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April 22, 1967

Bar Mitzvah Address for Teddy Gross (1967)

Shabbat Hagadol Bar & Bat Mitzvah
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Note

Bar Mitzvah Letter Outline (1956)

Dear _______, On _______, your Bar Mitzvah was held in Congregation Kodimoh. You will remember that prior to that important event in your life, on _______, we had an intimate chat in my office during which one or both of your parents were present. At that time, I pointed out to you that the whole procedure of Bar Mitzvah was just a farce unless you followed it up in a special way. I told you that it meant that from then on you were to be a “good Jew” – and that the way to do that was to lead a Jewish way of life. Particularly, I urged you to put on your tefillin every morning and daven at least the Shema and the Shemoneh Esrei – to come to services at Kodimoh every Saturday and holiday morning – and to participate in the activities of our teen-age group, the “Bnei Mitzvah,” which meets every Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. for their minyan and which is followed by breakfast and a meeting. In my office, on that day, you promised me the following: —. I am sure that as an honorable person you want to keep your word, and that as a good Jew you will want to live in such a manner that will prove that your Bar Mitzvah was something serious and sincere. I therefore write to you to remind you of your promise, and to tell you that I anxiously look forward to greeting you as a “regular” at our Saturday services (they begin at 8:30 a.m. – you may come a little later if you wish) and our Sunday morning breakfast minyan (9:00 a.m. – be prompt, please!). I am confident that you will not disappoint me. Cordially, Rabbi Norman Lamm
Bar & Bat Mitzvah

Synagogue Sermon

A Miracle of Greatness - Cong. Oheb Zedek - editor's title (1966)

I am pleased and honored to be able to occupy this morning the pulpit of my distinguished colleague, Rabbi Theodore Adams, one of the most eminent rabbinic leaders in our city. I also regard it as a distinct privilege to be able to participate in services in a synagogue with such a proud history. I am sure you join me in hoping and praying for the complete and speedy recovery of my honored colleague and your beloved rabbi. Perhaps the most appropriate prayer is a verse from the Psalms which we recite every Wednesday: "im amarti matah ragli, basdekha hashem yisadeni׳," "when I said that my foot has slipped, then Your kindness, 0 Lord, supports me.״ May the kindness of the Lord be the only crutch your rabbi will need and the only support he will receive for many many years to come. This Sabbath is known as Shabbat Ha-gadol, "the great Sabbath." Many reasons have been offered in our tradition for this distinctive name. Permit me to mention to you one which I regard as possessing special insight. Rabbi Jacob, author of the Turim, maintains that it is called by this name le'f^ she'naaseh bo nes gadol, because a great miracle, nes gadol, was performed on this day; the Hebrews who were yet slaves in Egypt dared to slaughter the lamb (regarded as the deity of the Egyptians) in defiance of their taskmasters, ve1lo hayu rash1in lo-mar la-hem davar — and the Egyptians were not able to protest or rebuke them. Shabbat Ha-gadol, in other words, celebrates the remarkable courage and the heroic conviction of the Children of Israel who reached new heights of fearlessness in their dedication to the Almighty. The nes gadol was not only a "great miracle" but also a "miracle of greatness" — Jews, heretofore diffident slaves, were able to take such risks for their beliefs, for their God!Perhaps it is best to see this act of bravery and dedication in a larger context. All of the Bible, and all of Judaism, is the story of the dialogue between God and man. This dialogue can be approached f…
Shabbat Hagadol

Correspondence

Letter to Feldman Family about Inability to Attend Bar Mitzvah (1967)

Dear Friends: Most regretfully, your invitation reached us the day of the Bar Mitzvah, because we had just returned from our summer vacation. That is why I was unable to telegram my congratulations in time or, certainly, to attend personally. To keep things in their proper chronological order, let me first welcome you back from your stay in Israel. A number of people had told me that they met you – including the Aaron Greens – and all of them brought back enthusiastic reports of your stay there. And now please accept our most heartfelt and sincere congratulations upon the Bar Mitzvah of Ilan Daniel. May the Almighty grant that your Ilan bear your kind of perot which will distinguish him as a loyal son to his parents, a devoted member of his family, and, above all, as a fruitful and creative child of Israel. May you be blessel with years and years of undiminished "nachas." Cordially yours,RABBI NORMAN LAMM
Bar & Bat Mitzvah