Title: The Depths of Torah Thought
By: Rabbi Mendy Feder
In this extraordinary book, Rabbi Feder takes an in-depth look at some fifty different Torah subjects and applies their lessons to some of the biggest issues facing modern Jewry. Rabbi Feder seeks to provide an authentic Torah perspective on some of today’s most pressing issues within the Jewish community. He is clearly a Maimonidean, and both his ideas and the sources on which they are based (provided in a well-indexed appendix) reflect this approach.
Rabbi Feder is unique; while he is obviously fully immersed in the world of Torah study, he is not a congregational or even a communal rabbi; by vocation he is a successful businessman. He is therefore a rabbi “without a portfolio.” In other words, he can pretty much say what he thinks with little concern for who may be offended by his observations. His writing style is particularly straightforward, perhaps even a little bracing, and in this way quite refreshing.
The tragedies and horrors of the Shabbos and Simchas Torah of 5784 – aka October 7 – were clearly a catalyst in his decision to publish this sefer. The book opens with an allusion to those events and the dual challenge of grappling with a devastating tragedy while coping with a continuing existential threat. Against this backdrop Rabbi Feder asks, “How is the Jewish nation supposed to respond in times of trouble?”
He examines the ongoing failure of Am Yisrael to fully internalize the correlation between sin and the misfortunes that follow our collective misbehavior. The author, with some reluctance, calls out three groups of individuals who – in his opinion – respond to tragedies in a manner that is inconsistent with Torah and Jewish philosophy. He cites examples from Jewish history beginning with the Twelve Spies all the way through the Holocaust and even quotes relatives of the hostages of Oct. 7.
He has a modest disapproval for those that, while well-intentioned, believe that Hashem will intervene if we simply do more mitzvos (e.g. challah baking and bracha parties). They forget, he says, that misfortunes are caused by our sins, and that we must first articulate the sins and begin a process of teshuva.
Throughout the sefer he reiterates that among modern society’s greatest failings are: 1) to expect big results with little effort and 2) that symbolic acts have come to replace meaningful introspection and personal change. Sadly, modern Jewry has adopted these poor habits, and Rabbi Feder hopes that internalizing some of Jewish history’s greatest lessons can reverse this trend.
As stated above, this impressive sefer covers some fifty different Torah topics and provides some rather brilliant commentary. But at its essence it is a work of mussar wrapped within the context of Jewish philosophy. He does not merely put forth a collection of insightful divrei Torah, which they are, he uses them to weave a worldview that every Jew must adopt to practice authentic Torah based Judaism.
In The Depths of Torah Thought, Rabbi Feder has written an immensely scholarly work which will appeal to both talmidei chachomim and laypersons alike. But he is also particularly practical. He asks deep and meaningful questions and utilizes the lessons from the Torah and chazal to offer an approach to living a Torah life in modern society – irrespective of where one falls on the religious spectrum. Whether one is Yeshivishe-chareidi, chardal, chassidishe, or Modern Orthodox, the truths that Rabbi Feder distills from our holy Torah and our long history are applicable to all.
