An Approbation by Rav Soloveitchik
I just came across an approbation by Rav Soloveitchik, something which I don’t recall seeing many of. It is to Jewish Jurisprudence: Its Sources and Modern Applications by Emanuel B. Quint and Neil S. Hecht. While words of Rav Soloveitchik are under the heading of “Foreward”, I feel that its content and style justifies it being called an approbation.
Jewish Jurisprudence employs the logic, methodology and unique categories of Halacha. It relies exclusively upon genuine Rabbinic sources. The authors’ intent is to present Halachic concepts and legal decisions without apologetics and without pandering to current fashions (emphasis mine, MM). Only through such an approach can Halacha be understood and appreciated even by the general audience; only within its own defined frame of reference does its beauty, depth and power emerge.
It gives me particular pleasure to recognize the contribution of one of my own students in bringing the knowledge and understanding of Torah to a wide audience. May the Almight prosper this work to its completion.
Joseph Soloveitchik
Brookline, Massachusetts
March 13, 1980
25 Adar 5750
Is anyone familiar with other approbations or forewards that Rav Soloveitchik wrote?
Update: As a number of people commented, the year should be 5740 and not 5750. I just had a chance to look at it again and I saw that I mistyped, in the original it has “5740″. The fault lies with me.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
The Quint project of freeing TOrah from its quaint aramaic/hebrew context and constraints works nicely with the Soloveitchik project. Not surprising and quite cool.
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
What are you referring to when you say “the Soloveitchik project”?
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
He also gave a haskama to the shu”t haRif from the Copenhagen manuscript that were published in 1975 by the late R’ D Z Rothstein. The other haskamos are from R’ Moshe Feinstein, R’ J I Ruderman, R’ Yosef Kafih, and professors J J Rivlin and S D Goitein, and the dedication is to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Quite the interesting lineup.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Andy,
What a combination of scholars. I wonder what would have happened if they were all in the same room together.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
There seems to be an error. March 13, 1980 is
25 Adar 5740, and not 5750.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I was told back then in 1980 or so (5740 is of course correct, not 5750- by 5750 the Rav was not writing haskomos) by one of the older students at Har Etzion that the Rav had once written a haskama which said, more or less, I don’t know why the author asked me for a haskama- he knows more than I do. He may have told me which sefer this was but I’m afraid my memory from 1980 has been deleted. Perhaps some one else has heard of this ( apocryphal?) story.
August 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Larrie:
I saw that haskomo. I don’t remember the name of the book but it was for a collection of commentaries of the rishonim on some masechta – a kind of shita mekubetzes where one does not exist.
And the Rov wrote that that the Rishonim who were cited knew more than he does so he doesn’t understand why the author/collater asks him for a haskoma for the writings of the Rishonim.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I suspect the haskama was to an MY Blau edition of Rishonim.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
I would be very surprised if a fanatic like Blau asked RYBS for a haskamah.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
He also gave a haskama to D. Holzer’s sefer on R’ Elazar of Tarascon in 1981.