Letter to Jakob Michael about the Effect of a Scientist's Handicap on His Job (1972)

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Dear Mr. Michael: I just heard from [redacted] of Washington. Apparently, he is again being pressured to leave his job because his handicap makes him the most likely victim of “budgetary cuts.” In keeping with your letter to me of April 27, I am now sending along some of the scientific papers of [redacted] in the hope that your letter to Admiral Rickover will prove effective. I cannot tell you how important it is for the survival of the whole family to come to the assistance of this rarely gifted scientist and precious human being. I am heartily grateful for your help. Cordially, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Letter to Minister Raphael with Suggestions for Additions to The Jakob Michael Library (1964)

Dear Minister Raphael: As I had promised you last week, I am sending you herewith a list of approximately ten (10) works which, in addition to the two (2) Leviticus volumes by Hoffmann, should constitute the newest additions to the “Jakob Michael Library.” (1) Sacher’s "Tradition and Tradenten..." (#12 on your list), which we believe will prove most helpful to young Talmudic scholars in discovering the background of the various personalities mentioned in the Talmud.Berliner, "Gesamwelte Schriften" — a work which will be helpful to any student of Judaism (#13 on your list).Benamozegh’s "Israel et l’humanité" (#29) and:Benamozegh's "Morale Juive et Morale Chrétienne" (#30), two works which are important expositions of Judaism’s superior morality and humaneness, and a defense against its detractors.Gudemann’s "Geschichte der Erziehungs-weaens..." (#39) — an extremely important volume which ought to be readily available in complete Hebrew translation.Horovits’s "Frankfurter Rabbiner" (#47), a most valuable historical work, enshrining the honored Rabbinate of Frankfurt, and which should be available in Hebrew.H.J. Michael’s "Ore ha-Hayyim," the original (Hebrew) of which is quite rare, and ought to be reprinted as a signal contribution to Jewish historiography.I suggest a collection of various articles by Joseph Wohlgemuth which appeared 1912–1930 in his "Jeschurun." Rabbi Jung will be willing to suggest which articles ought to be prepared for translation and publication.D. Z. Hoffmann’s "Kor Schnuel" (not on your list) — a biography of the great Amora which is both scholarly and appealing to the general informed reader.Jakobovitz's "Jewish Medical Ethics" (#51) has made a very good impression upon the Jewish medical community in the U.S.A., and ought to be disseminated in Hebrew in Israel.I would like to point out that Mr. Michael's major interest is not in the kind of work which appeals only to a narrow and exclusive group of professional scholars and has no wider cir…

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Letter to Dr. Tropper about R. Lamm's Bar-Ilan Candidacy (1973)

Dear Danny: I just want to tell you how very very much I personally appreciate the trouble and expense you went to in calling me yesterday (February 6) about the conversation you had concerning me. Although the facts you reported were not supportive of my candidacy, it is far better that I know them than that I be ignorant of them. As I said, I am grateful to you and consider your call an act of genuine friendship. However, I would not at all want the cost of the call to be borne by anyone else but myself. So, without any protests, please please let me know how much the call cost and I will be glad to remit the cost either to you or to Gesher. Furthermore, I implore you not to hesitate but to call me whenever you think you have information that may be useful to me.All my fondest regards to your wife, whom Mindy and I were so pleased to see in Jerusalem when we were there last.Cordially,Rabbi Norman LammNL:cw

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Letter to Student with Advice about Pursuing a Doctorate in Jewish Studies (1974)

My dear [redacted]: Please forgive me for the delay in responding to your two letters. They were sent to me at Yeshiva University, and for a number of reasons I have not been in school for several weeks. I read the material with considerable interest. You certainly seem to be an unusual person, and I admire your ambitiousness and pluckiness – and the ethical sages of Israel always considered zerizut as an enviable trait. In keeping with your request, I am mailing your material back to you.Now, to the point of your request: my professorship in Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva University is effective in the undergraduate schools. I therefore do not sponsor any doctoral dissertations, and it is not within my competence to award doctorates in my field. Unfortunately, therefore, I am incapable of helping you in this respect.Since you have confided in me so many details about your career and scholarship, as well as personal matters, permit me to react in an equally personal way, and I trust you will take my words in the very genuine spirit they are intended. I can very well understand that after having spent a lifetime striving for a certain goal, namely the doctorate, you should feel disappointed and frustrated that it still proves elusive. Nevertheless, for one who has such a wide background in Jewish learning and in classical wisdom, I wonder what a man of such erudition would say about the personal problem. In other words, if you divide yourself into two people — one with your scholarship and wisdom of experience, and the other the man who failed to achieve a specific goal which has value only in the eyes of certain segments of society — would not the first say to the second something of this sort:"Take my advice and look at things with a broader perspective. Status symbols are evanescent, they have no ultimate meaning, and therefore do not deserve to become a source of anxiety for a thinking man."Once again, forgive me for my temerity in suggesting this inner conversat…

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