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Interview

July 2, 2005

Excerpt from Interview by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (2005)

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Interview

Interview for Chabad Publication (1996)

RD: I'd like to begin with recollections of Yechidus you have had with the Rebbe in 1956. NL: It was probably In 1956 that I met the Rebbe ZT'L. It was about the day school we had in Springfield Mass., where I was a Rabbi. We had a day school and there was a Lubavitcher day school. My concern was that there was competition for a very few students. I came to the Rebbe. I saw him quite late at night, I don't remember exactly what time, K'darko Bakodesh. He took a halachic stance, that there is no Hasogas Gvul when it comes to Talmud Torah. That's the way it remained. He didn’t order any change. To this day there are two schools that operate separately. I was not necessarily pleased with this decision but I respected it.RD You were the principal of the other school.NL I wasn't the principal -I was a rabbi in the community. I felt responsible for that day school because it was the day school that serviced my congregation. Like so many suburban or out of New York day schools, it had quite a number of nori-orthodox kids from non-orthodox families who we tried to be mekarev. The same was true of the Lubavitcher day school. .I had tried to see hm some sort of unification a it didn't work. I accepted the Rebbe's decision, never held it against him or the Lubavitcher in Springfield, who are still very dear friends, people I like very much like the Adelmans.RD Were there any personal or philosophical things discussed?NL No.RD Were you here in America when the Previous Rebbe came in 1940Nt I was a Bar-Mitzvah boy at the time. I was born here. I must tell you that to my recollection, the Impact that the Previous Rebbe had was nowhere near as widespread and powerful as the last Rebbe. There were a number of Chassidishe Rebbeim. All of them had a certain amount of prominence, but no one really-overwhetrnwrTKe^Mom. It's the most recent Lubavitcher Rebbe who had this tremendously wide influence and brood impact on the Jewish community as a whole.RD How do you see this in detail.Nl.…
Chasidim & Mitnagdim Biographical Material

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Leader of Modern Orthodoxy Speaks to Students (2002)

An unusual silence pervaded the Isaac Levinstein Synagogue as formally dressed students and faculty stood anticipating the arrival of Rabbi Norman Lamm, the leader of Modern Orthodoxy and president of Yeshiva University. A sign posted on the stage read, “Your eyes should follow your teachers,” and indeed the students’ eyes did just that as the entire Judaic faculty escorted Rabbi Lamm into the room. After greeting the Frisch community, Rabbi Lamm proceeded to address a question that the Modern Orthodox community tackles daily: How do Jews take the best of Western culture and science—Madah—and connect it to Torah? His speech offered new insights and confirmed old ones for students, stimulating further discussion throughout the Frisch community. Rabbi Lamm explained that before one can achieve an integration of Torah, “the center of Jewish life,” and Western culture and science, one must first master the basics of each independently. He emphasized that if Frisch students integrate their Judaic and general studies, utilize Torah and Madah, respect other denominations in Judaism, and behave with dedication and integrity, they will be a source of pride and pleasure to the Jewish nation. Dr. Kalman Stein expressed his satisfaction that Rabbi Lamm chose to speak about the importance of linking secular and Judaic studies, noting that the school must “give students the opportunities to think about Torah and Madah in an integrated way.” According to Tali Fishel (’04), Rabbi Lamm’s speech “put into perspective the fact that the Torah we learn every day in school and elsewhere does not contrast with or limit our lives—it simply provides guidelines by which to live them.” Dr. Stein added, “The real challenge is not learning Torah and Madah separately, but figuring out how we can be part of an exciting world while deciding which of its attractions can be kept and which need to be filtered out.” To help Frisch students accomplish this integration, Dr. Stein announced plans to es…
Biographical Material

Interview

Rabbi Norman Lamm's Interview about Chabad

Rabbi  Dr. Norman Lamm, the long‑time President of Yeshiva University (YU) who passed away on Sunday, spoke about learning Chassidus, meeting the Rebbe, appreciation for Chabad‑Lubavitch and historical disagreements. Rabbi  Dr. Norman Lamm, the long‑time President of Yeshiva University (YU) and one of the most influential thinkers of Modern Orthodoxy in America, passed away on Sunday, 8  Sivan  5780. He was 92. He was raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and studied at Mesivta Torah Vodaath, YU's Yeshiva College and the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He was a disciple of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik who ordained him in 1951. He considered a career in science but was persuaded by Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin, the second President of YU, to join the faculty. Rabbi Lamm spent more than 60 years at YU, serving as President (1976–2003), chancellor and Rosh Yeshiva of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) until 2013. Rabbi Lamm also spent almost 25 years as a pulpit rabbi, first in Springfield, Massachusetts, and later in Manhattan – West Side Jewish Center – Congregation Beth Israel, the Jewish Center on the Upper West Side and at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun under Rabbi Joseph Lookstein. In 1994, Rabbi Lamm was interviewed by Rabbi Chaim Dalfin, author and Director of the Jewish Enrichment Press, about learning Chassidus, his Yechidus with the Rebbe, his appreciation for Chabad‑Lubavitch, and views on Torah Umadda, the philosophy of modern Orthodox Judaism bridging the secular world and Judaism. COLlive.com presents excerpts of the interview: Interviewer: I’d like to hear from you your impressions about the Rebbe and Lubavitch. I have heard that you had an interesting meeting with the Rebbe in Yechidus. Rabbi Lamm: Before I tell you about the particular Yechidus, let me say from the outset that I am not a Lubavitcher Chasid; however, in general I am very kindly disposed to Chasidus, and I have a special respect and affection for Lubavitch. It does not mean t…
Biographical Material