And from There You Shall Seek [Hardcover]

Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Author), Naomi Goldblum (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2009

This book is a translation of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's classic essay, "U-Vikkashtem mi-Sham." Drafted in the 1940's as a companion to his earlier treatise Halakhic Man, this powerful and wide-ranging work was published in Hebrew only in 1978. Drawing its title from Deuteronomy 4:29 - "And from there you shall seek the Lord your God, and you shall find Him if you search for Him with all of your heart and all of your soul" - and framed by the evocative metaphors of the Song of Songs, the essay charts the individual's search for God, a quest which culminates in the stage of devekut, cleaving to Him. The human being initially seeks God by examining the natural and spiritual worlds. But this search fails; hence God must reveal Himself and express His will. Rabbi Soloveitchik explicates the contrast between these two different modes of experiencing the divine: the natural consciousness, marked by freedom and creativity, and the revelational consciousness, marked by compulsion and discipline. The remainder of the work elaborates on this dialectic, exploring such themes as the imitation of God, devekut, mercy and justice, trust and fear, love and awe, the rule of intellect, elevation of the body, the perpetuity of God's word, and creation and revelation. And From There You Shall Seek is Rabbi Soloveitchik's fullest and most elaborate examination of religious consciousness and the dynamics of religious experience. Its presentation of the challenging interplay between cultural creativity, religious practice, and spiritual quest is sure to enrich the contemporary reader.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Published in Hebrew more than 30 years ago by one of the previous century's most exceptional and revered Jewish thinkers, the long-awaited English translation of this brilliant philosophical essay on the nature of the relationship between man and God is an eloquent and intelligent effort. With an instructive introduction by scholars David Shatz and Reuven Ziegler, the translation remains loyal to the rabbi-author's melodious and meticulous style and makes this important work accessible to the English-speaking world. The essay draws upon the passionate imagery in the Song of Songs in which two lovers, long understood by Jewish commentators to refer to the love between God and the Jewish people, yearn and search for one another only to be thwarted at the last possible moment from their ultimate reunion by a curious withdrawal. Soloveitchik analyzes with genius this contradictory response in terms of the religious and philosophical nature of love and awe, mercy and justice, prophecy and related emotions and states of being. This cogent and rarified essay, like Soloveitchik's earlier work Halakhic Man, is certain to become indispensable to devotees and scholars of the man known to many as the Rav. (Apr.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: Ktav Pub Inc (January 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881259349
• ISBN-13: 978-0881259346
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judaic studies collections will find it important, March 15, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And from There You Shall Seek (Hardcover)

This translation of Rabbi Soloveitchik's classic essays drafted in the 1940s as a companion to his earlier work is a pick for Judaic studies collections at the college/scholarly level. It contains his deep examination of religious consciousness and experience and considers religious practice and spiritual journeys alike, discusses differences between intellectual and experiential awareness, and offers extensive Torah references. Judaic studies collections will find it important.