Joseph B. Soloveitchik

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Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik of Yeshiva University
Born	February 27, 1903 Pruzhany, Belarus
Died	April 9, 1993 Boston, Massachusetts

Rav Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov, Yoshe Ber) Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ'יק) (1903 - 1993) was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was the descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty.

As Rosh Yeshiva of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University in New York City, The Rav, as he came to be known, ordained close to 2,000 rabbis over the course of almost half a century. He advocated a synthesis between Torah scholarship and Western, secular scholarship as well as positive involvement with the broader community.

He served as an advisor, guide, mentor, and role-model for tens of thousands of Jews, both as a Talmudic scholar and as a religious leader.

Contents 1 Heritage 2 Early years, education, and immigration 2.1 Boston 2.2 New York 3 Philosophy and major works 3.1 Torah Umadda synthesis 3.2 The Lonely Man of Faith 3.3 Halakhic Man 4 Other views and controversy 4.1 Departure from the traditional Brisker view of Zionism 4.2 Haredi View of 4.3 Debate over world view 4.3.1 Top Students 4.3.2 Integration with secular society 4.3.3 Own criticism of his students 4.3.4 Revisionism 4.4 Relations with non-Orthodox Judaism 4.5 Zionism 4.6 Affiliated organizations 5 Family and last years 6 Legacy 6.1 Works by Joseph Soloveitchk 6.2 Legacy of his hashkafa (worldview) 6.3 Cooperation with non-Orthodox Jews 7 See also 8 References 9 External links 9.1 Bibliography 9.2 Resources

[edit] Heritage

Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik was born on February 27, 1903 in Pruzhany, then Russia, next Poland, now Belarus). He came from a rabbinical dynasty dating back some 200 years: his grandfather was Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, and his great-grandfather and namesake was Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, the Beis HaLevi. His great-great-grandfather was Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (The Netziv). His father, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik (note different spelling of last name), preceded him as head of the RIETS rabbinical school at Yeshiva University.

Rabbi Yosef Dov (HaLevi) Soloveitchik author of the Beis Ha‑Levi                                                                                                                 Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik "Reb Chaim Brisker"                                                                                                                                 Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik "The Rov"                       Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik                                                                                                                                           Rabbi Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik   Rabbi Berel Solovetichik   Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik "The Rav"   Rabbi Dr. Ahron Soloveichik   Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Soloveitchik   Shulamit Soloveitchik Meiselman   Anne Soloveitchik Gerber                                                                                                           Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Soloveitchik   Dr. Tovah Soloveitchik   Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein   Atarah Soloveitchik   Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky   Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik

[edit] Early years, education, and immigration

Soloveitchik was educated in the traditional manner at a Talmud Torah, an elementary yeshiva, and by private tutors, as his parents realized his great mental powers. According to a curriculum vitae written and signed in his own hand,^[1] in 1922 he graduated from the liberal arts `Gymnasium' in Dubno. Thereafter he entered in 1924 the Free Polish University in Warsaw where he spent three terms, studying political science. In 1926 he came to Berlin, Germany and entered the Friedrich Wilhelm University. He passed the examination for supplementary subjects at the German Institute for Studies by Foreigners and was then given full matriculation at the University. He took up studies in philosophy, economics and Hebrew subjects, simultaneously maintaining a rigorous schedule of intensive Talmud study.

According to the CV, among his "highly honored" teachers in university, "Geheimrat", were Professor Dr. Heinrich Maier and Professor Dr. Max Dessoir, along with Professor Dr. Eugen Mittwoch and Professor Dr. Ludwig Bernhard. He studied the work of European philosophers, and was a lifelong student of neo-Kantian thought.

Contrary to most biographies, which erroneously state that in 1931 he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the epistemology and metaphysics of the German philosopher Hermann Cohen and received his degree that same year, he actually passed his oral doctor's examination on July 24, 1930, but graduated with a doctorate only on December 19, 1932. Documents exist to support this assertion, possessed and publicised by the late Manfred Lehman.

In 1931 he married Tonya Lewitt (1904-1967), who had earned a Ph.D. in education from Jena University.

