Letter to R. Wurzburger about Publishing Letter to the Editor in Tradition Responding to R. Tendler (1968)

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Letter to R. Wurzburger about Content of "Treasury of Tradition" (1965)

Dear Walter: I am enclosing a list of twenty-four (24) articles which we selected for inclusion in the volume we intend to co-edit. Rentgeveoser and I would recommend one of two names: "The Best in Tradition," or "A Tradition Treasury." The total number of "Tradition" pages for the twenty-four (24) articles enclosed is 430 for all of them, and 388 if we exclude No. 13 and No. 14. To this has to be added the Halakhic Digest we talked about, to be pre-edited by Rabbi Jakobovits, plus a few extra pages of introduction and biographical description of contributors.May I recommend that you now try to group these articles into various areas such as: Israel, The Synagogue, America, Review Articles, Criticism, etc.I await your response in alienated disintegration, anxiously awaiting my monistic redemption.Co-editorially yours

Tradition Journal

Letter from R. Wurzburger Regarding Treasury of Tradition (1965)

Dear Norman: Many thanks for your letter of the 16th which just reached me today. I am grateful to you for undertaking the chore of getting consent of our contributors for “A Tradition Treasury.” With respect to your own article, I frankly would prefer that we do not include any articles appearing after the summer issue 1965. Frankly, I also believe that your extra-terrestrial piece is a bit too spacious for such a Reader. I have also a slight personal interest in the publication of your Unity theme since my Pluralism in the Halakhah is predicated upon it. In the event that you decide to pull yours out, I must make very extensive revisions in my own article.I certainly think that excerpts of your editorial piece should be made available to various weekly magazines. I could certainly bring it to their attention, but if you have better contacts, why not use them? I’ll see to it that you get page proofs either directly or to the magazines directly.The Balshan is in writing but not in contractual form. I have no doubt that they would be willing to sign a contract.Just one other personal comment, I must correct your statement that your handwriting versus mine is. Compared to mine, yours is a work of art, worthy of the disciple of Rabbi Kook’s yearning for beauty and harmony.As ever, yours,Cordially,Walter WurzburgerPublished by the Rabbinical Council of America

Tradition Journal

Letter to Walter Wurzburger about Article on Sensitive Subject for Tradition (1970)

Dear Walter, I've read through most of the article and skimmed the rest. It is, of course, a strange piece, and I am not sure what to make of it. It is full of learned naivete. I am not even certain whether these considerations should lead to the conclusion that we ought not publish it – or just the opposite. If you do publish, however, it will need considerable editorial work – not in English, but in tone. A theme of this sort must be treated in the most provisional manner possible, not in the rather dogmatic and self-assured way the author has done. “Logical” steps and syllogistic reasoning are out of place in a plea of this kind, especially when the writer resorts to an eclectic selection of commentaries to prove his point. Be well.Cordially yours,RABBI NORMAN LAMM

Tradition Journal