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

In this letter, Dr. David Berger sought Rabbi Lamm’s support in His campaign against what he viewed as heretical messianism in Chabad after the Rebbe’s death. Elsewhere, Rabbi Lamm held that believing the Rebbe was the Messiah posthumously was problematic but not heretical, while attributing divinity to him was heresy.

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

Dear President Lamm: Congratulations upon the publication of your new book The Religious Thought of Hasidism – Text and Commentary. It includes many important elements of Hasidism and is a fine contribution to the study of Hasidism. I hope it will become a college textbook, which will also be a great asset to my seminars on Hasidism. Among the very interesting themes, I did not find references to my interpretation of the origins of Hasidism, which was the subject of articles as well as my dissertation Jewish Hasidism, Russian Sectarians and Non-Conformists in the Ukraine, 1700–1760. (When I wrote my dissertation, my Professor of Jewish History and dissertation guide was Prof. Salo W. Baron.) Recently it also became part of scholarship and research at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. They too were able to prove this theory from original source material from Eastern Europe, as I did during my research. Once more, congratulations on your new book and much success with future ones. All the best, Professor Yaffa Eliach, Professor of History and Literature. Home Address: 300 East 54th Street, Apt. 23K, New York, NY 10022, Tel: (212) 319-2927 – Fax: (212) 751-7932.

Chasidim & Mitnagdim

Letter from R. Charlop about "The Religious Thought of Hasidism" (1999)

לכבוד עמיתי הדגול מרבבה האי גברא רבה ויקירא דרופתקא דאורייתא אנפירון נמטייה לראש ישיבתנו הקדושה ונשיאה הרה"ג ר' נחום לאם שליט"א אחדשוכ"ט, הידד ויישר חילו לאורייתא על ספרו המפליא בכל מובן על החסידות שהו"ל בימים אלה ואשר הואיל בטובו הגדול לשלוח לי את הנכס הדגול והחשוב הזה. הן כתוכנו ובסגנונו הצח, הן בהקפו ובשלמותו ובשליטתו על החומר הוא גישם במדה נדירה מאד את הפתגם של חז"ל, "חזקה על חבר שאינו מוציא מתחת ידו דבר שאינו מתוקן."

Chasidim & Mitnagdim

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.

Chasidim & Mitnagdim