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Correspondence

Nov. 10, 1987

Letter to R. Kraiser about Respecting Rabbinic Autonomy and Article about Leaving Hospitals on Shabbat (1987)

Practical Halacha Religion & State The Rabbinate
Background Information

After publishing an article on the permissibility of a recovered patient returning home from the hospital on Shabbat, Rabbi Lamm wrote this letter in response to a rabbi who had been inadvertently upset by its publication.

Background Information
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Dear Rabbi Lamm, I hope you received my letter with a copy of your article. At this time I would like to wish you a G’mar Chasima Tova. I understand that my sister-in-law, [redacted], will meet the Rabbi. I would like you to consider some important details at this meeting: 1) She should not have any misunderstanding that there is a family reconciliation or a partial one, because I helped to bring about this meeting with the Rabbi, it was only done outside of the family relationship, as an outsider.2) The family is not ready to reconcile unless she will live according to the 'eikrim', – Sabbath, kashruth and moral. Because this is the price that the family should forget what she did in the past few years. We feel that she should rather look up to us in these matters.3) I would like to ask the Rabbi a personal favor to meet with her at least one or two more times, after this first meeting.No one in the family has any business with her, but through us this may change, and she may get together with rest of the family on a normal basis.We would appreciate you meeting with her more than the initial meeting, as we have tried everything with her and there is nothing else that we can do.With best wishes for the New Year.Sincerely yours,[redacted]
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