Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov, Yoshe Ber) Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יוסף דב הלוי סולובייצ'יק‎; 1903–93) was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty.

As a Rosh Yeshiva of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University in New York City, The Rav (variantly spelled The Rov, yet pronounced The Ruv, similar to his illustrious uncle Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik who was called "The Rov"), as he came to be known, ordained close to 2,000 rabbis over the course of almost half a century. He is widely viewed as having advocated a synthesis between Torah scholarship and Western, secular scholarship as well as positive involvement with the broader community.

He served as an advisor, guide, mentor, and role-model for tens of thousands of Jews, both as a Talmudic scholar and as a religious leader. He is regarded as a seminal figure by Modern Orthodox Judaism.