He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and Master of Surgery from Yeshiva University, and received his rabbinic ordination from its affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, studying under Rabbis Aharon Lichtenstein and Joseph Soloveitchik.
He is an affiliated scholar at Cardozo Law School of Yeshiva University. He is also Editor of Tradition, an Orthodox theological journal. A Brooklyn native, he is a prominent Modern Orthodox theologian, historian, and philosopher.
He has edited some of R. Soloveitchik"s work for publication.
He edited "Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah: Contributions and Limitations" (), “Jewish Perspectives on the Experience of Suffering” as well as several other works. He writes a regular personal column in Tradition, and contributes regularly on Jewish and general subjects to First Things and other journals.
In addition to his exegetical and analytic work, Carmy"s theological contribution is distinguished by preoccupation with the way religious doctrine and practice express themselves in the life of the individual. Early in his teaching career he devised an imaginary television series, Police Philosopher, about a philosopher who gets involved in police cases.
Carmy has said that "Police Philosopher was born the day I spied an ad in a professional journal, seeking a professor of philosophy prepared to teach at a local precinct so that the cops could get college cr without having to be on campus.
Wouldn"t it be interesting if the professor got involved in police cases?".
