Chaim Soloveitchik

David Einhorn (1809 – 1879) 1861-1866 Senior Rabbi at Keneseth Israel David Einhorn was born in Diespeck, Germany November 10, 1809. At the age of 17, he earned his Rabbinic ordination from the Rabbinic school of Fürth in Bavaria, Germany; the center for Jewish learning at this time. He continued his studies at the Universities of Erlangen, Munich and Würzburg. He later held the position of Chief Rabbi of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (in Northern Germany). In 1852, he was called to lead the Reform congregation in Pesth, Hungary. Rabbi Einhorn was one of the early Jewish Reformers in Europe. He was able to have an impact at the Frankfort Rabbinical Conference in 1845, Einhorn strongly pushed for having services in the vernacular and for cutting out all references to the restoration of the sacrifices and a Jewish state. David Einhorn immigrated to United States in 1856. He gave a sermon at Keneseth Israel but did not accept an offer become their Rabbi. Instead he accepted a position as the first Rabbi of the Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore. While in Baltimore, Dr. Einhorn wrote the Olat Tamid prayer book. Olat Tamid later served as one of the models for the Union Prayer Book published in 1892 by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Einhorn was an opponent of the Cleveland Conference of 1855 and opposed its decision that the Talmud had primacy in interpreting the Torah. He stood in contrast to this opinion based on his training in Germany before he came to…

The book I read, “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok, tells an inspiring story about two young Jewish boys who live in Brooklyn, NY amidst the end of World War II. During this difficult time, a friendly softball league between the Jewish schools is created as an effort to lift the spirits of the school children. The narrator, Reuven Malter, begins the book by telling the story of when his Orthodox Jewish team played a Hasidic Jewish team from five blocks over. This game changed Reuven’s life forever…

In Albert Camus’ novel, “The Stranger”, the absurdist themes of the meaninglessness of human life, living in the moment, irrationality, and lack of conformity to the values of society are best exemplified through the relationships that the protagonist, Meursault, has with those around him. Camus’ characterisation of his anti-hero makes us question the way we must fit into other people’s expectations of our own behaviour, thus forcing us to lie in order to find a secure place within society.…

What makes the perfect parent? Countless magazines and websites strive to answer the question but often possess differing opinions on what techniques and parenting styles will foster the ideal child. In Chaim Potok’s novel, The Chosen, Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders grow up in polar opposite households. While both practice Judaism, their separate sects often highlight differences in their respective upbringings. Literature mimics real life and while reading, I found myself comparing the boys’…

Personal Reaction The Chosen by Chaim Potok inspired me in multiple ways. While it may not share the same place in my heart as other novels and stories, I cannot deny the brilliance in this work. The theme of silence versus conversation really hits me. This mild obsession with silence started a few years ago. Somewhere between the age of eight and twelve I read a book by Sarah Dessen. This book, titled Just Listen, introduced the importance of silence to me with a single quote. “Silence is so…

be made what to do. Facing the hard times of the 1940s, Jewish people faced what to do about Palatine, and all the fighting going on all around them. In the book The Chosen, written by Chaim Potok, Chaim displays what good, solid, wisdom looks like in each unique character that he created. One caring man, David Malter, used his wisdom from the Talmud to teach high schoolers how to think logically, and was a wonderful guide for people who were seeking wisdom. Mr. Galanter, a gym teacher, also…

Extraordinary, a word that comes to mind when thinking of the special character Danny in Chaim Potok’s novel, The Chosen. Danny, a very gifted student always pushes and thrives to understand more. He possesses the ability to think much differently than his peers. Danny boldly choses to make the right choice no matter the outcome of each situation. Backing down from a challenge would seem cowardly to him. With the qualities Danny maintains such as his intelligence, devotion, and being very well…

The Chosen, the novel by Chaim Potok follows the lives of two Jewish boys, Danny Malter and Reuven Saunders, set in Brooklyn, New York, during the time of World War II. A common paradoxical theme found in this novel is that through one’s loss there is also one’s gain. A quote from Reuven’s father, David Malter states this paradox perfectly; “No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate” (Potok 87). To me this means you don’t realize what you have until it is gone or taken away from…

In a world with countless viewpoints, defining wisdom can pose a challenge. While some wisdom shows truth universally, some wisdom can present itself as a problem of subjectivity. In the book The Chosen by Chaim Potok, the author uses this theme of wisdom to influence the protagonists of the story from the wisdom of two fathers. These fathers, however, differ in many key areas such as wisdom for life generally, wisdom in raising children, and wisdom for the world fraught with persecution of the…

There are over seven billion people on this planet, many of whom are parents, and each one has a slightly different way of protecting his child. A person can show this sentiment in many forms. Some are very lenient in their protection. Others are very strict, but both are trying to achieve the same goal, keeping their lineage safe. The Chosen written by Chaim Potok parallels the real world in that love is the backbone of this desire for parental protection. As a result of all the emotion put…