During his years in Berlin, Soloveitchik became a close disciple of Rabbi Hayyim Heller, who had established an institute for advanced Jewish Studies from an Orthodox perspective in the city. He also made the acquaintance of other young scholars pursuing a similar path to his own. One such figure was Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner who would become the rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin also in Brooklyn, New York. Both of them developed a system of thought that bridged the Eastern European way of traditional scholarship with the new forces of modernity in the Western World. Among the other personalities with whom he came into contact were Professor Alexander Altmann, Rabbi Dr.Yehiel Yaakov Weinberg, Rector of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary, and Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz. It has been suggested that he also met Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, during this time. Soloveitchik's son, Rabbi Professor Haym Soloveitchik, has denied that they ever met in Berlin.^[2]

In 1932, after his 1931 marriage to Dr. Tonya Lewitt (1904-1967), he immigrated to the United States and settled in Boston.

[edit] Boston

Soloveitchik would refer to himself as "The Soloveitchik of Boston". He pioneered the Maimonides School, one of the first Hebrew day schools in Boston in 1937. When the school's high school was founded in the late forties, he instituted a number of innovations in the curriculum, including teaching Talmud to boys and girls studying in classes together. He involved himself in all manner of religious issues in the Boston area. He was at times both a rabbinical supervisor of kosher slaughtering - shechita- and gladly accepted invitations to lecture in Jewish and religious philosophy at prestigious New England colleges and universities. His son-in-law, Rabbi Professor Isadore Twersky was an internationally known expert on the writings of Maimonides and succeeded Professor Harry Austryn Wolfson to the Nathan Littauer chair of Jewish History and Literature at Harvard University.

[edit] New York

Joseph Soloveitchik followed his father, Rabbi Moses (Moshe) Soloveichik, to become the head of the RIETS rabbinical school at Yeshiva University in 1941.

Not satisfied that young Orthodox women were granted the opportunity to study at Stern College for Women, the women's affiliate of Yeshiva University, Soloveitchik advocated more intensive textual Torah study for Jewish women, giving the first class in Talmud inaugurated at Stern College. With his enlightened outlook, he attracted and inspired many young men and women to become spiritual leaders and educators in Jewish communities worldwide. They in turn went out with the education of Yeshiva University to head synagogues, schools and communities, where they continue to influence many Jews to remain committed to Orthodoxy and observance.

[edit] Philosophy and major works

[edit] Torah Umadda synthesis

During his tenure at Yeshiva University in addition to his Talmudic lectures, Soloveitchik deepened the system of "synthesis" whereby the best of religious Torah scholarship would be combined with the best secular scholarship in Western civilization. This has become known as the Torah Umadda - "Torah and Science" the motto of Yeshiva University. Through public lectures, writings, and his policy decisions for the Modern Orthodox world, he strengthened the intellectual and ideological framework of Modern Orthodoxy.

In his major non–Talmudic publications, which altered the landscape of Jewish theology, Soloveitchik stresses the normative and intellectual centrality of the halakhic corpus. He authored a number of essays and books offering a unique synthesis of Kantian existentialism and Jewish theology, the most well-known being The Lonely Man of Faith which deals with issues such as the willingness to stand alone in the face of monumental challenges, and Halakhic Man. (See [1] and [2].)

[edit] The Lonely Man of Faith

In The Lonely Man of Faith Soloveitchik reads the first two chapters of Genesis as a contrast in the nature of the human being and identifies two human types: Adam I, or "majestic man", who employs his creative faculties in order to master his environment; and Adam II, or "covenental man", who surrenders himself in submission to his Master. Soloveitchik describes how the man of faith integrates both of these aspects.

In the first chapter, Adam I is created together with Eve and they are given the mandate to subdue nature, master the cosmos, and transform the world "into a domain for their power and sovereignty." Adam I is majestic man who approaches the world and relationships--even with the divine--in functional, pragmatic terms. Adam I, created in the image of God, fulfills this apparently "secular" mandate by conquering the universe, imposing his knowledge, technology, and cultural institutions upon the world. The human community depicted in Genesis 1 is a utilitarian one, where man and woman join together, like the male and female of other animals, to further the ends of their species.

In chapter two of Genesis, Adam II, on the other hand represents the lonely man of faith - bringing a "redemptive interpretation to the meaning of existence". Adam II does not subdue the garden, but rather tills it and preserves it. This type of human being is introduced by the words, "It is not good for man to be alone" - and through his sacrifice (of a metaphoric rib) he gains companionship and the relief of his existential loneliness - this covenantal community requires the participation of the Divine.

