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October-November 2009

Exchange with R. Wohlberg Praising His Sermon (2009)

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1. R. Lamm to R. Wohlberg

1. R. Lamm to R. Wohlberg (Oct. 27, 2009)

1. R. Lamm to R. Wohlberg (Oct. 27, 2009)

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Correspondence

Exchange with R. Renov about His Appreciation for R. Lamm's Sermons (1969)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, This brief note has a double purpose, both of which are expressions of gratitude. First for your warm and gracious reception and the interest shown in my daughter Shira. Second for the inspiration gained from reading your sermons. I refer specifically to “Be Not Overwise” and “The Fourth Son” which I have been reading most recently. I have yet to read one of your sermons that left me unmoved or unrewarded. You are certainly a rabbi’s rabbi, as well as an inspiration to your קהל קדוש. What is even more important is that you are more than a דרשן מעולה.
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Exchange with R. Wengrov about the Torah Fellowship Foundation (1963)

Dear Rabbi Lamm: At the meeting of April 29, nifkad moshavecha. We were exactly four: Rabbi Jakobovits, Dr. Mandel, myself, and Gerson Bernstein. The meeting was relatively brief (three quarters of an hour) and was followed by a guided tour of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue. The date of the next meeting was set for June 3. Please take note. Now, we have a copy of the letter which Rabbi Lookstein wrote you on March 19, and Rav Kasher saw it before his departure. He instructed me then to send you the rough draft of an answer which the letter requires, and to ask you, in your kindness, to polish it as necessary and send it to Rabbi Lookstein. Unfortunately, today is the first opportunity I’ve found to attend to the matter. On May 12 there is to be a board meeting of the Wurzweiler Foundation, of which Rabbi Lookstein is president. We are hoping that he will authorize three fellowships (his vote or opinion will be the deciding factor) and it might be helpful if he receives his answer early next week. With all good wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, Rabbi Charles Wengrov. P.S. – I spoke to Dr. Mandel and he said he would contact you about seeing Mr. Joseph S. Shaw et al. If he doesn’t, please let me know.
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Correspondence

Exchange with William Frankel about R. Lamm's Views on Divine Revelation (1969)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, As you may by now have seen, I published your letter in our last week's issue. You make the point that because you accept "Torah min ha-shamayim" and Dr. Jacobs does not, you are Orthodox and he is not. That would be perfectly fine and explicit if we knew what you meant by "Torah min ha-shamayim" since this was the basis of the "local polemics" to which your letter refers. Dr. Jacobs has made his position quite clear but neither your letter nor any other of your writings that I have seen are equally explicit on this subject. I am sure that you don’t wish intentionally to cloud the issues by deliberately vague formulations – indeed meaningless formulations. Would you therefore care to write an article for me, of not more than 1,200 words, on how you define "Torah min ha-shamayim" from the point of view of "modern Orthodoxy" as distinct from the non-modern acceptance of verbal inspiration? I am sure that such an article from you would have more than local interest and would be an important contribution to what I consider to be at the root of what you have described as "Modern Orthodoxy’s identity crisis". With kind regards, yours sincerely, William Frankel.
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