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As '' Rosh Yeshiva '' of RIETS 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 Modern Orthodox Jews as their favorite Talmudical scholar and religious leader. HERITAGE Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik was born on February 27, 1903 in Pruzhan, , and his great-grandfather and namesake was Rabbi Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik (the ''Bais 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 . 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. By 22 he moved to Berlin , Germany where he remained for almost a decade studying at the University Of Berlin , simultaneously maintaining a rigorous schedule of intensive Talmud study. In 1931 he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the Epistemology and metaphysics of the German philosopher Hermann Cohen . In that year he married Tonya Lewitt (1904-1967), who had earned a Ph.D. in education from Jena University . He studied the work of European philosophers, and was a lifelong student of neo- Kant ian thought. During his years in Berlin, Soloveitchik made the acquaintance of another young scholar pursuing a similar path to his own - Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner who would become the Dean 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 . It is suggested that he also met with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson , during this time. However Soloveitchik's son has denied that they ever met in Berlin. {Link without Title} In 1932, after his 1931 marriage to Dr. Tonya Lewitt (1904-1967), he immigrated to the United States and settled in Boston. 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 where he originally intended to settle and resided there when not teaching in New York. 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 - ''shchita''- and gladly accepted invitations to lecture in Jewish and religious philosophy at prestigious New England colleges and universities. His own son-in-law was on the faculty of Harvard . New York to advanced students.]] 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 their own academic college ( Stern College Of Yeshiva University ), Joseph Soloveitchik advocated more intensive textual Torah studies for Jewish women, giving the first class in Talmud inaugurated at Stern College , the women's division of Yeshiva College - University. With his enlightened outlook, he attracted and inspired many young men to become rabbis and educators, together with their wives coming with similar education and values. They in turn went out with the education of Yeshiva University to head synagogues, schools and communities, where they influenced many Jews to remain Orthodox. PHILOSOPHY AND MAJOR WORKS ''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 and [http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0006/reviews/carmy.html .) 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 and Adam II - representing "majestic man" and the "man of faith": Soloveitchik shows that both are fulfilling the will of the Creator. 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. Halakhic Man In ''Halakhic Man'' Soloveitchik propounds the centrality of Halakhah in Jewish thought. His theological outlook is distinguished by a consistent focus on Halakah , i.e., the fulfillment and study of the divine law – and here he presents the halakhah as the ''a priori'' basis for religious practice and for the theological foundation for Jewish thought. Soloveitchik emphasizes halakhah'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 , Ascetic ism, death, Esoteric ism, Mysticism , creativity, Repentance , and Providence . He also underscores the necessity for individual self-creation as the divinely assigned task of the human being. OTHER VIEWS AND CONTROVERSY Soloveitchik thus 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 . Departure from 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, yet they saw him as their wayward cousin who had departed from the family Haredi tradition. Debate over integration with secular society Soloveitchik accepted Samson Raphael Hirsch 's philosophy of Torah Im Derech Eretz , the philosophical basis of Modern Orthodox Judaism . Since his death, interpretations of Soloveitchik's beliefs have become an ongoing debate. Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) and those on Modern Orthodox's right wing hold that Hirsch only wanted Jews to combine 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 gentile society; they also hold that this is true of Soloveitchik. In this view, neither Hirsch nor Soloveitchik wanted or approved of Jews learning gentile philosophy, music, art, literature or ethics. In this view, their philosophy existed solely to allow Jews to obtain a job. In contrast, many historians of Judaism and most Modern Orthodox Jews say 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). In this view, both Hirsch and Soloveitchik approved of more than just the study of the surrounding gentile society's language, history, science. They also thought that it was permissible, and even productive, for Jews to learn gentile philosophy, music, art, literature and ethics for its own sake. Both Hirsch and Soloveitchik studied gentile philosophy, ethics and literature. Soloveitchik was by no means on the religious left-wing of Orthodox Judaism; those outside of Orthodoxy saw him as more stringent than Orthodoxy's left-wing, and more theologically liberal than those in the right-wing. From the 1960s onward, Orthodoxy strengthened in numbers and in the commitment of its members. There a move towards greater insularity from the non-Orthodox Jewish world, from the surrounding gentile culture. This "turn to the right" involved ever stricter interpretations of Jewish law and custom, a tendency to limit Jewish Principles Of Faith to a narrow set of permissible options. Soloveitchik stated that although he felt that 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) Lawrence Kaplan, a historian of Orthodox Judaism writes that there is a tendency for some to rewrite Soloveitchik as not being modern Orthodox, but rather as being Haredi. For example and Rosh Yeshiva of YU]] :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 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." (3) :Lawrence Kaplan ''Revisionism and the Rav: The Struggle for the Soul of Modern Orthodoxy'', Judaism, Summer, 1999 Relations with non-Orthodox Jews Soloveitchik did not approve of many of the beliefs and practice of Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism . He held that where these groups differed from Orthodox Judaism, the non-Orthodox groups were in significant error. 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 (today, most) Conservative synagogues. (His responsa on this issue was also aimed at the small number of Orthodox synagogues that were adopting mixed-sex seating.) 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.) Soloveitchik's philosophy allowed him to work with religious Zionists (whose views are frowned upon by some Haredi Jews) and with non-Orthodox Jews. Soloveitchik developed the idea that Jews have historically been linked together by two distinct covenants. One is the ''brit yiud'', "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 1954 Responsa 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 puposes 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. 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.) No Haredi Orthodox groups ever joined the SCA. In the 1950s Soloveitchik and other members of the RCA 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. For a number of reasons (such as the Conservative movement not wanting to lessen the legitimacy of their own rabbinate), the project did not succeed. (Bernstein, 1977) 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. Soloveitchik counselled Orthodox rabbis against this practice, insisting that non-Orthodox have the option to use mikvaot. (Wurzburger, 1994) Zionism 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. Ironically, despite his open and passionate love for the modern State Of Israel , he never visited the State. (He did visit Israel in the 1930's, before the state was established.) 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 . 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 professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University. His siblings include Dr. Samuel Soloveitchik (d. 1967), Rabbi Ahron HaLevi Soloveitchik (1917-2001), Mrs. Shulamith Meiselman, and Mrs. Anne Gerber. His grandchildren have maintained his heritage and also hold high scholarly positions. As he got older he suffered several bouts of serious illness. Family members cared for his every need and distinguished people came to visit him in his last years in Boston, where in 1993 he was laid to rest at the age of ninety. LEGACY Soloveitchik attracted many others to the cause of Orthodoxy. Among his alumni are Rabbis Nachman Bulman , Shlomo Riskin , and Ephraim Buchwald and many others who became leaders of the Baal Teshuva movement. He unfailingly captured the adoration of his students. He was known as "The Rav", he became the greatest leader of Modern Orthodoxy in the twentieth century, often espousing relatively liberal positions on educational, political, and social issues within the Orthodox world. His ordination of over 2000 Orthodox rabbis at Yeshiva University, during forty years at the helm, attests to his power and efficacy as well as his consistency and determination. Works by Joseph Soloveitchk
Legacy of his ''hashkafa'' (worldview)
Cooperation with non-Orthodox Jews
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