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Correspondence

June 1969

Exchange with Prof. Blidstein about Reprints of Articles on Halacha and the Constitution (1969)

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1. Prof. Blidstein to R. Lamm

1. Prof. Blidstein to R. Lamm (June 10, 1969)

1. Prof. Blidstein to R. Lamm (June 10, 1969)

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Correspondence

Exchange with Milton Konvitz about Publishing Articles on Judaism and Human Rights (1970)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, One of my chief undertakings while here at the Hebrew University is to prepare for publication my volume on Judaism and Human Rights, which, as you know, W.W. Norton has agreed to publish in a series edited by Professor David Patterson. I have gone over carefully the two papers which you were good enough to let me have for this volume, and again I want to thank you warmly for what will be important contributions to the volume. I have used the typed scripts of your articles rather than their published versions, for, as I believe is the case, the manuscripts have a later date. I have edited each of the two papers and I am sending you herewith xeroxed copies of them. What I have done in my editing was to cut out your discussion of American constitutional developments relating to privacy or the Fifth Amendment. I did this for two reasons: 1). Because I want my book to deal with the Jewish view of fundamental liberties and not with comparative law, 2). The American law on these topics, as you know, is in flux, and I do not want our discussion to become quickly out of date. I hope that you will approve my editing, which I have tried to keep to the minimum and which I have tried to do mainly with an eye on the above two considerations. It will be necessary for you, I'm afraid, to have the articles re-typed, so that they will be ready for the printer. The footnotes will need to be numbered in view of the omissions. But I believe that the task will be a fairly simple one for you. I hate to impose this burden on you since you have been so helpful up to now, but I do want you to see the changes I have made, and I am anxious that the copy for the printer will offer him no opportunity for mistakes. I would greatly appreciate your kindly sending me at my Jerusalem address the re-typed articles by air-mail as soon as you can and I assure you again of my profound thanks for your very valuable contributions. Incidentally I knew your grandfather, Rabbi Baumol, very …
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Correspondence

Exchange with Prof. Blidstein about His Book on Honoring Parents (1972)

Dear Norman, Well, here I am under a new letterhead. Actually, we are spending a trial year in Israel, on leave from McGill. I really do not know yet how things will turn out, though it is apparent that it is impossible to be neutral regarding Israel as a state and as a society. I am writing, more concretely, about a project I completed some time ago, to wit, a book on kibbud av. I did it under commission of Yeshiva’s Rogozin Institute, which saw me through the writing. However, funds have long dried up, and Yeshiva has no interest in having the work published. Would you know of any foundation or individual that would have a positive attitude on the subject? The book is organized topically (I could send you a copy of the Table of Contents if you would like to see it), beginning with something on the line of talmid ha-mitzvah, and then moving into the problematics of support, challenges of authority, sick parents, “wicked” parents, etc. The materials are largely Talmud and responsa, with a fair measure of midrash and chasidut as well. I like to think that it would be a contribution to a number of scholarly areas, as well as interesting to the educated modern reader, and it does touch on a sensitive area in modern Jewish life. Incidentally, Isadore Twersky has read the work in its various stages, if you would like an opinion. With best wishes, Cordially, Gerald Blidstein
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Correspondence

Exchange with R. Elkanah Schwartz about Publishing Papers on "New Currents on the Orthodox Scene" (1967)

Dear Rav Lamm – I hope this note finds you and yours well, and at the beginning of a happy, healthy, and fruitful year. Your remarks about my pamphlet project to encourage new writers are much appreciated, both for your having taken the time to respond and for the guidance. The outline has meanwhile been returned to my “ideas” file. Again I ask you for the benefit of your thinking, and hope you will similarly respond. Two summers ago, I organized and chaired a symposium at the Rabbinical Alliance convention on the theme of “New Currents on the Orthodox Scene.” Participants were Irving Glick for AOJS, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin for Yavneh, R. Yitzhak Gilat for Bar Ilan, and (by default) for COLPA, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman. Rackman prepared the paper for publication and then shortly left both YU and the OU. Saul Bernstein then took it in hand to publish it, although he had to cut and shorten my suggestions to him in order to reduce the length to fit their format. At the Glouster session, I met with Marvin Schick, including him in my remarks. He offered this suggestion – that if additional papers are prepared on other important new currents on the Orthodox scene, the project itself will acquire stature and usefulness. Such papers, if in mimeograph form, would in effect serve as “position papers” on these various trends. I have therefore prepared additional essays on the “Jewish Catalog Challenge” and “Outreach and the Traditional Community.” As such, if these were published as a pamphlet, they could assume some stature in themselves. It occurred that COLPA could sponsor such a project. Enclosed are the papers (which could be easily updated) and I return your envelope. Your thoughts and comments will be much appreciated. Sincerely, Elkanah Schwartz
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