In a novel reading of the Jewish tradition, Soloveitchik identifies what he calls an ‘anarchistic tendency’ in the Jewish sages – for them, wielding power is reprehensible under all circumstances. The ‘desire for power in all its manifestations’ whether it be ‘political, economic, judicial or even spiritual’ undermines the intrinsic dignity of man. That holds true both for the one who suffers conquest, but also –and perhaps just as much - the one who conquers. A corrupt political reality, informed by the desire for power, negatively affects each individual. Man compromises his divine image when he exploits his powers to have mastery over others.
Soloveitchik wrote about the dangers of political dominion in 1951, just three years after the Jewish state’s founding, in many ways hedging against the possibility of a Zionism gone too far, anticipating the theological and political excesses of today. [...]
Complexity is not for weak minds, but perhaps, on this Jerusalem Day, there is a way to celebrate with the self-consciousness Soloveitchik urges: Honoring genuine Jewish values: gratitude and love, rather than conquest, and the incessant drive for power and dominion over others.
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Soloveitchik wrote about the dangers of political dominion in 1951, just three years after the Jewish state’s founding, in many ways hedging against the possibility of a Zionism gone too far, anticipating the theological and political excesses of today. [...]
Complexity is not for weak minds, but perhaps, on this Jerusalem Day, there is a way to celebrate with the self-consciousness Soloveitchik urges: Honoring genuine Jewish values: gratitude and love, rather than conquest, and the incessant drive for power and dominion over others.
read the article
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