[edit] Halakhic Man

In Halakhic Man Soloveitchik propounds the centrality of halakha in Jewish thought. His theological outlook is distinguished by a consistent focus on halakha, i.e., the fulfillment and study of the divine law. He presents the halakha as the a priori basis for religious practice and for the theological foundation for Jewish thought. Soloveitchik emphasizes halakha's "this-worldly, here-and-now grounding", as opposed to religious approaches that focus on the nature of the transcendent realm. This work argues that Jewish piety does not, therefore, fit familiar models of Western religiosity, and presents a phenomenology of this religious type. Here, "Halakhic man", as a result of his study of Torah and his observance of the commandments, develops a set of coherent attitudes towards intellectual activity, asceticism, death, esotericism, mysticism, creativity, repentance, and providence. He also underscores the necessity for individual self-creation as the divinely assigned task of the human being.

[edit] Other views and controversy

Soloveitchik became a "lightning rod" of criticism from two directions. From the religious left, he was viewed as being too connected to the Old World of Europe, while for those on the religious right, he was seen as legitimizing those wanting to lower their religious standards in the attempt to modernize and Americanize. Despite this criticism, Soloveitchik remained steadfast in his beliefs and positions throughout the years of his leadership.

[edit] Departure from the traditional Brisker view of Zionism

Soloveitchik was proud of his connections to the Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty, speaking fondly of his "uncles" and chiding them from time to time in public. To his relatives and namesakes who now lived in Jerusalem where they had established their own branch of the anti-Zionist Brisk Yeshiva, he was respected for his genius in Talmudic scholarship which few could challenge or disparage. However, Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik (the "Brisker Rav") and his followers still viewed him as their wayward cousin who had departed from the family Haredi tradition. At the same time, recent research published by Shlomo Pick has indicated that his father, Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik maintained a close relationship with Religious Zionist(Mizrahi) circles in Warsaw, prior to the father's departure for Yeshiva University and the son's departure for the University of Berlin in 1923.

[edit] Haredi View of

The Haredi world today views Rabbi Soloveitchik as an extremely respectable talmudic genius. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein sometimes cosigned letters with Rabbi Soloveitchik and, in a correspondence, addresses Rabbi Soloveitchik with the title of gadol. However, many in the Haredi world wish to distinguish that Rabbi Soloveitchik was a "gadol b'Torah" but not a "gadol hador" (this is similar to the controversy regarding the status of the Lubavitcher Rebbe). The former title simply means one who is great in Torah, while the latter refers to someone the Orthodox believe is qualified to set public policy for Jews (when Rabbi Soloveitchik was alive, those considered qualified included Rabbis Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, Aaron Kotler, Yoel Teitelbaum, and Yitzchak Hutner). The Modern Orthodox mostly disagree with this assessment and believe that Rabbi Soloveitchik was a gadol hador and that his ways should be followed through the disseminated teachings of his students. Many Haredim respond that his students' views are so varied, it is impossible to distingish the true view of Rabbi Soloveitchik and therefore one who wants to live a life as close to God as possible should follow a scholar whose view is easier to distinguish. Haredim also point out that even if one does insist on living a life in accordance with the teachings of The Rav, two of those regarded as Rabbi Soloveitchik's top students--Rabbis Moshe Meiselman and Hershel Schachter--are right-wing in comparison to the Modern Orthodox (although haredim have a few bones to pick with Rabbi Schachter, he has succesfully managed to avoid a lot of controversy.). They also point out that many of the leaders of Modern Orthodoxy, such as Rabbi Lamm, were not as close to and did not study as long with Rabbi Soloveitchik as some of his top right-wing students.

