Rabbi Israel Salanter’s Re-Visioning of Orthodox Judaism
Recognizing the impending arrival of modernity and its challenge to traditional Judaism, Rabbi Israel Salanter called for a renewal movement within Orthodoxy. His vision incorporated a self-critique, a religious focus on character development, and a pedagogy designed to shift people from ritual behaviorism and conformism to internalized spirituality and an ethically committed way of life. His efforts reached a yeshiva trained elite, but not the lay masses whom he hoped to impact.
In this session, we will explore R. Salanter’s vision and legacy. Our exploration will be based on the new Koren edition (Jerusalem, May 2024) of R. Salanter’s Ohr Yisrael and Other Writings, with a new translation and commentary, by Rabbis Yitz Greenberg and Justin Pines.