Soloveitchik and Levinas: pathways to the other - Biography

Judaism, Fall, 2002 by Seymour Kessler

The surrender and sacrifice of Adam II has its counterpart in Levinas's writings when he speaks of passivity, that is, of having been chosen--before consciousness, awareness, or choice become activated--to be responsible for and to the Other. One's desire (45) or yearning for the Other--who summons the man of faith and wakes him to his responsibility, a responsibility that only he and no one else, can fulfill--comes to the fore. It is in this uniqueness that the "I" becomes a "Me," subject to the Other, an I who "obeys a commandment before having heard it." In that sense, the 'T' has been chosen; the Good "has chosen me before I have chosen it." (46) This theme also shows itself in Soloveitchik's writings who anticipates Levinas by several decades when he writes: (47)

   In order to implement the ethical ideal we must fix upon the whole
   of being and cognize it. This cognition is teleological in
   essence--it aims to reveal the traces (48) of the norm hidden within
   reality.... [It seems to Halakhic Man] as though he discovered the
   norm in his innermost self, as though it was not just a commandment
   that had been imposed upon him, but an existential law of his very
   being.... We do not have here a person who strains against the
   chains of the ethical and the reign of the norm and accepts them
   against his will. Rather, we have a blending of the obligation with
   self-consciousness, a merging of the norm with the individual, and
   a union of an outside command with the inner will and conscience of
   man.

Surrender, for both Levinas and Soloveitchik, is to respond Hineni to the Other, and to assume ethical obligations. It is the surrender of an egoistic self for a truer self committed to the Other.

Levinas and Soloveitchik

Both Levinas and Soloveitchik were influenced by Buber's I-Thou concept. Soloveitchik speaks of an "existential community," one that joins the "work community" with others who share a commitment to faith. It consists of "I"s and "Thou"s who collaborate in order to further their interests. (49) Adam II, on the other hand, is part of covenantal community consisting of an "I," "Thou," and God, a community of commitments. Soloveitchik writes:

   The element of togetherness of God and man is indispensable for the
   covenantal community, for the very validity of the covenant rests
   upon the juridic-Halakhic principle of free negotiation, mutual
   assumption of duties, and full recognition of the equal rights of
   both parties concerned with the covenant.... We meet God in the
   covenantal community as a comrade and fellow member. Of course, even
   within the framework of this community, God appears as the leader,
   teacher, and shepherd.... They all belong to one group. The covenant
   draws God into the society of men of faith. (50)

Alterity is inherent in the covenantal community. Soloveitchik points out that both prayer and prophecy are central components of the covenantal community and are structured to emphasize human responsibility to the Other. Prophets, for example, do not have the privilege of privacy; the divine messages they receive are given to be made public and shared with others. "The prophet is a messenger carrying the great divine imperative addressed to the covenantal community." (51) Similarly, in prayer, "the inclusion of others is indispensable." "The plural form of prayer is of central Halakhic significance." One does not think only of oneself in prayer. Job is an example of someone who fails "to understand the covenantal nature of the prayer community, in which destinies are dovetailed, suffering or joy shared and prayers merge into one petition on behalf of all." (52) Job initially prayed and made sacrifices only for himself and his household, but when he prayed for his friends, he was rewarded, not only materially, but spiritually as well.