By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein
One cannot overstate the great intellectual heights reached by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, one of the greatest of the twentieth century Rabbis. He came from a background stooped in religious and secular greatness, coming from the infamous 'Brisk' tradition of talmudic analysis and biblical exegesis of Rabbi JB Soleveitchik, and a PhD in English Literature from Harvard University.
In this beautiful work, touching both the mind and the soul, a collection of essays, culled from the infamous talks (sichot) of Rabbi Lichtenstein, are presented. Essentially, it is a collection of his thought on the issue of divine service. But don't be fooled! This is interpreted in the broadest possible sense, encompassing 'classic' questions like modes of serving God, and also more probing issues like the role of faith (bitachon), mutual responsibility (aravut) and character refinement. A breathaking range of issues that will be of pertinent interest especially to religious Jews, but I imagine also to people from a variety of faiths looking to glean some of this fantastic wisdom.
A personal favourite chapter here is aptly entitled 'Determining Objectives in Religious Growth: Spiritual Specialization of Spiritual Breadth?' Here, Lichtenstein deals with the very contemporary problem about whether modern-day orthodox Judaism has become too imbalanced in favour of religious study (Torah) at the expense of prayer (avodah) and acts of kindness (gemilut hasidim). One of the reasons I particularly enjoy this chapter is because it epotimises Lichtenstein's approach everywhere, namely to bring out the nuances and subtleties of religious life and devise a methodology for dealing with them. On this particular issue, he sympathises with an imbalanced approach temporarily, recognising the need for specialisation at certain times of one's life, but equally not taking an eye off the overall challenge of dealing equally with the 'three pillars' of study, prayer and acts of kindness.
Another absolute gem, that has increased in prominence after some negative media coverage of 'charedim', is the sixth chapter entitled ' Bring Frum and Being Good: On the Relationship Between Religion and Morality'. Here, Lichtenstein tries to reconcile intuitions of morality with the dictates of orthodox Judaism, coherently arguing that if someone is 'frum' (religious) but a bad person, their divine service is lacking in extraordinary ways, to the extent where a verse in the prophets implies their 'sacrifices' (prayers) are not received.
Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to religious people from across the spectrum as an incredibly valuable study, where Lichtenstein demonstrates how to apply timeless Jewish values to modern challenges and expectations. A varied and fascinating work.
By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein is published by Maggid
In this beautiful work, touching both the mind and the soul, a collection of essays, culled from the infamous talks (sichot) of Rabbi Lichtenstein, are presented. Essentially, it is a collection of his thought on the issue of divine service. But don't be fooled! This is interpreted in the broadest possible sense, encompassing 'classic' questions like modes of serving God, and also more probing issues like the role of faith (bitachon), mutual responsibility (aravut) and character refinement. A breathaking range of issues that will be of pertinent interest especially to religious Jews, but I imagine also to people from a variety of faiths looking to glean some of this fantastic wisdom.
A personal favourite chapter here is aptly entitled 'Determining Objectives in Religious Growth: Spiritual Specialization of Spiritual Breadth?' Here, Lichtenstein deals with the very contemporary problem about whether modern-day orthodox Judaism has become too imbalanced in favour of religious study (Torah) at the expense of prayer (avodah) and acts of kindness (gemilut hasidim). One of the reasons I particularly enjoy this chapter is because it epotimises Lichtenstein's approach everywhere, namely to bring out the nuances and subtleties of religious life and devise a methodology for dealing with them. On this particular issue, he sympathises with an imbalanced approach temporarily, recognising the need for specialisation at certain times of one's life, but equally not taking an eye off the overall challenge of dealing equally with the 'three pillars' of study, prayer and acts of kindness.
Another absolute gem, that has increased in prominence after some negative media coverage of 'charedim', is the sixth chapter entitled ' Bring Frum and Being Good: On the Relationship Between Religion and Morality'. Here, Lichtenstein tries to reconcile intuitions of morality with the dictates of orthodox Judaism, coherently arguing that if someone is 'frum' (religious) but a bad person, their divine service is lacking in extraordinary ways, to the extent where a verse in the prophets implies their 'sacrifices' (prayers) are not received.
Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to religious people from across the spectrum as an incredibly valuable study, where Lichtenstein demonstrates how to apply timeless Jewish values to modern challenges and expectations. A varied and fascinating work.
By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God by Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein is published by Maggid
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