Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy

332 Pages·2018·5.301 MB·English

by  Michael J Harris

Nietzsche,Soloveitchik,andContemporaryJewishPhilosophy
WhatdoesonedoasaJewishphilosopherifoneisconvincedbymuch
oftheNietzscheancritiqueofreligion?IsthereacontemporaryJewish
philosophical theology that can convince in a post-metaphysical age?
The argument of this book is that Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–
1993),theleadingtwentieth-centuryexponentofModernOrthodoxy,
presents an interpretation of halakhic Judaism, grounded in tradi-
tional sources, that brings a life-affirming Nietzschean sensibility to
thereligiouslife.SoloveitchikdevelopsaformofJudaismrepletewith
key Nietzschean ideas, which parries Nietzsche’s critique by partially
absorbingit.ThisoriginalstudyofSoloveitchik’sphilosophyhighlights
his unique contribution to Jewish thought for students and scholars
in Jewish studies,while also revealing his wider significance for those
workingmorebroadlyinfieldssuchasphilosophyandreligiousstudies.
DanielRynholdisProfessorofJewishPhilosophyattheBernardRevel
Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University. He has pub-
lished on various topics in Jewish philosophy, including the problem
of evil, Nietzsche and Jewish philosophy, and the thought of Moses
Maimonides and Joseph Soloveitchik.He has been published in jour-
nalsincludingHarvardTheologicalReviewandReligiousStudies,isthe
authorofTwoModelsofJewishPhilosophy:JustifyingOne’sPractices
andAnIntroductiontoMedievalJewishPhilosophy,andisco-editorof
Radical Responsibility: Celebrating the Thought of Chief Rabbi Lord
JonathanSacks.
MichaelJ.HarrisisAffiliatedLecturerintheFacultyofDivinity,Uni-
versity of Cambridge,Research Fellow at The LondonSchool of Jew-
ish Studies, and Rabbi of The Hampstead Synagogue, London. He is
the author of Divine Command Ethics: Jewish and Christian Perspec-
tivesandFaithwithoutFear:UnresolvedIssuesinModernOrthodoxy.
Heco-editedRadicalResponsibility:CelebratingtheThoughtofChief
RabbiLordJonathanSacksandhaspublishedattheinterfaceofphilos-
ophyandJewishthoughtinjournalsincludingtheHarvardTheological
Review,ReligiousStudies,andTheTorahU-MaddaJournal.

Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and
Contemporary Jewish Philosophy
DANIEL RYNHOLD
ProfessorofJewishPhilosophy,BernardRevelGraduateSchoolof
JewishStudies,YeshivaUniversity,NewYork
MICHAEL J.HARRIS
AffiliatedLecturer,FacultyofDivinity,UniversityofCambridge
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www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107109032
doi:10.1017/9781316266212
(cid:2)C DanielRynholdandMichaelJ.Harris2018
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
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Firstpublished2018
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,Inc.
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Names:Rynhold,DanielandHarris,MichaelJ.,author.
Title:Nietzsche,Soloveitchik,andcontemporaryJewishphilosophy/DanielRynhold,
YeshivaUniversity,NewYork,MichaelJ.Harris,UniversityofCambridge.
Description:NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2018.|Includesbibliographical
referencesandindex.
Identifiers:lccn2017058271|isbn9781107109032
Subjects:LCSH:Soloveitchik,JosephDov.|Nietzsche,FriedrichWilhelm,
1844–1900–Influence.
Classification:lccbm755.s6144r96 2018|ddc296.3092–dc23
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For Philip Stockman – my Uncle Fishel
And in memory of David Dudley Saul
D.R.
For Yehudit and Simi,Nechama and Joel,Yoni,
and Tal,who make life worth affirming
M.J.H.

Contents
Preface pageix
ListofAbbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonKnowledgeandTruth:Why
WeKnowSoMuch 27
2 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonMorality:WhyWeAreSo
Good 67
3 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonAsceticismandthePassions:
WhyWeAreSoLife-Affirming 117
4 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonLawandCreativity:WhyWe
AreSoLaw-Abiding 146
5 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonRepentance:WhyWeAreSo
Sorry 183
6 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonSuffering:WhyWeAreSo
Profound 225
7 NietzscheandSoloveitchikonElitism:WhyWeAretheBest 252
Bibliography 293
Index 311
vii