[edit] Debate over world view

Many of Rabbi Soloveitchik's students became leaders in the Modern Orthodox community. These students tend to espouse very distinct world views, often attributing their own views to Rabbi Soloveitchik himself. Those furthest on the left include David Hartman and Yitz Greenberg, whose espousals of pluralism have earned them serious delegitimization. Rabbis Avi Weiss and Saul Berman, who represent liberal Modern Orthodox institutions such as Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Edah, are somewhat further to the right of Greenberg and Hartman^{[citation needed]}, but still very liberal. Many students of Rabbi Soloveitchik represent a centrist approach to Modern Orthodoxy (which Rabbi Norman Lamm has coined "Centrist Orthodoxy") such as Rabbis Aharon Lichtenstein, Shlomo Riskin and Norman Lamm. Further to the right in the spectrum of Orthodoxy lie Rabbis Yehuda Parnes and Abba Bronspiegel, both of whom resigned from teaching positions in Yeshiva University to join right-wing alternative Lander College. Some of Rabbi Soloveitchik's students even identify themselves and Rabbi Soloveitchik's teachings with the Haredi world, such as Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, Rabbi Soloveitchik's nephew and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe in Jerusalem; Rabbi Moshe Twersky, The Rav's grandson and a maggid shiur at Toras Moshe; Rabbi Michel Shurkin, also a maggid shiur at Toras Moshe; and Rabbi Chaim Ilson, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Derech Hatalmud in Jerusalem.

[edit] Top Students

Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff believes that Rabbis Chaim Ilson, Hershel Schacter, Aaron Lichtenstein, and Zvi Kanotopsky were each Rabbi Soloveitchik's top student in their decade. Many, when listing Rabbi Soloveitchik's top three students, list Rabbis Schachter, Lichtenstein, and Moshe Meiselman. Rabbi Meiselman notes that the only students who studied under Rabbi Soloveitchik and had no other rabbis were him and Rabbi Moshe Twersky. Additionally, Rabbi Yosef Granofsky--Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohr David--has noted that many considered Rabbi Hershel Reichman to be the top rabbinical student while the former attended YU. While Rabbi Lichtenstein leans more towards centrist Orthodoxy, most of the rest tend to be right-leaning forces at Modern Orthodox institutions or completely Haredi.

[edit] Integration with secular society

Since his death, interpretations of Soloveitchik's beliefs have become a matter of ongoing debate. Some Haredim and some on the right wing of Modern Orthodoxy believe that Hirsch only wanted Jews to combine an observant Jewish lifestyle with learning the surrounding gentile society's language, history, and science, so that a religious Jew could earn a living in the surrounding secular society. It should be noted, however, that this is not by any means a universally held opinion among right-wing Orthodox Jews (see, for example, the writings of Rabbi Shimon Shwabb and the biography of Rabbi Hirsch by Rabbi Victor Klugman). There exists a fringe position among scholars of Soloveitchik's philosophy that states that a similar pragmatic approach was adopted by Soloveitchik as well. On this view, Soloveitchik did not approve of Jews learning secular philosophy, music, art, literature or ethics, unless it was for either the purpose of obtaining a livelihood or outreach.

In contrast, most scholars believe that this understanding of Soloveitchik's philosophy is misguided. This issue has been discussed in many articles in Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, published by the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)^{[citation needed]}. In this view, both Hirsch and Soloveitchik believed that it was permissible for Jews to learn secular philosophy, music, art, literature and ethics for their own sake and even encouraged this^{[citation needed]}.

His son-in-law, Professor Isadore Twersky pointed out in a eulogy published in the journal Tradition in 1995 that Rabbi Soloveitchik's philosophy could be paraphrased as follows: "When you know your [Jewish] Way--your point of departure and goals--then use philosophy, science and the humanities to illumine your exposition, sharpen your categories, probe the profundities and subtleties of the masorah and reveal its charm and majesty; in so doing you should be able to command respect from the alienated and communicate with some who might otherwise be hostile or indifferent to your teaching as well as to increase the sensitivity and spirituality of the committed." Rabbi Moshe Meiselman, on the other hand, believes that Rabbi Soloveitchik's sole purpose of allowing secular study was for purposes of outreach.

