18Forty Podcast Alon Shalev: How Rav Hutner Found Existential Meaning [Mysticism III 1/3]
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Dec 9, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Alon Shalev, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author specializing in Jewish thought, explores how Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner approached the quest for meaning. Alon delves into the role of individuality and ethics in Jewish life, emphasizing the importance of self-expression through Torah study. He contrasts Hutner's views with existentialist ideas like those of Heidegger, while also addressing the modern crisis of perceived meaninglessness. Additionally, he reflects on Hutner’s influences and hopes for his ideas to resonate today.
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Hijacking Destroyed A Manuscript
- Rav Hutner lost a completed Pachad Yitzchak manuscript during the 1970 Black September hijacking and rewrote it.
- The experience inspired a moving introduction about the value of tears of joy in Shavuot.
Build A Broad, Integrated Life
- Don't split your life into separate houses of identity; cultivate a broad life where all rooms connect to unity.
- Make religious commitment nourish every domain instead of compartmentalizing values.
Study Partner Was His Yetzir Hara
- Rav Hutner told the Slabodka mashgiach he learned with his yetzer hara as his study partner, quipping the evil inclination always arrives on time.
- He used struggle and failure as a forge for character and religious depth.
