Confrontation and Other Essays

This volume brings together five classic works by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, one of the most eminent Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century. These essays – some collected here for the first time – address both perennial questions of religious existence and dilemmas specific to the modern era. They cover topics such as individual and community; the necessity of personal sacrifice in religious life; the Jewish attitude to physical pleasure, emotion, intellect, and humility; prayer; redemption; Torah study; and interfaith dialogue.

The essays serve as prime examples of the depth and insight that have earned Rabbi Soloveitchik’s writings entry into the canon of Jewish and general religious thought.