This shiur concludes the book “The Emergence of Ethical Man”. (It is not yet decided whether there will be one final shiur or not).
Rav Soloveitchik discusses two concepts of G-d as king – one ontological and one ethical. One political/autocratic and one covenental/democratic.
Rabbi Triebitz also quotes from this book: The Invention of Hebrew (Traditions) and shows parallels between the ideas there and the ideas of the Rav.
In summary, the shiur is about different relationships between G-d and the world (and other gods and the world).
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Ethical Man 09
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Ethical Man 09
The distinction being made here between autocrat and political king appears to be the same (or at least nearly the same) as the Ibn Ezra’s distinction between Melekh and Mosheil in “Melokh timlokh aleinu? Im mashol, timshol banu.” (Bereishis 37:8) The Gra uses this to great effect, according to footnotes in my siddur, on pesuqim like “Malkhusekha malkhus kol olamimi…” and “Vehayah H’ leMelekh al kol ha’aretz”. (Notes here, sec I, the other sections are personal extrapolations based on linking it to something in Pachad Yitzchaq, RH.