Jewish Ideas in Morality and Religion

Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth in his academic career applied the analytic method in his teaching of philosophy at Yeshiva University and in books he wrote. His goal was to bring greater clarification of Jewish concepts to his students and readers by rigorous use of logical methods to assure validity of arguments and by contrasting religious and moral notions with corresponding ideas of other cultures. The use of identical terms to describe fundamental cultural concepts that are radically different in meaning generates confusion even among those intellectually advanced. This work contributes to understanding by delineating critical differences in their meanings and yields arresting insights into the Jewish concepts of freedom, rights, equality, justice, wisdom, faith, belief and other basic ideas in the domains of morality and religion.

About Rabbi Roth

Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth was ordained by the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. He received the Ph. D degree in philosophy from Columbia University, and served as adjunct Professor of Philosophy and the Samson Raphael Hirsch Professor of Torah and Derech Eretz at Yeshiva University. He is the author of several books on Jewish thought.  Among them are: Science and Religion, The Jewish Idea of Community, Halakha and Politics: The Jewish Idea of a State, The Jewish Idea of Culture, The Jewish Idea of Ethics and Morality.

Rabbi Roth was the Rabbi of Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York City for eighteen years and is currently its Rabbi Emeritus.