Fixing boundaries

The thrust of Halakah is democratic from beginning to end. The Halakah declares that any religion that confines itself to some remote corner of society, to an elite sector faction, will give rise to destructive consequences, that far outweigh any putative gains. A religious ideology that fixes boundaries and sets up dividing lines between people borders on heresy. - Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, "Halakhic Man"

Splendor and despair

Halakhic man enjoyed the splendor of sunrise in the east and the swelling sea in the west, but this very experience, which contained in miniature the beauty of the cosmos as a whole and the joy of sheer existence, precipitated in him despair and deep depression. The beauty and splendor of the world on the one hand, and the fate of man, who can enjoy this mysterious magnificence for only a brief, fleeting moment, on the other hand, touched the chords of his sensitive heart, which sensed the entire tragedy concealed with this phenomenon: a great and resplendent world and man, “few of day, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1) - Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, "Halakhic Man"

Holiness

Holiness does not wink at us from “beyond” like some mysterious star that sparkles in the distant heavens, but appears in our actual, very real lives. “And one called to the other and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; and the whole earth is full of His glory.” - Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, "Halakhic Man"

The Halakhic Mind

Just the other day I finished climbing a literary mountain. After many failed attempts at reaching the summit, I finally finished The Halakhic Mind, by Rabbi Soloveitchik. I bought the book over two years ago and couldn’t get past the first five pages. It is technical and often tedious to get though, but the treasures found within make it worth the investment. In this book Rabbi Soloveitchik attempts to fit the halakhic perspective into its place in the world of science and philosophy.  I cannot hope to do any justice to his explanation, but what I can say is reading this book expanded my understanding of not just halakhic thinking but also scientific and philosophical methodologies and reasoning.

This is a book that I will carry with me for a long time. It’s a book that helped me understand my own fascination with the halakha which I simultaneously fight against and am drawn towards. I’ve learned that many observant folk are not bothered by modern, scholastic criticisms, however I am. For me it can be a struggle explaining this thing that is so important and real, yet is often so distant and mysterious.  For those like me the works of Rabbi Soloveitchik are critical to reconciling biblical Israel with the modern world and modern methodologies for classifying and recording our experiences in the world. Reading his words truly makes me appreciate my place in this world and that I am merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

In his own words:  

Halakhah is the act of seizing the objective flow and converting it into enduring and tangible magnitudes. It is the crystallization of the fleeting individual experience into fixed principals and universal norms. In short, Halakhah is the objectifying instrument of our religious consciousness, the form-principle of the transcendental act…Rabbinic legalism, is nothing but an exact method of objectification, the mode of our response to what supremely impresses us.  --Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Halakhic Mind, p.85                                                                                                                                                         

a contrite heart

God harkens to prayer if it rises from a heart contrite over a muddled and faulty life and from a resolute mind ready to redeem this life.

p. 63, The Lonely Man of Faith, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik