For the “final” please reflect on the following. Note – since this is a “final” it is worth more points than a typical weekly assignment ( 3 x the amount) – so please take more time to respond and bring support to your answers. To prepare for this assignment you might want to review the readings from this semester, look at any notes you might have, and refresh your memory of the themes you read about.
1) Read the passage below. [Taken from – “On Repentance, p.303]
“Believe me when I tell you that I myself could never have endured the past years had I not felt the close proximity of G-d. I am not a Kabbalist nor a mystic, so when I speak of the nearness of G-d – it is something I feel when opening the pages of the Talmud in order to study. When I am thus immersed in study, I feel as if the Almighty is there standing behind me, putting His hand on my shoulder, looking with me at the text lying on the table and asking me about it. This is not something I imagine. For me this is a true to life experience.”
A) Reflect on what it is saying – what is the Rav trying to get across in this piece?
B) Where else in the readings does the Rav emphasize the concept of the Mesorah – and deeply connecting with Jewish history as a part of our identity?
2) For those of you graduating soon, or at least thinking about your last conversation with the Shevet Glaubuch Career Center ….
A) Drawing from the Rav, support your decision to enter the workforce and engage in society, as opposed to joining a Kollel and learning.
B) How would you try to integrate the ideas as presented by Adam I and Adam II into your workplace?
3) What is the Jewish approach to suffering? How should one respond in the face of tragedy?
4) In what way is being a part of “Knesset Yisrael” different from being an “American”? (Support your answer with sources)
5) What’s wrong with taking a more laid-back approach to life, to be a “spectator”, sitting on the sidelines with a beer and hot dog? Where do we see Rav Soloveitchik push us to “take action” and to utilize our unique צלם אלוקים in moving history forward? (Support your answer with sources)
The books:
1:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b4d91a8a-ad76-4605-ba87-352891d4043b
2:
https://my.99papers.com/api/v6/file/download/1f75718c-1ceb-4f53-97f5-0d13875993cc
3:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1c64b36f-1f3f-4a2b-83ec-f3d70573bf50
