik, Rabbi Shatz notes that this was a comment lament during the Rav’s lifetime. While Shatz writes that the lamest of the scarcity of publications by the Rav were exaggerated, the reality is that they are indeed insufficient.
With essays on topics such as Biblical Hermeneutics in the Thought of R. Soloveitchik: A Preliminary Appraisal of the Influence of R. Yehudah Halevi, Science of Hermeneutics? Rav Soloveitchik's Scientific Method Revisited and more, this is a book by serious scholars and meant for a readership well-versed in western philosophy and at home with Rabbi Soloveitchik’s worldview. For such readers, Scholarly Man of Faith is a reminder just how timeless and relevant Rabbi Soloveitchik was, and is.
Rabbi Jonathan Ziring quotes Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein and explained the reason why there are relatively few books from Rabbi Soloveitchik and his father Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein. He explained that in Europe, there were many great European rabbis who lived in very small towns and the entirety of their creative enterprise was based in writing. They did this as their rabbinic duties didn’t take up much of their time, or demand much of their intellectual energies. But as these figures become roshei yeshiva, their creative enterprise was with their students, and their writings become much less.
Perhaps no one personifies that more than Rabbi Soloveitchik. While we have his classics The Lonely Man of Faith, Halakhic Man, and a few others; they really don’t add up to more than a few hundred pages. While his page count is low, his legacy is bound up in his students, and their students.
In Scholarly Man of Faith: Studies in the Thought and Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, editors Rabbis Ephraim Kanarfogel and Dov Schwartz have gathered collected essays from 6 experts in the thought of Rabbi Soloveitchik. Namely Rabbis Shalom Carmy, David Shatz and Ephraim Kanarfogel, and Drs. Shira Weiss, Daniel Rynhold and Alex Sztuden.
As to the lack of written work by Rabbi Soloveitchik, Rabbi Shatz notes that this was a comment lament during the Rav’s lifetime. While Shatz writes that the lamest of the scarcity of publications by the Rav were exaggerated, the reality is that they are indeed insufficient.
With essays on topics such as Biblical Hermeneutics in the Thought of R. Soloveitchik: A Preliminary Appraisal of the Influence of R. Yehudah Halevi, Science of Hermeneutics? Rav Soloveitchik's Scientific Method Revisited and more, this is a book by serious scholars and meant for a readership well-versed in western philosophy and at home with Rabbi Soloveitchik’s worldview. For such readers, Scholarly Man of Faith is a reminder just how timeless and relevant Rabbi Soloveitchik was, and is.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews