Haym Soloveitchik: How Modernity Changed Our Relationship to God

18Forty Podcast

18Forty

Religion & Spirituality, Judaism

4.6 • 638 Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2025

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik—a pioneer and leader in the study of the history of Jewish law—about how halacha mediates our relationship to God in 2025.

We’ve already spoken with Dr. Soloveitchik in our Halacha series, but a closer reading of his essential work, "Rupture and Reconstruction," demands that we explore it more deeply. In this episode we discuss:

Why do Jews feel bound by the Talmud in a multicultural world?
What does it mean to live in a society that increasingly learns from books and online rather than from mimetic tradition?
Is a sense of security as a People a breeding ground for unnecessary social differences?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might ensure a more vibrant environment for Jewish life to thrive in a changing world.

Interview begins at 5:03.

Rabbi Dr. Haym Soloveitchik graduated from the Maimonides School which his father founded in Brookline, Massachusetts, and then received his B.A. degree from Harvard College in 1958 with a major in history. After two years of postgraduate study at Harvard, he moved to Israel and began his studies toward an M.A. and PhD at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, under the historian Professor Jacob Katz. He wrote his Master’s thesis on the halacha of gentile wine in medieval Germany. His doctorate, which he received in 1972, concentrated on laws of pawnbroking and usury. He is considered a pioneer and leader in the study of the history of Jewish law.

References:

Rupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Modern Orthodoxy by Haym Soloveitchik

Collected Essays: Volumes I, II, and III by Haym Soloveitchik

Jews and the Wine Trade in Medieval Europe: Principles and Pressures by Haym Soloveitchik

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s Obituary in The Jewish Observer

Igros Hagrid Halevi by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Rationalism in Politics and other essays by Michael Oakeshott

The Uprooted: The Epic Story of the Great Migrations That Made the American People by Oscar Handlin

The Polish Peasant in Europe and America by William Thomas and Florian Znaniecki

“On the Third Yeshivah of Bavel” by by Haym Soloveitchik

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi friends, a few months ago we advertised the birth of a new community in Israel.
0:05.4	Eden Bait Shemesh, a community tailored made for all those of us in need of a five-year plan,
0:12.7	and let's face it, we are living in a time when every single one of us should be drafting the five-year plan for our futures in Israel.
0:20.5	Our own listeners from within the 1840 community have purchased in Eden, an opportunity which
0:26.4	they will longingly watch unfold into a reality, a shul, and a community.
0:32.1	I am so proud that the leaders behind Aden are none other than Rabbi Benny and Khani Krohn. I know them personally because they are the rabbi and Rebitten of my own
0:42.4	personal community and they are the ones leading this new development community. And I know for my own life that
0:49.6	their stewardship, their leadership is you know this is going to be a welcoming, joyous, incredible
0:55.7	community where everyone is going to be able to feel comfortable and build a home.
1:00.2	On June 29th, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project.
1:07.6	In order to register, please click the link below or email info at
1:12.7	Edenbateschemish.com to find out more. Once again, that's info at Edenbateshemesh.com
1:20.2	to find out more. Hi friends and welcome to the 1840 podcast where each month we explore different topic balancing modern sensibilities with traditional
1:45.0	sensitivities to give you new approaches to timeless Jewish ideas. I'm your host, David Bischephchen,
1:50.5	and today we have a very special interview. Get ready, buckle up. This podcast is part of a larger
1:56.9	exploration of those big, juicy Jewish ideas. So be sure to check out 1840.org. That's
2:02.8	1-8-F-O-R-T-Y.org, where you can also find videos, articles, recommended readings, and weekly
2:08.2	emails. There are many forms of support that 1840 has received over the years, and I am
2:14.5	incredibly grateful for all of them. I'll be honest, there is one form of support that I
2:20.5	received that really, like, stood out. I was totally shocked when it came in. I was actually
2:25.1	quite moved when it came in, and that is we received a modest donation, very moving, kind
2:30.7	donation, and the donation came from our guest today, Dr. Chaim Salavichick. And I reached out to
	...

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