Comprised of extracts from Soloveitchik's own writings, and from tapes which Weiss translated from the Yiddish and incorporated into the book. Weiss has also extracted from articles and essays from various rabbis and scholars to reconstruct numerous insights of Soloveitchik.

Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik was not only one of the outstanding Talmudists and religious leaders of the 20th century, but also one of its most creative and seminal Jewish thinkers. This comprehensive study of Rabbi Soloveitchik's religious philosophy offers a broad perspective and balanced understanding of his work. By interpreting and analyzing both individual essays and overarching themes in an accessible and engaging manner, it uncovers the depth, majesty, and fascination of his thought.

The subject of repentance, or teshuvoh, captivated Rabbi Soloveitchik's imagination, and it is easy to understand why. As a transformation of the personality in response to the divine will, teshuvah uncovers the depths of human nature and of man's relationship with God. In addressing repentance, Rabbi Soloveitchik confronted questions such as: Can a person change? Is one's personality static or dynamic? What is the relationship between reason and emotion, between sin and suffering, between guilt and growth, past and future, free will and causality? How is one to approach God - with love or fear, as an individual or as part of a community, appealing to grace or justice, with a sense of self-nullification or self-worth? Given the issues raised, it is no wonder that some of Rabbi Soloveitchik's most religiously powerful and psychologically penetrating insights appear in his discussions of repentance. This classic volume speaks to the sensitive and searching soul not just during the days of penitence but throughout the entire year. Book jacket.

"This first volume recounts the details of the lives of the Rav and his forebears. This volume and the next constitute a scholarly attempt to detail the quests and ideas of one of the major personalities of modern American Jewish Orthodoxy". -- Jacket.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (1903-1993), commonly known as "the Rav," has stimulated and influenced the intellectual minds and touched the sensitive hearts of thousands of his students both in the United States and across the globe. With his death, a void was left in the modern intellectual Orthodox community. Although efforts have been made to transmit his Torah knowledge into written words, future generations of the vast English-speaking Torah community will be bereft of his enormous wisdom. The second volume of Halakhic Positions of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik continues to provide the modern reader with a glimpse into the illustrious and meaningful halakhic opinions of this highly revered Jewish scholar. Rabbi Aharon Ziegler, a student of the Rav, has illustrated the unique, and perhaps less known, halakhic views which will intrigue and educate those who seek more of the Rav's distinguished teachings. Whether studied in the synagogue, school, or home, this book is a valuable addition to any Jewish library.

In Halakhic Positions of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, insights into Jewish law from the preeminent figure of twentieth-century modern Orthodoxy are presented in a clear and concise manner. Commonly known as "the Rav," Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt"l, has stimulated and influenced the intellectual mind and touched the sensitive hearts of thousands of people. While he was not necessarily known as a decisor, or poseik, of halakha, he was widely recognized as an individual who had the uncanny ability to conceptualize the spirit of Jewish law on a universal level. Throughout his lifetime, the Rav published few works, transmitting his Torah knowledge through classes and lectures instead. As a student of Rabbi Soloveitchik for many years, Rabbi Aharon Ziegler accumulated a vast library of notes and tapes on the Rav's halakhot. In this volume he shares the Rav's unique and perhaps lesser known halakhic positions on a wide range of topics.