To think Jewishly is to stand at the edge of certainty and still choose to believe, question, and seek. Jewish thought lives in the tension between faith and doubt, law and freedom, eternity and change.
In evaluating Rabbi Cardozo's critique of Rav Yoseph Dov Soloveitchik, it is important to clarify that Rabbi Cardozo criticizes Rav Soloveitchik from the perspective of the burning issues that are important to Rabbi Cardozo (i.e. changes in Halacha, daring theological approaches etc.), and it should not be seen as a general evaluation of Rav Soloveitchik's philosophical legacy as a whole.
Tanya White responds to Rav Cardozo's critique of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik's lack of innovation in the Halachic realm. She argues that for many reasons the Rav was halachically strait jacketed. He felt a strong obligation to the tradition of his fathers and perhaps felt it was too early to depart from or radically reinterpret thousands of years of Halachic stringencies and inertia. However, he laid the path for those after him to do the work. His insistence on women’s learning especially of Gemara was an opening of doors for the developments we see today.
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
While I greatly admire Rabbi Soloveitchik’s essays such as The Lonely Man of Faith, I wonder why he never addressed some of the issues that keep many people away from Orthodoxy, such as the issue of Torah Min HaShamayim and Bible criticism. It may be true that the Rav avoided the issue of Bible criticism out of principle. But if so, then he was out of touch with reality. At the time, Bible criticism was a major topic of discussion, as it still is. This subject is of utmost importance, and if anyone could have dealt with it head-on it was the Rav.
Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik thought is greatly indebted to Kantian philosophy. In contenting himself with the philosophical world of Kant, JBS shows himself to be thoroughly unmodern in his philosophical approach to halacha.
A Plea for Religious Authenticity and Halachic Courage
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
In this remarkable and highly controversial book, Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo suggests that Jewish Law must be seen as a discipline of resistance and courage. Rebelling against the rabbinical establishment, Rabbi Cardozo takes it to task for failing to liberate Halacha from its stagnancy and confinement. With ground-breaking suggestions, Jewish Law as Rebellion shows how to make Jewish Law once again relevant to our modern society and to the State of Israel.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Va'era by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism declares that emotions are what make a person; they are real and of crucial importance. In fact, emotions are central to a person’s existence, since they are the foundation of moral behavior. It is for this reason that Judaism views God as an emotional Being. By metaphorically attributing emotions to God, they are raised to a supreme state. If God has emotions such as love, mercy, jealousy and anger, then they must be genuine, important, and not ignored when found in humans.
The Prohibition of Carrying on Shabbat
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Parashat Vayakhel and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
One day a week we are asked to return the world and all its potential to God and, instead of being creators, acknowledge that we are also creatures in God’s eyes.
Torah min Hashamayim?
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Maimonides by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I believe that the Torah is min hashamayim (“from heaven”) and that its every word is divine and holy. But I do not believe that the Torah is (always) historically true (sometimes it seems like Divine fiction), or that it is uninfluenced by external sources.
In Holocaust and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Yael Shahar
This discussion guide explores some of the difficulties and dilemmas facing those who seek to heal the wounds of their own souls—especially self-inflicted wounds. These topics are explored through a series of dialogues between Ovadya ben Malka, former member of the Birkenau Sonderkommando and Rabbi David Ish-Shalom. The discussion topics are supplemented with sources from Jewish texts and sample questions. Foreword by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo.
In Education and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The difference between dogma and faith is like the difference between a word spoken and a word set to music. Faith is the refutation of human finality. It transforms dogma into something untouchable and gives man entry into the imponderable.
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by The Cardozo Academy
Our relationship with God as we know it is not just about what we think or understand. There is also a faith that is not based in intellectual belief. This is a faith that is based on our own inner resonance with the practices and beliefs of our tradition. What happens to our emotional faith when our intellectual faith runs up against facts that seem to contradict that faith? How do we keep our balance?
The Need for a Genuine Upheaval
In Education and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The land and State of Israel was never and can never be the goal of the Jewish people. It is a means to carry out a great mission, and unless we rediscover and accept this calling, Israel will eventually collapse.