Aspects of Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik's Philosophy of Judaism: An Analytic Approach

The teachings of Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik (1903-1993) are as broad and varied as Judaism itself ranging over a wide gamut of Biblical and Rabbinic literature in all of their historic complexity. Regardless of the subject matter, they are all marked by Rabbi Soloveitchik s signature clarity of exposition and profundity of thought. This study focuses primarily upon those of his teachings which deal with the basic themes of Jewish theology such as belief in God, ethics, God in history, the philosophy of Halakha. Our approach may be characterized as analytic and critical as we examine these particular teachings against a background of the traditional understanding of these themes so as to determine the degree to which they have been enhanced by the teachings of Rabi Soloveitchik.

About the Author
Shubert Spero was born in New York City in 1923 to American born parents and received his early education at the Yeshiva Torah Vadaath in Brooklyn, receiving Rabbinical smicha in 1947. He earned a B.S. degree from C.C.N.Y., a M.A. from Western Reserve University and a PhD in philosophy from Case Western Reserve University, served as Rabbi of Young Israel Congregation in Cleveland Ohio from 1950 to 1983 when he and his wife Iris (ne Mostofsky) moved to Jerusalem. Since then he has been teaching at Bar Ilan University as Irving Stone Professor of Jewish Thought. The Spero s three married children, their many grandchildren and great grandchildren all live and work in Israel.