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June 11, 2001

Past, Present, Future (2001)

Shelach Torah Umadda The University Biographical Material
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Foreword to the Torah Umadda Journal (2001)

This volume of The Torah u-Madda Journal is an especially poignant one, as it is the last that will be published during Dr. Norman Lamm’s historic tenure as president of Yeshiva University. Rabbi Lamm is known worldwide as a creative thinker and in particular as the eloquent voice of the Torah u-Madda philosophy. It bears emphasizing, however, that his impact on the growth of Torah u-Madda does not lie only in his articulating and arguing for the approach (most fully in his book Torah UMadda), nor even in his conceiving and supporting many projects which, like this journal, are dedicated to its realization. Rather, in addition to advocating, inspiring, and enhancing the work of integration, Dr. Lamm fortified the Torah and the madda of Yeshiva University as separate entities, thereby heightening the possibilities for meaningful interaction.His administration saw an increased focus on our institution as a mekom Torah. He enabled the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary to attract, in ever growing numbers, outstanding Talmud students who have brought us pride and have benefited communities all over the globe. The appointment during his presidency of stellar new roshei yeshivah, the assignment of endowed chairs, and the creation of several kollelim are enduring parts of his legacy to RIETS. In addition, he presided during the exciting growth of the E. Billie Ivry Department of Jewish Studies at Stern College for Women and the founding of that school’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Study for Women. Simultaneously, Yeshiva's undergraduate schools dramatically expanded the scope of their general studies courses and heightened their quality, bringing them into the top tier of American colleges.As Rabbi Lamm has written: 'Torah u-Madda does not mean that the two domains will be interdigitated, that umash will be taught predominantly from the point of view of the history of the ancient Near East, or biology expounded based mainly upon the commentanes to Sefer B…

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Leader of Modern Orthodoxy Speaks to Students (2002)

An unusual silence pervaded the Isaac Levinstein Synagogue as formally dressed students and faculty stood anticipating the arrival of Rabbi Norman Lamm, the leader of Modern Orthodoxy and president of Yeshiva University. A sign posted on the stage read, “Your eyes should follow your teachers,” and indeed the students’ eyes did just that as the entire Judaic faculty escorted Rabbi Lamm into the room. After greeting the Frisch community, Rabbi Lamm proceeded to address a question that the Modern Orthodox community tackles daily: How do Jews take the best of Western culture and science—Madah—and connect it to Torah? His speech offered new insights and confirmed old ones for students, stimulating further discussion throughout the Frisch community. Rabbi Lamm explained that before one can achieve an integration of Torah, “the center of Jewish life,” and Western culture and science, one must first master the basics of each independently. He emphasized that if Frisch students integrate their Judaic and general studies, utilize Torah and Madah, respect other denominations in Judaism, and behave with dedication and integrity, they will be a source of pride and pleasure to the Jewish nation. Dr. Kalman Stein expressed his satisfaction that Rabbi Lamm chose to speak about the importance of linking secular and Judaic studies, noting that the school must “give students the opportunities to think about Torah and Madah in an integrated way.” According to Tali Fishel (’04), Rabbi Lamm’s speech “put into perspective the fact that the Torah we learn every day in school and elsewhere does not contrast with or limit our lives—it simply provides guidelines by which to live them.” Dr. Stein added, “The real challenge is not learning Torah and Madah separately, but figuring out how we can be part of an exciting world while deciding which of its attractions can be kept and which need to be filtered out.” To help Frisch students accomplish this integration, Dr. Stein announced plans to es…
Biographical Material

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The Vineyard of Torah (1971)

One of the high points of a semi-Sabbatical I recently spent in Israel was a visit for Shabbat to Yeshivah Kerem B'Yavneh. I had, of course, paid brief visits during past trips to the Holy Land, but this was the first opportunity to do so together with my family and for a whole Shabbat. That we were greeted with an outpouring of friendship, goes without saying. Even in a country renowned for its hospitality, Kerem B'Yavneh is distinguished for the warmth and genuineness of its welcome. The esteemed Rosh Yeshivah, whom I am honored to consider a friend and whose admirer I am, the well-known and beloved Mashgiach, the members of the faculty and administration, and the students – all were extremely gracious. But it was not only the sum of these individual encounters that left a lasting impression. All together join in forming a model Torah community, in which learning and vigor, piety and youthfulness find their fullest expressions. I do not exaggerate when I say that my family -- including young children who had never been to Kerem B'Yavneh before experienced a sense of home-coming. Kerem B’Yavneh is, indeed, the kind of ”home” on which many of us pin our hopes for Israel's future. Here, in an atmosphere in which spiritual and psychological growth is natural, one finds that rare combination: an uncompromising dedication to Torah combined-with an awareness of contemporary life and a commitment to Israel and Jewry.Most unforgettable was the Friday evening at the home of Rabbi Goldvicht. After enjoying the charming hospitality of the host and hostess, both the culinary excellence and the delightful and instructive conversation, a number of American students — almost all of whom I knew from the States -- came to visit. I was struck by the openness with which they engaged the Rosh Yeshivah and myself in the conversation. It was a frankness perfectly allied with respect and reverence -- in a way, a form of Talmudic discourse on general Jewish subjects I Opinions were freel…
Biographical Material