Hi,
"If it is good for a man, and his heart is full of joy, let him reveal his feelings to Gd... thank Him and yearn for Him; but not exhibit them to others, lest an alien gaze desecrate this holy of holies."
(Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, eulogy for R' Zeev Gold, cited by R' Shalom Carmy in Tradition 43:2)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Showing posts with label Sources: Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sources: Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Our approach to the world
Hi,
This is a re-run, but I use it today for the Fourth of July:
"Our approach to and relationship with the outside world has always been of an ambivalent character, intrinsically antithetic, bordering at times on the paradoxical. We relate ourselves to and at the same time withdraw from, we come close to and simultaneously retreat from the world of Esau. When the process of coming nearer and nearer is almost consummated, we immediately begin to retreat quickly into seclusion. We cooperate with the members of other faith communities in all fields of constructive human endeavor, but, simultaneously with our integration into the general social framework, we engage in a movement of recoil and retrace our steps. In a word, we belong to the human society and, at the same time, we feel as strangers and outsiders."
(Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik, Confrontation, 1964)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
This is a re-run, but I use it today for the Fourth of July:
"Our approach to and relationship with the outside world has always been of an ambivalent character, intrinsically antithetic, bordering at times on the paradoxical. We relate ourselves to and at the same time withdraw from, we come close to and simultaneously retreat from the world of Esau. When the process of coming nearer and nearer is almost consummated, we immediately begin to retreat quickly into seclusion. We cooperate with the members of other faith communities in all fields of constructive human endeavor, but, simultaneously with our integration into the general social framework, we engage in a movement of recoil and retrace our steps. In a word, we belong to the human society and, at the same time, we feel as strangers and outsiders."
(Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik, Confrontation, 1964)
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Saturday, April 3, 2010
True spiritual liberation
Hi,
"On the first night of Pesach we tell the story of a long search by man for Gd, of Gd responding to the inquisitive search, of Gd taking man, who longs for Him, into His embrace. At the Seder, we try to stimulate the naive curiosity of the children and thereby make them Gd-searchers. The quest for Gd, along with the acceptance of the commandments, is the true spiritual liberation."
(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik, "Exalted Evening," pg. 28-29)
Good moed,
Mordechai
"On the first night of Pesach we tell the story of a long search by man for Gd, of Gd responding to the inquisitive search, of Gd taking man, who longs for Him, into His embrace. At the Seder, we try to stimulate the naive curiosity of the children and thereby make them Gd-searchers. The quest for Gd, along with the acceptance of the commandments, is the true spiritual liberation."
(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik, "Exalted Evening," pg. 28-29)
Good moed,
Mordechai
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Confrontation
Hi,
"Our approach to and relationship with the outside world has always been of an ambivalent character, intrinsically antithetic, bordering at times on the paradoxical. We relate ourselves to and at the same time withdraw from, we come close to and simultaneously retreat from the world of Esau. When the process of coming nearer and nearer is almost consummated, we immediately begin to retreat quickly into seclusion. We cooperate with the members of other faith communities in all fields of constructive human endeavor, but, simultaneously with our integration into the general social framework, we engage in a movement of recoil and retrace our steps. In a word, we belong to the human society and, at the same time, we feel as strangers and outsiders."
(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitichik, Confrontation [Tradition, 1964])
Have a great day,
Mordechai
"Our approach to and relationship with the outside world has always been of an ambivalent character, intrinsically antithetic, bordering at times on the paradoxical. We relate ourselves to and at the same time withdraw from, we come close to and simultaneously retreat from the world of Esau. When the process of coming nearer and nearer is almost consummated, we immediately begin to retreat quickly into seclusion. We cooperate with the members of other faith communities in all fields of constructive human endeavor, but, simultaneously with our integration into the general social framework, we engage in a movement of recoil and retrace our steps. In a word, we belong to the human society and, at the same time, we feel as strangers and outsiders."
(Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitichik, Confrontation [Tradition, 1964])
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Order of Maggid
Hi,
Why does the Haggadah start from "Our ancestors were idolaters" in recounting the story of leaving Egypt?
The Talmud explains that מתחיל בגנות ומסיים בשבח, we start with our original degradation and conclude with praise, and one aspect of that degradation was our original spiritual state.
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik added that this also demonstrates how we achieve גאולה, redemption. It's a process of תשובה, of repentance, in which we acknowledge our errors (וידוי), change our ways and declare that we will never revert. Thus we begin with the acknowledgement that we were once idolaters, and then declare that we have now come close to Gd, and that this will be our future.
Have a great day,
Mordechai
Why does the Haggadah start from "Our ancestors were idolaters" in recounting the story of leaving Egypt?
The Talmud explains that מתחיל בגנות ומסיים בשבח, we start with our original degradation and conclude with praise, and one aspect of that degradation was our original spiritual state.
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik added that this also demonstrates how we achieve גאולה, redemption. It's a process of תשובה, of repentance, in which we acknowledge our errors (וידוי), change our ways and declare that we will never revert. Thus we begin with the acknowledgement that we were once idolaters, and then declare that we have now come close to Gd, and that this will be our future.
Have a great day,
Mordechai
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