Letter from Dr. Berger about Chabad and Messianism

/ / Letter from Dr. Berger about Chabad and Messianism

Correspondence

1990s

Letter from Dr. Berger about Chabad and Messianism

Faith Chasidim & Mitnagdim

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Correspondence

Letter to Col. Bar-On about Emunah and Hasidism (1968)

Dear Col. Bar-On: I am most grateful to you for your kindness in sending on to me the corrected reprint of the article in which you were interviewed about your thoughts on emunah. I am genuinely sorry that I delayed my response until now, but I was caught up in the "Passover rush," and then left for England for several weeks, and as a result was not able to get to the article and the letter until now. I had, of course, heard a great deal about the article, and reading it was a supreme pleasure for me. I am quite astonished at how someone who was "outside the fold" and has turned back towards it, has succeeded so well in formulating an authentically Jewish religious response in the context of modern times. I can now very well understand the widespread repercussions of this interview, and frankly I think it deserves even greater dissemination than it has received heretofore.I believe that some time ago I sent to you, by post, several reprints of articles that I had written and in which I thought you might find some interest. Now, with special regard to your comments about the re-ligious situation in Israel, I have the pleasure to enclose a reprint of a popular article that I wrote (based upon a speech that I gave) upon my return from my recent visit to Israel in which I was fortunate enough to make your acquaintance.Permit me to make several comments on your interview, all of them in support of various points you made1• About the shallowness of popular rationalism that prevents 60 many people from even entertaining any notion of emunah: this is true not only for Israelis, but for Americans and people of other national-ities as well. The immediate and unquestioning use of the rationalist yardstick represents an interesting cultural lag in this day of instan-taneous electronic communication. Apparently, those who consider them-selves most ״modem״ have been by-passed both by events and advanced philosophical thinking.2• Your distinction between ”coming” and "returning" …

Faith Chasidim & Mitnagdim

Correspondence

Letter from Dr. Berger about "The Religious Thought of Hasidism" (1999)

Dear Dr. Lamm: Pearl and I are very grateful for the inscribed copy of The Religious Thought of Hasidism. This is not just a pro forma acknowledgment – I’ve read some of the book and find it both extremely impressive and personally useful. One reservation, however: the book deals with various cosmic mysteries but fails to address a particularly challenging one, namely, how you manage to write all that you do while fulfilling the demanding role of President of a major university. (When Gerson Cohen became Chancellor of JTS, he told me, “I’m out of commission as a scholar.”) Lelokim pitronim. Sincerely, David Berger.

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Correspondence

Letter from Dr. Berger Enclosing Another Document about Chabad and Messianism (1994)

Dear Dr. Lamm, a request from Kenny Hain during a break at the Orthodox Caucus impelled me to produce yet another document on Lubavitch; though this campaign has yielded some results, there are regrettably miles to go before we can sleep. Best regards, David

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