From Defender to Critic

This is an extraordinary look into David Hartman's

spiritual quest to reframe the traditional halakhic system

of formalism and authority into one with a greater

emphasis on the individual and his or her subjective,

experiential role in creating meaningful Judaism.

It traces his painful spiritual evolution from defender

of the rule-based system of Jewish law shaped

by his teacher Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik to a revolutionary

proponent of a theology of empowerment,

one that encourages individuals and communities to

take greater levels of responsibility for their religious

lives. It shows how his goals were not to strip halakha

or the past of its authority but to create a

space for questioning and critique that allows for the

traditionally religious Jew to act out a moral life in

tune with modern experience.

In achieving this synthesis of tradition with the

sensibilities of contemporary Jewry, Hartman captures

precisely what creates vitality in living Judaism and

charts the path to nurture its vitality forever.