Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy

Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy PDF

Author: Daniel Rynhold

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-06-28

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 1108619754

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What does one do as a Jewish philosopher if one is convinced by much of the Nietzschean critique of religion? Is there a contemporary Jewish philosophical theology that can convince in a post-metaphysical age? The argument of this book is that Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–1993) - the leading twentieth-century exponent of Modern Orthodoxy - presents an interpretation of halakhic Judaism, grounded in traditional sources, that brings a life-affirming Nietzschean sensibility to the religious life. Soloveitchik develops a form of Judaism replete with key Nietzschean ideas, which parries Nietzsche's critique by partially absorbing it. This original study of Soloveitchik's philosophy highlights his unique contribution to Jewish thought for students and scholars in Jewish studies, while also revealing his wider significance for those working more broadly in fields such as philosophy and religious studies.

The Philosophy of Joseph B. Soloveitchik

The Philosophy of Joseph B. Soloveitchik PDF

Author: Heshey Zelcer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-03-29

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1000368734

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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.

Nietzsche and Jewish Political Theology

Nietzsche and Jewish Political Theology PDF

Author: David Ohana

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-10-04

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 042978161X

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Nietzsche and Jewish Political Theology is the first book to explore the impact of Friedrich Nietzsche’s work on the formation of Jewish political theology during the first half of the twentieth century. It maps the many ways in which early Jewish thinkers grappled with Nietzsche’s powerful ideas about politics, morality, and religion in the process of forging a new and modern Jewish culture. The book explores the stories of some of the most important Jewish thinkers who utilized Nietzsche’s writings in crafting the intellectual foundations of Jewish modern political theology. These figures’ political convictions ranged from orthodox conservatism to pacifist anarchism, and their attitude towards Nietzsche’s ideas varied from enthusiastic embrace to ambivalence and outright rejection. By bringing these diverse figures together, the book makes a convincing argument about Nietzsche’s importance for key figures of early Zionism and modern Jewish political thought. The present study offers a new interpretation of a particular theological position which is called "heretical religiosity." Only with modernity and, paradoxically, with rapid secularization, did one find "heretical religiosity" at full strength. Nietzsche enabled intellectual Jews to transform the foundation of their political existence. It provides a new perspective on the adaptation of Nietzsche’s philosophy in the age of Jewish national politics, and at the same time is a case study in the intellectual history of the modern Jewry. This new reading on Nietzsche’s work is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in philosophy, Jewish history and political theology.

The Last Rabbi

The Last Rabbi PDF

Author: William Kolbrener

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2016-09-19

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0253022320

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Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, philosopher, and theologian. In this new work, William Kolbrener takes on Soloveitchik’s controversial legacy and shows how he was torn between the traditionalist demands of his European ancestors and the trajectory of his own radical and often pluralist philosophy. A portrait of this self-professed "lonely man of faith" reveals him to be a reluctant modern who responds to the catastrophic trauma of personal and historical loss by underwriting an idiosyncratic, highly conservative conception of law that is distinct from his Talmudic predecessors, and also paves the way for a return to tradition that hinges on the ethical embrace of multiplicity. As Kolbrener melds these contradictions, he presents Soloveitchik as a good deal more complicated and conflicted than others have suggested. The Last Rabbi affords new perspective on the thought of this major Jewish philosopher and his ideas on the nature of religious authority, knowledge, and pluralism.

An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers

An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers PDF

Author: Alan T. Levenson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 0742546063

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Highlighting well-known Jewish thinkers from a very wide spectrum of opinion, the author addresses a range of issues, including: What makes a thinker Jewish? What makes modern Jewish thought modern? How have secular Jews integrated Jewish traditional thought with agnosticism? What do Orthodox thinkers have to teach non-Orthodox Jews and vice versa? Each chapter includes a short, judiciously chosen selection from the given author, along with questions to guide the reader through the material. Short biographical essays at the end of each chapter offer the reader recommendations for further readings and provide the low-down on which books are worth the reader's while. Introduction to Modern Jewish Thinkers represents a decade of the author's experience teaching students ranging from undergraduate age to their seventies. This is an ideal textbook for undergraduate classes.

Exploring the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Exploring the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik PDF

Author: Marc Angel

Publisher: KTAV Publishing House, Inc.

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9780881255782

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His contributions have inspired his many students and others to revisit his writings and lectures in order to better fathom his work. This collection of essays provides a panoramic view of the many vital subjects on which he held forth, and thus is a superb introduction to the work of this remarkable figure.

Judaism and the West

Judaism and the West PDF

Author: Robert Erlewine

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2016-08-08

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 0253022398

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Grappling with the place of Jewish philosophy at the margin of religious studies, Robert Erlewine examines the work of five Jewish philosophers—Hermann Cohen, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Joseph Soloveitchik—to bring them into dialogue within the discipline. Emphasizing the tenuous place of Jews in European, and particularly German, culture, Erlewine unapologetically contextualizes Jewish philosophy as part of the West. He teases out the antagonistic and overlapping attempts of Jewish thinkers to elucidate the philosophical and cultural meaning of Judaism when others sought to deny and even expel Jewish influences. By reading the canon of Jewish philosophy in this new light, Erlewine offers insight into how Jewish thinkers used religion to assert their individuality and modernity.

Contemporary Jewish Philosophies

Contemporary Jewish Philosophies PDF

Author: William E. Kaufman

Publisher: Wayne State University Press

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780814324295

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Here is a systematic critique of the theological and philosophical views of the major Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. The pattern of the book is one of challenge and response, with the purpose of activating the mind of the reader to the vital issues of Jewish theology in our own time. New forms of Jewish philosophic inquiry in response to the Holocaust, the American Jewish experience, and the establishment of the state of Israel, makes necessary a clear and comprehensive framework in which contemporary Jewish thought may be studied. Kaufman traces the effects of this new stage of philosophical thinking through the writings of such luminaries as Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, Leo Baeck, and Mordecai Kaplan, as well as seeking the sources of the thought of such contemporary figures as Emil Fackenheim, Jacob Agus, Arthur Cohen, Eugene Borowitz, Richard Rubenstein, and Abraham Joshua Heschel in the traditional roots of covenant, salvation, and transcendence.

Religion or Halakha

Religion or Halakha PDF

Author: Dov Schwartz

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2007-05-11

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9047419995

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This book focuses on the first stages of Soloveitchik’s philosophy, through a systematic and detailed discussion of his essay Halakhic Man. Schwartz successfully exposes hidden layers in Halakhic Man, which may not be immediately evident.