On Wednesday February 1, 2017, Torah in Motion and the Cardozo Academy co-sponored a discussion between Professors William Kolbrener and Elliott Malamet, in honor of the publication of William Kolbrener’s new book, The Last Rabbi, on the life and thoughts of Rabbi Soloveitchik. Rabbi Cardozo’s introductory remarks sparked a lively discussion in their own right.
Rav Soloveitchik himself was a traditionalist, who combined that ideology with religious Zionism and tried very hard to give it a place in the world of philosophy and modernity. He was unable to overcome the enormous tension between these two worlds and so became a “lonely man of faith,” with no disciples but with many students, each one of whom claimed their own Rav Soloveitchik. The truth is that the real Rav Soloveitchik was more than the sum total of all of them – a man of supreme greatness who was a tragic figure.
— From the introductory Remarks by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Following are links to files related to the event.
Rabbi Cardozo’s introduction: The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l
Audio Recordings
Video Recording