Address at the 60th Anniversary of the Rabbinical Council of America (1996)

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Address to Rabbinical Council of America (1992)

Carl Becker, the great American historian, once said, “It is important every so often to look at the things that go without saying to be sure that they are still going.” So, let’s take a good look at ourselves – to see if things are still going, and if not, why not; where we seem to be heading in the future; and what we can do about influencing that future direction. Of course, talking about the future is a thankless task – אמרו חז״ל: מיום שחרב בית המקדש ניתנה נבואה לשוטים... Maybe that’s why a great חכם, Albert Einstein, said: “I never think of the future; it comes soon enough.” The categories of gadlut and katnut – drawn from Kabbalah and popularized by the Hasidic movement – apply not only to individuals but to collectivities as well. These terms, which denote states of spiritual and intellectual expansion (gadlut) or constriction (katnut), help us understand where we are and perhaps how to move forward. At present, we are clearly in a state of katnut. Those who deny it – such as Charles Silberman (A Certain People) and others – do a great disservice. The data are sobering: the CJF reports a 52% intermarriage rate; Prof. Seymour Martin Lipset noted that only one-quarter of children raised Orthodox remain Orthodox (a statistic I question, but still find disturbing); Prof. Samuel Heilman reported at a recent OU–YI–RCA conference that Orthodoxy comprises only 6–12% of the Jewish population, and that a significant portion of Modern Orthodox Jews are defecting or becoming marginalized; there is growing financial stress, even before the Reichmann collapse – median incomes have declined, families are smaller, and women working outside the home adds pressure; Modern Orthodox education has been ceded to teachers to the right, leading to either a deepening rift with Haredim or a merging into “nominal Orthodoxy”; Orthodox synagogues are shrinking and may no longer be able to support full-time rabbis; an AJC report (“The High Cost of Jewish Living”) highlights further strai…

The Rabbinate

Lecture at Orthodox Union National Convention (1998)

אני מרגיש טוב – הרב ישראל מאיר לאו: סוף מס' סוכה – טוב לצדיק טוב לשכינו A. Educational Initiatives: * Almost all American Yeshivot, like all of the Israeli, are full-time לימודי קודש with bare minimum of לימודי חול. YU=unique: TuM * ישעי' נד: הרחיבי מקום אהלך... האריכי מיתריך ויתדתיך חזקי... So, can do both! T strengthn th ויתדתיך חזקי, we encourage year in Ir. Wht we expect of ths yr? Greatr depth in learn'g; exp'ce of totl immers'n in Tor; enhancd יר"ש – a bren/passion/sheer delight in ת"ת ומצוות... and incentv t Aliyah: ויאמר ה' אל יעקב שוב אל ארץ אבותיך ולמולדתך ואהיה עמך. ב"ד: אביך מצפה לך. אמך. אני בעצמי...

Torah Umadda Orthodoxy & Other Denominations Combating Assimilation Soviet Jewry

Chag Hasemicha Convocation, Sunday March, 10, 2002

Rabbi Lamm delivers a sermon at the Chag Hasemicha Convocation.

The Rabbinate