[edit] Own criticism of his students

Soloveitchik stated that although he felt that he successfully transmitted the facts and laws of Judaism to his students, he felt that he failed in transmitting the experience of living an authentic Jewish life. He stated that many of his students "act like children and experience religion like children. This is why they accept all types of fanaticism and superstition. Sometimes they are even ready to do things that border on the immoral. They lack the experiential component of religion, and simply substitute obscurantism for it....After all, I come from the ghetto. Yet I have never seen so much naïve and uncritical commitment to people and to ideas as I see in America....All extremism, fanaticism and obscurantism come from a lack of security. A person who is secure cannot be an extremist." (A Reader's Companion to Ish Ha-Halakhah: Introductory Section, David Shatz, Yeshiva University, Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute)

[edit] Revisionism

Shortly after the Rav's passing, Rabbi Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University, in a eulogy for the Rav delivered on April 25, 1993, urged his auditors to "guard...against any revisionism, any attempts to misinterpret the Rav's work in both worlds [the world of Torah and the world of Madda(Science)]. The Rav was not a lamdan who happened to have and use a smattering of general culture, and he was certainly not a philosopher who happened to be a talmid hakham, a Torah scholar.... We must accept him on his terms, as a highly complicated, profound, and broad-minded personality.... Certain burgeoning revisionisms may well attempt to disguise and distort the Rav's uniqueness by trivializing one or the other aspect of his rich personality and work, but they must be confronted at once." (Lawrence Kaplan Revisionism and the Rav: The Struggle for the Soul of Modern Orthodoxy, Judaism, Summer, 1999)

[edit] Relations with non-Orthodox Judaism

Rav Soloveitchik did not approve of many of the beliefs and practice of Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism. He believed that where these groups differed from Orthodox Judaism, the non-Orthodox groups were in significant error. He compared religious dialogue with Reform and Conservative leaders to the idea of dialogue between Pharisees and Karaites, ruling that it was ridiculous. One of the major differences debated was the existence of a mechitza in the synagogue, a divider between the men's and women's section of a synagogue. In line with the traditional rabbinic understanding of this issue, Soloveitchik ruled that it was forbidden to pray in a synagogue without a separation between the sexes. As such, he effectively forbade people from praying in all Reform synagogues and in many Conservative synagogues. His responsa on this issue was also aimed at the small number of Orthodox synagogues that were adopting mixed-sex seating. He was vociferous on this issue. Rav Soloveitchik believed that Reform and Conservative rabbis did not have proper training in halakha and Jewish theology, and that due to their decisions and actions could not be considered rabbis as Orthodox Jews normally understood the term. He was a lifelong critic of all forms of non-Orthodox Judaism. On the other hand, in practice he often granted non-Orthodox rabbis some level of validity (see the examples below).

Rav Soloveitchik developed the idea that Jews have historically been linked together by two distinct covenants. One is the brit yi'ud, "covenant of destiny", which is the covenant by which Jews are bound together through their adherence to halakha. The second is the brit goral, "covenant of fate", the desire and willingness to be part of a people chosen by God to live a sacred mission in the world, and the fact that all those who live in this covenant share the same fate of persecution and oppression, even if they do not live by halakha. Soloveitchik held that non-Orthodox Jews were in violation of the covenant of destiny, yet they are still bound together with Orthodox Jews in the covenant of fate.

In 1954 he wrote a responsum on working with non-Orthodox Jews, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews in the United States: Second article in a series on Responsa of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. In this responsa he recognized the leadership of non-Orthodox Judaism as Jewish communal leaders (but not as rabbis in the Orthodox sense of the term), and concluded that participation with non-Orthodox Jews for political or welfare purposes is not only permissible, but obligatory.

The Haredi Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Yisroel countered with a ruling that such cooperation with non-Orthodox Jews was equivalent to endorsing non-Orthodox Judaism, and thus was forbidden. In 1956 many Yeshiva leaders, and two Modern Orthodox rabbis from his own Yeshiva University signed and issued a proclamation forbidding any rabbinical alumni of their yeshivot from joining with Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism rabbis in professional organizations.

Rav Soloveitchik refused to sign it outright, maintaining that there were areas, particularly relating to problems that threaten all of Judaism, that required co-operation regardless of affiliation. His refusal emboldened other Modern Orthodox rabbis, and the Rabbinical Council of America and Union of Orthodox Congregations then joined the Synagogue Council of America, a group in which Orthodox, Reform and Conservative denominations worked together on common issues. (The Synagogue Council of America ceased operating in 1994.)

