In honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 20th yahrtzeit this summer, Jewish Action asked a number of contributors to reflect on the Rebbe’s legacy and lasting impact on Jewish life. There have been many great Jewish leaders in history. Some left a permanent mark on the Jewish mind by their contributions to Torah and the poetry […]
This article originally appeared in the fall 2009 issue of Jewish Action. Prayer is the deepest instinct of the Jewish soul. What is notable about most of the prayers recorded in Tanach is their directness and simplicity. The Sages said, “Ein sichah ela tefillah” (Berachot 26b). Today we would translate this as, “Conversation is a […]
The past two centuries have been, for Jews, a time of trauma for which it would be hard to find a precedent since the days of ancient Rome. They began in hope and ended in nightmare. European emancipation and enlightenment heralded an era of equality. The rule of reason would conquer ancient prejudice and offer Jews an honored place as citizens of Europe.
It was not secular knowledge, encountered in the University of Berlin, that caused Rav Soloveitchik such searing distress, but secular man, encountered in suburban–Jewish America.