A Jewish Philosophy of Man

Rabbi Soloveitchik’s talks on the nature of man and the human experience

Edited by Mark Smilowitz

Contents

Download this entire series as a digital book

Scans of Course Material (Readings, Bulletins, Correspondence)

Lecture 1: Introduction to the Jewish Philosophy of Man 🔗

Judaism, and religion in general, seeks knowledge, but Judaism’s primary questions,
unlike those of other religions, are about man, not God.

Lecture 2: Methodology for a Jewish Religious Anthropology, from Metaphysical to Practical 🔗

Judaism’s religious anthropology is metaphysical, unlike the pragmatic inclination of science.
Nevertheless, Judaism also felt the need to transpose this metaphysic into a practical,
functional, living creed through the halakha.

Lecture 3: Three Approaches to Man 🔗

The Bible, Greek philosophy, and modern science all have different views on man,
disagreeing on what is the unique feature of man and whether that uniqueness is innate
or to be earned. While Judaism espouses a theory called axiological democracy,
classical Greece taught class absolutism.

Lecture 4: Judaism’s View of Man as a Lonely Being 🔗

Judaism, through halakhic and biblical sources, claims that man is a lonely, solitary,
singular being, although man also has a relatable surface-existence.
These two sides are reflected in the Biblical creation story.

Lecture 5: The Dialectical Approach to the Individual and the Community 🔗

The Bible presents a dialectical view of man who oscillates between an individual
and a communal existence. Judaism revolutionized social philosophy with the idea,
reflected in certain halakhic principles, that the dignity of man comes from the image of God.

Lecture 6: Judaism’s Glorification of the Anonymous Person 🔗

Halakhic and Aggadic sources stress axiological democracy, the equal worth of the great scholar
and the common person. The uniqueness inherent in each person creates aloneness,
which is a constructive force; rejection by society of one’s message generates loneliness,
which is a destructive force.

Lecture 7: Prophetic Loneliness as the Solution to the Problem of Jewish Loneliness 🔗

The aloneness of the prophets is a great experience of confidence in one’s unique self
and one’s singular message and vision even when rejected by the crowd,
and this is the solution to the problem of Jewish loneliness.
Jews should embrace this aloneness and prioritize dignity over majesty and destiny over fate.

Lecture 8: The Content of the Covenant of Egypt – The Jewish Existential Community 🔗

Jewish uniqueness is expressed by the covenant. The covenant compels the individual
to draw himself out from his numinous seclusion to join the community together with God.
The covenant of Egypt creates a community of shared history, shared interests,
shared feelings or emotions, and shared responsibilities.