A Jewish Philosophy of Man

While other religions stressed the idea of God more than that of man, Judaism, in its intellectual pursuits, concentrated on man, and, in Judaism, religious anthropology replaced theology. We have always inquired into the essence of man, never into the essence of God. Hence, our world formula is quite paradoxical. It is theocentric, God-centric, however, anthropo-oriented…. [A person’s] individual worth does not consist in the beauty of the story, or in his accomplishments – but in the very fact that he exists. Man has intrinsic dignity because he is.

What is the unique contribution of Judaism towards our understanding of man, the most enigmatic figure of all creation? How is this understanding reflected in Judaism’s code of behavior, the halakha? What does this unique perspective teach us about the relationship between Jews and the modern world? These and other foundational questions are explored and answered in Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s “A Jewish Philosophy of Man,” which was delivered as a series of lectures in 1958–59.

TRADITION is proud to present an online digital library of remastered and edited recordings, made available to us courtesy of the Toras HaRov Foundation, along with transcripts and lecture summaries correlating this material with the Rav’s teachings in his published writings. Perhaps most significantly, material here develops his understanding of loneliness as a central Jewish concept in a manner that will provide new insights into the “The Lonely Man of Faith,” published in the pages of TRADITION just a few years after these lectures were delivered.

“A Jewish Philosophy of Man” has been edited by Rabbi Dr. Mark Smilowitz.