Lonely Man of Faith and Community
I read Lonely Man of Faith by Joseph B. Soloveitchik this weekend. It was an interesting essay about the nature of man and how he approaches the world and God. There were a number of things I disagreed with, but I thought the author made some interesting points. He says that there are two creation stories because God created man with basically dual natures. The first Adam is of dominance, majesty, and what the author terms “dignity,” but what I would refer to as material accomplishment. The second Adam is one concerned not with the hows of the universe, or working to know it, but the whys and the whos, of coexisting in a community with people. The first Adam belongs to a natural community, the second to a covenantal community. Soloveitchik states that “the natural community fashioned by Adam the first is a work community, committed to the successful production, distribution, and consumption of goods, material as well as cultural.” In a covenantal community “one lonely soul finds another soul tormented by loneliness and solitude, yet unqualifiedly committed.” He goes on: “we meet God in the covenantal community as a comrade and fellow member,” implying that God is not in the natural community, yet all the while stating that God created both Adams, both natures so that to deny one would be to deny God as well. Soloveitchik states that it is the balancing of the two natures that has gone awry in modern times. He says that we are more concerned with conquering the natural world than being men of faith.
Soloveitchik makes a distinction between a faith community and a religious community, stating that those who seek out a religious community are doing so because of how it makes them, as individuals, feel, while those seeking out a faith community are doing so because of the communal aspects of it, the good it brings to others. I don’t deny that one is better than the other. I do deny that those who seek to answer the questions of the universe, who seek science, are unable to think past the individual goal (which is what it seems to be the author is saying). I don’t believe that those who are attempting to dominate nature necessarily do it out of a singular need to know and gain knowledge and power. I think that most scientists do their work because of the potential good for all of society. The author does point out that for prayer to be what it needs to be it cannot be solely concerned with individual needs. You shouldn’t think of only yourself when praying, but your community, which dovetails nicely with what I’ve been reading in Everyman’s Talmud by Abraham Cohen: “One must not only think of himself when praying; he should also be mindful of the needs of his fellows. ‘Whoever has it in his power to pray on behalf of his neighbor and fails to do so, is called a sinner; as it is said, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (I Sam. Xii.23)’ (Ber. 12b). ‘Whoever prays on behalf of a fellowman, while himself being in need of the same thing, will be answered first’ (B.K. 92a).
Community is incredibly important, especially for Jews by Choice. Many times it is through our synagogues, our faith communities, that we find our Jewish family. I know that the people at my temple have become, over the past 5 years, my extended family. They have helped me to grow in my Jewish identity, nurturing it, inviting me into their lives and homes. The holidays are sweeter with them, the hard times easier. Because I had this great community I felt love and support from day one as I began my journey into Judaism. I believe that without it I would still be Jewish, but I don’t think I would feel as richly Jewish as I do. As Jews by Choice we are choosing something that is completely different from what we were raised with, a new way of life, and without the community it can feel lonely and the path can be difficult. Each week as I sit amongst my fellow congregants I give thanks for the people who surround me, the people I learn from, and the people who I love. I am a better Jew because of my community.
Nice post, I enjoyed reading it a lot. However, to be honest I haven’t read much Soloveitchik but I’m a huge fan of one of his students (at least I believe he is one of his students) Rabbi David Hartman, so maybe I would like, Soloveitchik as well. I’m sure that at some point I’ll take the time to find out.
Anyhow, I agree with your last paragraph about the role and importance(especially for us Jews by choice as you pointed out) of Jewish community. I agree with you, that as Jews by choice we are choosing to live a completely new and different life and that without community, it would indeed be difficult.
Another great, thoughtful post, Jenny. The Rav (so J.B. Soloveitchik is called, even posthumously) is dense, but from what you write about this essay, I’m getting inspired to read it. I agree that community can make religious and ritual life much richer, not just for the convert or ba’al teshuva, but also for JBBs. One of the byproducts of the prohibition against driving on the Sabbath is to ensure that Jews live in close proximity to one another, which makes sharing each other’s society on Shabbat and holidays that much easier. In the Diaspora especially, the burst of spiritual energy one gets on Shabbat by spending the day with fellow Jews can last throughout the rest of the week when working and living among non-Jews.
As the head of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), the Rav taught and/or conferred smicha on thousands of students, many of whom have gone on to become this generation’s leading Orthodox thinkers, writers, teachers, and yeshiva heads.