This graduate seminar is devoted to a close reading and critical engagement with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s seminal 1965 essay "The Lonely Man of Faith." The essay explores the dialectic between the biblical “Adam the First” and “Adam the Second,” between man as majestic creator and man as covenantal seeker.
We will read the essay slowly and carefully, situating it within Soloveitchik’s broader philosophical and halakhic writings, while also examining its dialogue with classical Jewish sources (Biblical, rabbinic, and medieval) and with modern philosophical currents (existentialism, Kierkegaard, Heidegger). Special attention will be paid to the essay’s exploration of human dignity, alienation, religious community, and the tension between technological modernity and spiritual inwardness.
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