Teshuva in the Thought of Rav Yitchak Hutner
For Jews, teshuva can be like the weather. We talk about it all the time, make little headway on it, and yet always find something new to say. Given the voluminous literature on teshuvah pre-dating the 20th century, we might have thought that there was little more of interest to be said. Into this packed world stepped R. Yitzchak Hutner, z’l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat R. Chaim Berlin. Rav Hutner delivered talks which were later collected in volumes titled Pachad Yitzchak. By taking some of his discussions of repentance, we will see the originality and complexity of this subtle and nuanced thinker.
Teshuva in the Thought of Rav Yitchak Hutner: Lesson 1
We’ll briefly introduce R. Hutner and his life, and then get into a study of his Pachad Yitschak, published discourses he gave in his yeshiva, Mesivta Yeshiva R. Chaim Berlin. This first class will take the seventh article from the volume on Rosh haShanah, which analyzes the role of the blowing of the shofar, the nature of freewill, and how they shape the character of Rosh haShanah.
Teshuva in the Thought of Rav Yitchak Hutner: Lesson 2
For this second and the remaining classes, we will move to the Yom Kippur volume of Pachad Yitschak. This class will study the first article in the work, which discusses the kind of cleansing provided by Yom Kippur, the connection between that and Teshuva, and what we hope to accomplish on this great day.
Teshuva in the Thought of Rav Yitchak Hutner: Lesson 3
Teshuva in the Thought of Rav Yitchak Hutner: Lesson 4
Rabbi Dr. Gidon Rothstein has semicha from YU (RIETS) and a PhD from Harvard. He has worked in shul rabbinate, high school and adult education. He is the author of both fiction and non-fiction, most recently "As If We Were There: Readings for a Transformative Passover Experience". He lives in Riverdale, NY.