By the way, there was no secular phase.

It’s more romantic if there is a secular phase.

On Wikipedia the description is a bit misleading. “After his military service he moved closer to secular views (although, according to him, he never felt he belonged sociologically to that sector, but only in some of his views), but later returned to religion and even began studying at Netivot Olam Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, in the kollel of Ponevezh Yeshiva, and in the Chazon Ish kollel (parallel to his academic studies).” Good thing they’ll change the wording.

Y.D., you reminded me of a cute chanson: https://youtu.be/bBDutRWAHGs

To Y.D.—
It’s still not too late…

What’s happening with some new book???? Waiting eagerly.

In my opinion, the most important thing is that the honorable rabbi should publish a systematic book on “concepts, definitions, and conceptual vagueness.” It seems that many lecture series and columns revolve around this. In these areas the rabbi has enormous added value compared to what’s out there.

I’m aware that nowadays the world has moved to media, etc. etc., but still, a systematic book that goes through this would be extremely important. If I had the money, I’d give the rabbi a substantial sum on condition that he seclude himself for a few months and produce a book on the subject.

With God’s help, 23rd of Cheshvan 5783

To A. — greetings,

A person whose world is one of constant innovation and creativity finds it hard to stop his race and summarize his method. All the more so when we are speaking of someone for whom teaching others and answering questioners is the breath of his life—where would he find the strength to lock his doors and “seclude himself”?

People like that wait for researchers, who will summarize chapter by chapter their thought, define their complex doctrine, its development, its sources, and its history.

It seems to me that Rabbi Michael Abraham’s thought too will require quite a few theses, written from different points of view and from different fields of thought. Some will deal with his Talmudic-analytic world and some with his halakhic method; some with his place in general philosophy and some with his relationship to and place within Jewish thought, rationalist and mystical. Some with his relation to art and some with his political world, and presumably for every “thesis” that arises, dissenters will arise and propose “counter-theses.”

So why wait for someone else to “do the work for you”? Take a topic that interests you, choose an academic advisor to guide you—and… to work!

With blessings, one of those close to the Council for Higher Education (from the other side of the road 🙂

May his light shine,

As usual, there is no connection between your long response and what I actually said.

I didn’t write “summary,” not “development,” not “sources,” and not “history.” I wrote: a book on definitions and concepts. And I mean not a book that summarizes the totality of his own positions, but a book that clarifies this topic of “concepts.” Just as he did in his other books, so too it would be possible in the present book.

All the blah blah blah you wrote is irrelevant.

To A. — greetings,

And my suggestion still stands: why wait? You start gathering from Rabbi Michael Abraham’s teachings material on the subject of “concepts, definitions, and vagueness,” or whatever you like. From organizing the material, perhaps a method will emerge for you that gives a shared direction to the ideas. Then the thinker will certainly respond, add and subtract, develop or reject, and together the matters will become clarified and refined.

That is what Rabbi HaNazir did when he sought to find a “method” in the teachings of his rabbi, Rav Kook. The rabbi gave him his notebooks, and he began to edit and create organized chapters, which the rabbi then reviewed, adding and subtracting, and thus scattered ideas were joined into a systematic work.

And, in my usual way, my words are broader than the narrow frame of the direct topic that interests you. They are also applicable to Yishai’s suggestion that the rabbi write an autobiography, and to other suggestions of this type that come up here every so often. Instead of suggesting that the rabbi write—start yourself, and the rabbi will develop and complete it. Even the great and mighty Rhine River begins with little tributaries that join into a powerful river.

With the blessing of creativity, Atzmon Chai Nehari-Pshititzki