Halakhic Man, Authentic Jew: Modern Expressions of Orthodox Thought From Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits 

by Ira Bedzow 


Hardcover, 191 pages 
ISBN 13: 978-965-524-029-0 
publication: 2009 


Halakhic Man, Authentic Jew is a comparative study of the thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits about what constitutes a model Jew and the understanding and presentation of Halakha in a modern era. 


Praise for Halakhic Man, Authentic Jew: 


"Rabbi Bedzow possesses a rare combination of lomdus and profound philosophical knowledge. His work compels a reexamination of the most fundamental ideas of the Mesorah. A must read." 
–Rabbi Fishel Todd, Founder of Yeshivat Pirchei Shoshanim 


"With intellectual honesty and disarming humility, Bedzow sheds much light on the complex interplay of Orthodoxy and modernity. Any thinking Jew will be delighted by this sophisticated and insightful study." 
–Henry Abramson, Ph.D., Dean of Academic Affairs, Touro College South 


This book is a comparative study of the thoughts of two rabbis about what constitutes a model Jew and the understanding and presentation of Halakha in a modern age. Asserting that Modern Orthodox thought is simply orthodoxy translated into modern language and thought structures, Bedzow ultimately suggests that Soloveitchik and Berkovits actually went beyond a translation to a deviation from traditional Jewish thought. 
-Princeton Alumni Weekly