In the 1950s Rav Soloveitchik and other members of the Rabbinical Council of America engaged in a series of private negotiations with the leaders of Conservative Judaism's Rabbinical Assembly, especially with Rabbi Saul Lieberman; their goal was to create a joint Orthodox-Conservative Beth din (rabbinic court) which would be a national beth din for all Jews in America; it would create communal standards of marriage and divorce. It was to be modelled after the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, where all the judges would have been Orthodox, while it would have been accepted by the larger Conservative movement as legitimate. Conservative rabbis in the Rabbinical Assembly worked created a Joint Conference on Jewish Law, devoting a year to this effort.

For a number of reasons, the project did not succeed. According to Orthodox Rabbi Bernstein, the major reason for its failure was the Orthodox rabbis insisted that the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly expel Conservative rabbis for actions they took before this new Beit Din was formed, and the RA refused to do so. (Bernstein, 1977) According to Orthodox Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, former president of the RCA, the major reason for its failure was pressure from right-wing Orthodox rabbis, who held that any cooperation between Orthodoxy and Conservatism was forbidden. In 1956, Rabbi Harry Halpen, of the Joint Conference wrote a report on the demise of this beit din. He writes that negotiations between the Orthodox and Conservative were completed and agreed upon, but then a new requirement was demanded by the RCA: The RA must "impose severe sanctions" upon Conservative rabbis for actions they took before this new Beit Din was formed. Halpern writes that the RA "could not assent to rigorously disciplining our members at the behest of an outside group." He goes on to write that although subsequent efforst were made to cooperate with the Orthodox, a letter from eleven Rosh Yeshivas was circulated declaring that Orthodox rabbis are forbidden to cooperate with Conservative rabbis. (Proceedings of the CJLS of the Conservative Movement 1927-1970 Vol. II, p.850-852.)

Until the 1950s Jews of all denominations were generally allowed to use the same communal mikvaot (ritual baths) for the purposes of converting to Judaism, following the rules of niddah in regard to the Jewish laws of family purity, kashering dishes, etc. However a growing trend in Orthodoxy was to deny the use of mikvaot to non-Orthodox rabbis for use in conversions. According to Rabbi Walter Wurzburger, Rav Soloveitchik counselled Orthodox rabbis against this practice, insisting that non-Orthodox have the option to use mikvaot. (Wurzburger, 1994)

[edit] Zionism

Rav Soloveitchik was accepted as the pre-eminent leader of politically conscious pro-Zionist modern Orthodox Judaism; out of respect for this, many leaders and politicians from Israel sought his advice and blessings in state affairs. He was reputedly offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Israel, such as by Prime Minister Menachem Begin, but he quietly and consistently refused this offer. Despite his open and ardent support for the modern State of Israel, he only visited Israel -- then called Palestine -- once, in 1935, before the state was established. Rabbi Yosef Blau has pointed out that Rabbi Soloveitchik's non-messianic zionism was philosophically similar to that of Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Reines [ (see Tradition 33.2, Communications). Rabbi Moshe Meiselman believes that Rabbi Soloveitchik joined Mizrachi as part of a plan to help zionistic Jews become more observant.

[edit] Affiliated organizations

In his early career in America Soloveitchik joined with the traditional movements such as Agudath Israel of America and the Agudat Harabanim - the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of North America. However as he became entrenched in the Modern Orthodox outlook, he removed himself from the former organizations, and instead joined with the Mizrachi Religious Zionists of America (RZA) and the centrist Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), where many of his students were to be found in leadership positions. Whilst he was bound scholastically and through family connections to the more Haredi Agudath Israel group, his world-view had placed itself at the center of Modern Orthodox Judaism, with its stress on excellence in secular studies, the professions, and active Zionism.

[edit] Family and last years

Soloveitchik's children married prominent academics and Talmudic scholars: his daughter Tovah married Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel (with a PhD from Harvard University); his daughter Atarah married the late Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky, former head of the Jewish Studies department at Harvard University (who also served as the Talner Rebbe in Boston). His son Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik is a University Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University. His siblings included Dr. Samuel Soloveitchik (1909-1967), Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik (1917-2001), Mrs. Shulamith Meiselman (b. 1912), and Mrs. Anne Gerber (b. 1915). His grandchildren have maintained his heritage and also hold distinguished scholarly positions.

