by R. Yitzchak Blau
In the 1960’s, Tradition served as the vehicle for some of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik’s most important essays. The Spring Summer issue of 1964 (link) included “Confrontation,” the Rav’s essay on interfaith dialogue. The Summer issue from 1965 (link) featured “The Lonely Man of Faith,” the Rav’s great essay on the religious predicament of modern man. Rav Soloveitchik also contributed five shorter pieces to the Spring issue of 1978 (link) which serve as a good introduction to his thought.
“Majesty and Humility” (link – PDF) explores the nature of dialectic and conflict in Jewish thought, the balance between cosmos – conscious man and origin – conscious man, as well as a Judaic ethic that combines the morality of victory with the morality of defeat. This essay in particular incorporates several themes central to the Rav’s worldview.