Love and Terror in the God Encounter: The Theological Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik - Softcover

Hartman, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580231764 ISBN 13: 9781580231763

Publisher: Jewish Lights, 2004

Synopsis

The intellectual legacy of one of the twentieth century's greatest religious thinkers―explained by a leading theologian of our day.

"It is only through experiencing the contradictions in human existence, through being overwhelmed by the divine presence, through the finite human being feeling terror-stricken by the infinite majesty of God that one can develop an authentic religious personality."
―David Hartman (From Chapter 6)

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.

About this title

About the Author

A world-renowned philosopher and social activist, Dr. David Hartman (z"l) was the founder and president emeritus of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Named after his late father, the Institute is dedicated to developing a new understanding of classical Judaism that provides moral and spiritual direction for Judaism's confrontation with modernity.

Formerly professor emeritus at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, he received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University's theological seminary in New York City. He is the author of many award-winning books, including From Defender to Critic: The Search for a New Jewish Self; The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting and Rethinking Jewish Tradition; A Heart of Many Rooms: Celebrating the Many Voices within Judaism, finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a Publishers Weekly "Best Book of the Year"; and Love and Terror in the God Encounter: The Theological Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (all Jewish Lights). His classic works A Living Covenant: The Innovative Spirit in Traditional Judaism (Jewish Lights) and Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest both were winners of the National Jewish Book Award.

From Publishers Weekly

In a densely written discourse, Hartman, a Jerusalem-based theologian and philosopher, pays tribute to his mentor, Rabbi Soloveitchik (known as "the Rav"), by examining several of his publications. Hartman reserves analysis of other writings for a forthcoming second volume. A brief introduction reveals something about the Rav as a leader of modern Orthodoxy, but one has to turn to sources such as Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff's The Rav for biographical information. Born in Poland in 1903, Soloveitchik studied with his father, a noted rabbi, and with private tutors. He earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Berlin and then came to the United States in 1932, settling in Boston, where he became the rabbinic leader of the Orthodox community. For 40 years, he commuted weekly to New York, where he served as senior rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University. As Hartman states, the Rav was "the leading Orthodox talmudic scholar and theologian in North America." Using impenetrable language, Hartman scrutinizes three of the Rav's publications (Halakhic Man, The Lonely Man of Faith and Confrontation), and then devotes a chapter to his views on prayer. Hartman claims that the Rav reconciled studying Torah and Western philosophy simultaneously, but readers have to be experts in philosophy and Jewish theology to grasp Hartman's commentary. This book's severely restricted appeal fails to demonstrate just why the Rav's influence on modern Orthodoxy and Judaism in general was so profound.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1580231764
• ISBN 13: 9781580231763
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240