Dear Nachum: My wife and I, and Chaye, were shocked by the terrible news of the sudden passing away of your beloved father. I did not have the privilege of knowing him, but I had heard much about him, and from this indirect acquaintance I can appreciate how great and how grievous is your loss. I am sorry that I will not be able to see you personally during this week because you are out of town and my schedule simply does not allow me to leave for an extended period of time. Words, of course, are completely inadequate at a time of this sort. Silence, as the friends of Job so well understood, is the only appropriate response before we begin talking about what happened. Please, Nachum, accept for yourself and the rest of your family my few words and a great deal of silence as our expression of sympathy for all of you. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm