Obituaries Published in The New York Times for Passing of Samuel Lamm (1990)

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Memories of Zeide - In Honor of the Yahrzeit of Yaakov David Lamm (1950)

Over a decade has passed since he was with us, a decade in which much has happened and in which the face of the world has been changed. During this lapse of time we have had the opportunity to view his life and death from a broader perspective, to submerge the minor details of his biography into the penumbra of our memory, and to bring out in clear and loving pastel-shades the more fundamental features of him and his life: in other words, the totality of Zeide. Perhaps the borders of the picture, the outlying regions of the mental portrait we have of him, are vague in the minds of many of us. But the central theme of the picture, the essential impression is, I believe, identical for all of us.I have been asked to speak to you, my family, on this occasion of his yahrzeit. I can do no more than, in a few words, attempt to transmit to you what I think is the important part of the picture or impression that I have of him. Perhaps this very gathering of his family to remember him so reverently and lovingly is one aspect of the immortality of his soul. For can we not say that he lives on and lives again when, for a time, he dominates our train of thought? Bio- logical or physical life is not the all of life. Man is a social animal, he lives among men, and therefore when he continues to occupy the minds and considerations of his fellows he cannot be said to have died in the full sense of that word. I dare say that Moses and Isaiah and Maimonides are more alive today than most of us. It is in this sense that I maintain that the gestalt of Zeide which hovers above us here, today, is alive in our memory of his indomitable warmth and essential humanity. We welcome him into our midst.I feel that it is unfortunate for me not to have known him more and better than I did. But those memories I do have, I cherish, and I hope you will allow me to share some of them with you.My very first memory of him - and I feel that the same is true for m…

Eulogies & Memorials Biographical Material

Letter from Samuel Lamm Responding to R. Lamm's Article on Leisure (1971)

Dear Norman, your article on fun isn’t a bit funny – it really merits commendation. I, for one, did follow your idea in seeking not fun, but happiness. I followed happiness in times of distress, and G-d was good to me, and I can say that now I reached some measure of happiness – the fact that my children, and my children’s children, are as I always pictured they would be, thrills to no end. May I now start to pursue a little fun? With love, Pop

Biographical Material

Letter from R. Maurice Lamm Praising R. Lamm (2003)

I'm sorry to say this, but... you are really the Gadol Ha’bayis – you’re helping so many in the family, as always, but these days especially my kids and grandchildren, that they are all amazed when they come together and you are invariably the subject and the model they teach their kids when they talk about the family. It is always “the Lamms” who are the ideals, “the quintessential family.” How Mom and Pop would swoon if they just heard the echoes in Olam Ha’ba. I envy you – and, yes, I love you. Gut Shabbos, Moish

Biographical Material