As he got older he suffered several bouts of serious illness. Family members cared for his every need. He passed away on Hol HaMoed Pesach (18 Nisan, in 1993, at the age of ninety. He was interred next to his beloved wife, Tonya, in Beth El Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

[edit] Legacy

Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik unfailingly captured the adoration of his students. Known by all as "The Rav", he became arguably the greatest leader of Modern Orthodoxy in the twentieth century, often espousing innovative positions on educational, political, and social issues within the Orthodox world. His ordination of over 2,000 Orthodox rabbis at Yeshiva University, during forty years at its helm, attests to his power and efficacy as well as his consistency and determination.

[edit] Works by Joseph Soloveitchk

• Three letters by Soloveitchik on seating in the synagogue are contained with The Sanctity of the Synagogue, Ed. Baruch Litvin. The Spero Foundation, NY, 1959. An expanded third edition of this book is Edited by Jeanne Litvin. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ, 1987.
• Confrontation, Tradition 6:2 p5-9, 1964. Reprinted in "A Treasury of Tradition", Hebrew Publishing Co, NY, 1967.
• The Lonely Man of Faith, Tradition, vol. 7#2, p56, 1965. This essay was published as a book by Doubleday in 1992 and reprinted by Jason Aronson in 1997.
• Sacred and Profane, Kodesh and Chol in World Perspective, Gesher, Vol. 3#1, p5-29, 1966. This article has been reprinted with expdanded notes in Jewish Thought, Volume 3 #1, p55-82, 1993
• Shiurei Harav -- A Conspectus of the Public Lectures of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Ed. Joseph Epstein. Hamevaser, Yeshiva University, 1974.
• The Community, p7-24 ;Majesty and Humility, p25-37; Catharsis, p38-54; Redemption, Prayer and Talmud Torah, p55-73; A Tribute to the Rebbetzin of Talne, p73-83 are all printed in Tradition 17:2, Spring, 1978.
• Several of Soloveitchik's responsa for the RCA Halakha commission are contained in Challenge and mission: the emergence of the English speaking Orthodox rabbinate, L. Bernstein, Shengold, NY, 1982.
• Halakhic Man Tranbslated by L. Kaplan, Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia PA,1983
• Fate and Destiny: From Holocaust to the State of Israel Ktav Publishing, Hoboken NJ 1992 and 2000.
• The Voice of My Beloved Knocketh translation by L. Kaplan in Theological and Halakhic Responses on the Holocaust, Eds. Bernhard H. Rosenberg and Fred Heuman. Ktav/RCA, Hoboken, NJ, 1993
• Family Redeemed: Essays on Family Relationships, Edited by David Shatz and Joel B. Wolowelsky. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ, 2004.
• Out of the Whirlwind: Essays on Mourning, Suffering and the Human Condition, Edited by David Shatz, Joel B. Wolowelsky and Reuven Ziegler. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ, 2004.
• Worship of the Heart: Essays on Jewish Prayer, Edited by Shalom Carmy. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ, 2004.
• Emergence of Ethical Man, Edited by Michael Berger. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ, 2005.
• Community, Covenant and Commitment - Selected Letters and Communications, Edited by Nathaniel Helfgot. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ 2005.
• Festival of Freedom: Essays on Pesah and the Haggadah, Edited by Joel B. Wolowelsky and Reuven Ziegler. Ktav, Hoboken, NJ 2006.
• Kol Dodi Dofek, Translated by David Z. Gordon. Edited by Jeffrey R. Woolf. New York: Yeshiva University and Hoboken, NJ: Ktav 2006.

[edit] Legacy of his hashkafa (worldview)

