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3 New Works on Philosophy of Halakha by Avinoam Rosenak
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Avinoam Rosenak, The Prophetic Halakhah: Rabbi A.I.H. Kook's Philosophy of Halakhah, Magnes Press, 2007. 459 pages. [Hebrew]
New Streams in Philosophy of Halakhah ed. Avinoam Rosenak and Aviezer Ravitzky, Magnes Press, 2008. 522 pages. [Hebrew]
Avinoam Rosenak, Halakha as an Agent of Change: Critical Studies in Philosophy of Halakhah, Magnes Press, 2009. 285 pages. [Hebrew]
Over the past couple of years, Dr. Avinoam Rosenak of the Hebrew University has published 3 important works in the growing field of philosophy of halakhah.
The first work, on the judicial philosophy of Rav Kook, follows a more traditional model of philosophy of halakha (if one can speak of "traditional" in regard to a relatively new area of study) by exploring the writings of a specific posek - in this case, Rav Kook. Rav Kook's halakhic writings have been explored by a number of rabbis and academics, including most notably, Rabbi Dr. Neriah Gutel. Gutel's book focused on the role of judicial principles and "extra-halakhic" factors in the responsa of Rav Kook.
Rosenak, however, believes that this is too narrow of a perspective, and thinks that the responsa must be understood in light of R' Kook's general philosophy ("Aggadah") and vision for the future. The book thus delves into many different areas of R' Kook's general thought, and goes well beyond an analysis of his halakhic writings.
The 2nd work, co-edited with Aviezer Ravitsky (Rosenak's teacher at the Hebrew University), consists of a series of essays relating to the general field of philosophy of halakha. As a whole, the articles try to define and explore different ways in which philosophy of halakha can help us understand the halakhic process. The book contains a number of very significant articles by leading Jewish philosophers.
The 3rd and most recent work explores the role of educational goals in psak halakhah. Rosenak argues that that one must understand the educational agenda of the psak and its role in creating social change, and that moreover, perceiving this frequently subtle agenda is central in understanding the halakhic opinion. Rosenak thus employs a number of different theories in philosophy of education to generate a larger thesis on the proper analysis of psak halakha.
All 3 works are worthy of serious study, and together, clearly establish Rosenak as a major contributor to this significant field of study.
Of related interest: Rosenak's 2006 biography of Rav Kook in the Merkaz Zalman Shazar series of great Jewish intellectual and religious figures.
- Shlomo Brody
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