Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt”l, concludes his philosophical monograph, Halakhic Mind, on an exciting and tantalizing note. “Out of the sources of Halakhah, a new world view awaits formulation.” This sentence is exciting because it promises new vistas of thought—a comprehensive philosophy of halachah. But it is also frustratingly and endlessly tantalizing because the Rav, for whatever reason, never wrote the sequent volume on the philosophy of halachah. A careful review of the Rav’s writings, however, can somewhat assuage our frustration.

Jewish Action                                                Fall 5764/2003 Table of Contents                                          Volume 64, No. 1 FEATURES   What Does Halachah Say About Organ Donation?                      Yitzchok A. Breitowitz   Jews of Arab Countries: The Loss of Ancestral Inheritance        Photo Essay   Elul: A Time of Love                                                                                    Yaakov D. Homnick   Unorthodox Therapy: Should Your Therapist Be Orthodox? Michelle E. […]

I will never forget the first time I met the Rav, zt”l. I was six years old and lived a half a block from Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, where my parents and I often visited patients. One evening, as my father and I entered the hospital, we noticed a tall man, surrounded by a large group of people. Recognizing the man, my father whispered to me with great excitement, “That’s the Rav. That’s Rabbi Soloveitchik.” (My father has the distinction of being the first rabbi to receive semichah from the Rav at Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary [RIETS].)

Misconception: If stars are not visible through the schach (roof of the sukkah), the sukkah is invalid.

While Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski’s Light at the End of the Tunnel is written in the form of a novella (too long to be a short story and too short to be a true novel), it is accurately described on the book jacket as an “inspirational story” (with the emphasis on inspiration). That should come as no surprise to readers of Rabbi Twerski’s previous books.

When our children enter this world, we are given a blessing that “we may raise them to Torah, marriage and good deeds.” This is the fervent hope of every parent, but in today’s world of ever-changing mores, the challenge to realize this wish is greater than ever.

One of the largest and most important Galilean cities in Biblical times, Hazor is currently the site of Israel’s most impressive excavations. Yet many visitors to the Galil drive right by, probably not even realizing what they are passing.

I have persistently promoted a grand heresy . . . that Elul is primarily a time of love.

How should an observant individual in psychological pain choose a therapist?

Some of you may like to welcome Rosh Hashanah with recipes that introduce new ingredients, spices and flavors. These recipes have a sweet taste, and they are nutritious and low in calories. In addition they may be prepared in advance and served at room temperature.

By David Olivestone In an obituary for Cantor Josef Rosenblatt, whose seventieth yahrtzeit was observed this year, The New York Times noted, “He was so well known in this country that letters from Europe addressed to ‘Yossele Rosenblatt, America,’ reached him promptly.”1 No other chazzan has ever attained such nationwide popularity and fame among both […]

Transplant surgery is one of the wonders of modern medicine. Persons who, in the past, would have died because of the failure of their hearts, livers or kidneys can now have years added to their lives. Persons who would have been condemned to blindness can now have the gift of sight. Horribly disfigured burn victims can begin the return to a normal and productive life with the aid of skin grafts. The tragic death of one person can give life and hope to as many as eight people.

When most people think of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, they tend to focus on his brilliance. I do not have the ability to expound on the Rav’s intellectual greatness. However, as someone who, from age nineteen through twenty-three, was not only in the Rav’s shiur but also was one of his shamashim (assistants), I was blessed to be able to observe the Rav closely, spending more time with him than I did with my own parents.

While Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski’s Light at the End of the Tunnel is written in the form of a novella (too long to be a short story and too short to be a true novel), it is accurately described on the book jacket as an “inspirational story” (with the emphasis on inspiration). That should come as no surprise to readers of Rabbi Twerski’s previous books.

I once asked the principal of a yeshivah high school why the standard curriculum does not include the study of Jewish thought, such as excerpts from The Kuzari, Derech Hashem or Michtav MeEliyahu. He answered me quite candidly, saying that the study of such works is likely to provoke students to raise significant questions, which teachers are not necessarily equipped to answer satisfactorily.