• Rabbi Norman Lamm A Eulogy for the Rav, Tradition 28.1 1993
• Rabbi Walter S. Wurzburger Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik as Posek of Post-Modern Orthodoxy, Tradition Volume 29, 1994
• Joseph Soloveitchik, article in the Encyclopedia Judaica, Keter Publishing
• Seth Farber Reproach, Recognition and Respect: abbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Orthodoxy's Mid-Century Attitude Toward Non-Orthodox Denominations American Jewish History, Vol. 89,#2 193-214, 2001.
• Zvi Kolitz Confrontation: The Existential Thought of Rabbi J.B. SoloveitchikKtav, Hoboken, NJ, 1992
• Simcha Krauss, The Rav on Zionism, Universalism and Feminism Tradition 34:2, 24-39, 2000
• Alan Todd Levenson, "Joseph B. Soloveitchik's 'The Halakhic Mind'; a liberal critique and appreciation", CCAR Journal 41,1 55-63, 1994
• Aharon Ziegler, Halakhic Positions of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Jason Aronson Inc., 1998.
• Aharon Ziegler Halakhic Positions of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Vol II Jason Aronson Inc., 2001
• Aviezer Ravitsky Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik on Human Knowledge: Between Maimonidean and Neo-Kantian Philosophy, Modern Judaism 6:2 157-188, 1986.
• David Hartman Love and Terror in the God Encounter: The Theological Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001
• Ed. Moshe Sokol, Engaging Modernity, Rabbinic Leaders and the Challenge of the Twentieth Century, The Orthodox Forum, Jason Aronson, 1997

[edit] Cooperation with non-Orthodox Jews

• Rabbi Norman Lamm, Seventy Faces, Moment Vol. II, No. 6 June 1986-Sivan 5746
• Rabbi Mayer E. Rabinowitz Comments to the Agunot Conference in Jerusalem, July 1998, and on the Learn@JTS website.
• Rabbi Louis Bernstein The Emergence of the English Speaking Orthodox Rabbinate, 1977, Yeshiva University
• Rabbi Emmanuel Rackman, letter in The Jewish Week May 8, 1997, page 28.
• Joseph Soloveitchik Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews in the United States: Second article in a series on Responsa of Orthodox Judaism in the United States, 1954
• Jack Wertheimer, Ed., Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Vol. II, p.450, 474, JTS, NY, 1997
• Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement 1927-1970, Vol. II, Ed. David Golinkin, The Rabbinical Assembly, 1997

[edit] See also

• Maimonides School - The school founded by Rabbi Soloveitchik in Boston

[edit] References

1. ^ Lehmann, Manfred (2003). Re-writing the Biography of Rav Soloveitchik. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
2. ^ Golan, Avirama. "Piecing together the Rebbe's secret years", As found in mentalblog.com, Haaretz, April 20, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

• The Rav's Talmud Shiurim, as recorded by Rabbi Hershel Schachter
• His life
• Introduction to the philosophy of Rabbi Soloveitchik
• The Rav: The World of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
• The Teachings of the Rav
• Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik as Posek of Post-Modern Orthodoxy
• American "Centrist" Orthodoxy
• Books by Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik

[edit] Resources

• Lonely Man of Faith Symposium
• The Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Institute
• Lecture notes and live audio
• Partial Bibliography of works by and about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Zt"l
• Bibliography of his writings and resources on the Web
• Maimonides high school founded by Rabbi Soloveitchik in 1937
• Published volumes of Rabbi Soloveitchik's Talmud classes
• The Toras Horav Foundation
• TheRav.Net Clearinghouse of Resources on Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zt'l
• Audio Shiurim of Rav Soloveitchik at bcbm.org

Rabbis at Yeshiva University

Chancellor: Norman Lamm Dean: Zevulun Charlop Mashgiach Ruchani: Yosef Blau Roshei Yeshiva: Elchanan Adler • Eliyahu Ben-Chaim • J. David Bleich • Yitzchok Cohen • Meir Goldwicht • David Hirsch • Dovid Horowitz • Aharon Kahn • Aharon Lichtenstein • Yaakov Neuburger • Hershel Reichman • Michael Rosensweig • Yonason Sacks • Hershel Schachter • Eli Baruch Shulman • Baruch Simon • Zvi Sobolofsky • Moshe Tendler • Mayer Twersky • Jeremy Wieder • Mordechai Willig • Gershon Yankelewitz Former Roshei Yeshiva: Nisson Alpert • Yosef Leib Arnest • Samuel Belkin • Ahron Dovid Burack • Solomon Drillman • Michael Katz • Shlomo Nosson Kotler • Dovid Lifshitz • Shlomo Polachek • Moshe Ahron Poleyeff • Elazar Meir Preil • Bernard Revel • Shimon Shkop • Ahron Soloveichik • Joseph B. Soloveitchik • Moshe Soloveichik • Ephraim M. Steinberg • Shalom Elchanan Yaffe • Mendel Zaks