Holocaust Hashkafah 1 (Limudim) By Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein

Rabbi Shmuel Klein’s lecture deals with the Hashkafah connected to Holocaust studies. First he explains the difficulty that is entailed from attempts at pinpointing the underlying reason(s) for which Hashem orchestrated the events. At the same time, there are second-order hashkafic considerations which need to be inherent in all studies of Churban Europa. These nine “limudim,” include such things as the nature of Jewish exile in general, the eternity of Klal Yisrael and more. These concepts, grounded in Chazal and later sources, are delineated in some detail and form the bulk of Rabbi Klein’s presentation. Holocaust Hashkafah 2 (Concluding Message) By Rabbi Asher Weiss Rabbi Asher Weiss addresses the notion of the miraculous existence of the Jewish people despite the challenges of golus. Part of his focus is the resiliency of the Jewish spirit to bounce back following tragedy. He then enters into a discussion of the relationship between the Jewish nation and between the martyrs who perished al kiddush Hashem, averring that it was the merit of this martyrdom that ultimately crushed the Third Reich and paved the way towards the restoration of Jewish life in the aftermath of the war.