About this episode

This lecture explores Judaism's unique perspective on the nature of man as a lonely being, contrasting it with classical and modern views.

A Lecture Series by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Lecture 4: Delivered December 18, 1958 Judaism rejects the Classical view of Man as a universal, as a mere representative of the whole, but it also rejects the modern individualistic view. The Jewish view should be reconstructed from halakhic sources, from rules and laws which are uniquely Jewish, and not from medieval Jewish philosophical sources which too often fell under the influence of Aristotle and do not reflect a genuinely Jewish view. Judaism claims that Man is a lonely, solitary, singular being. This is not the same as the modern individualistic view which, although it prioritizes the individual over the community, sees all individuals as identical, interchangeable, and replaceable. This experience of separateness and estrangement, says the Jewish view, divides Man both from the rest of Creation in general and also from fellow individuals. This loneliness, though it remains a source of distress, is not a destructive emotion but rather an ennobling experience, a source of Man’s greatness and dignity. This singularity of Man is the meaning of Man’s being created in God’s image, for it reflects God’s singularity and…

Topics covered

• Judaism
• philosophy
• loneliness
• human nature
• prayer

Keywords

• halakhic sources
• individualism
• community
• God's image
• solitary experience

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Jewish Philosophy of Man, Genesis, Halakhah

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