Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Who Knows What R. Soloveitchik Would Say?

Arutz Sheva has a response by R. Sholom Gold to R. Aharon Lichtenstein's open letter (RTF format) to R. Avraham Shapira about the Disengagement.

R. Lichtenstein wrote:

For example, what would the esteemed rabbi recommend to one of the students of Rabbi Yosef Dov HaLevy Soloveichik, o.b.m., who vigorously determined that there is absolutely no transgression involved in handing over parts of Eretz Israel to the nations of the world considering the question of pikuach nefesh [saving of a life in mortal danger], and also established that the opinions of military and political figures may even be taken into consideration.
R. Gold objects:
There is no person alive who can state with any degree of certainty what Rabbi Soloveichik would say if he were alive today. There is absolutely no comparison at all between what he said and our present-day situation...

Who can say that the Rav would have agreed to the Disengagement Plan...?

Were the Rav alive today, he would protest to his talmidim quoting things in his name that have no relevancy at all to the current situation.

Maybe he would shout out loud: "This shall not be done."
I have an idea: If you want to get the best idea of what R. Soloveitchik would say in this situation, why don't you ask his top student and son-in-law, who just happens to be a brilliant talmid hakham and profound thinker in his own right and is probably the single person to most embody R. Soloveitchik's values and complex approach? Someone who is also very careful and precise about what he says in his father-in-law's name. Or do we only do that when his answer fits what we want R. Soloveitchik to have said?


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