Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik ztz"l [whose yahrtzeit was this Pesach] was by all accounts a giant of Talmudic thought and of philosophy. He was a leader and inspiration to countless people and since his illness in the mid 1980's nobody has taken his place on the American Modern Orthodox scene.
This being said - I often ask myself: Is his philosophy what our young people need to hear in our days?
I believe that the answer is ... yes and no. There are certainly ideas of his that are very illuminating, inspiring and enlightening.
But there are other aspects of his philosophy that [at least for me] are real downers. He stressed that life is fragmented, that we are in constant crisis, and that we must struggle with a dialectical and contradictory existence. Torah does not provide absolute solutions and peace of mind. If one has peace of mind it is because his mind is not being used [my own formulation - not his].... Of course Torah is absolute truth but in our world this truth is that life is fraught with difficulties.
I don't believe that this is what our youth needs to hear. I contrast the tone and mood of Rav Soloveitchik's writings with that of Rav Kook [much has been written comparing the two but I will not quote sources lest people think that I am scholarly]. Rav Kook [I refer to him in his literary works and not as an individual just as I am relating to Rav S. not as the person but as the teacher and writer] was complete harmony, joy, happiness and peace. Life is good, people are good, evil is [on a deeper level] good and don't worry about ANYTHING because Moshiach is on the way!!! The mood of Rav Kook's works was always very upbeat and mood altering [at least for me]. Rav Kook was steeped much deeper that Rav S. [again - in his books] in the world of Kabbalah which sees the world in a different way than that of the philosopher. [I must note that Rav Kook was well versed in the works of ancient and modern philosophy but he said about himself that everything he wrote has a source in the writings of the Arizal]. The intellect [i.e. philosophy] comes to different conclusions about life than the soul [i.e. kabbalah] does.
It seems to me that the world of Rav Kook and Chasidus has a lot more to offer our youth than the world of philosophy, especially German philosophy in which Rav S. had a doctorate. It clearly worked for him but not everybody is on his level or has his spiritual and intellectual gifts.
Non-philosophical works like the Kedusha Levi or the Nesivos Shalom offer most useful inspiration and insight and should be used to inspire and uplift.
Of course, if one finds that he receives spiritual nourishment for his soul from the writings of R' S. then by all means he should study them. But given the fact that we live in the twitter age and in a superficial world, it doesn't seem that the masses will benefit on a large scale from his works. His works of drush [e.g. yemei zikaron, al hatshuva etc. etc.] are more user friendly but his heavy duty philosophy works [e.g. Halachic Mind] are a much harder sell.
If one wants to "be yotzei all deyos" then he should study Chabad Chasidus because both Rav Kook and Rav S. were heavily influenced by it.
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This was a brief essay designed to trigger more thought and analysis and thus should not be considered the last word or comprehensive in any way. I am not one to judge either of the great luminaries as I am less than a dead worm compared to both of them. My concern is what are the most effective educational tools that we can utilize for our children.
Bottom line: They were both titans in halacha and machshava and fortunate is one who studies the works of both.
