Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik: Reflections on a life

Abstract

In commemoration of the Rav's one hundredth birthday and tenth yahrtzeit... When I was six years old the Rav caressed my check. I have continued to feel that caress ever since-on my cheek, my heart and my mind. The Rav was my life-long role model. Although it is ten years since his passing, Klal Yisrael misses him greatly his dazzling intellect, charismatic personality, spellbinding oratorical skills, charming sense of humor and overwhelming fealty to the mesorah combined with an openness to the best in the world around him. We miss his courage-the courage to do what was right even when it was not easy, and often it was not easy. The Rav played a major role in the revival and growth of Orthodoxy in America through his ability to present tradition in its most pristine form in a way that resonated with the modern American mind. May his memory be for a blessing. (from Conclusion)