Dear Uzi: Thank you for your piece ויצא חס and the (ethical) problem of the גניבת הברכות. I think you are on target, and your analysis is basically correct (i.e., in consonance with the moral perspective of the Torah and its tendency not to be overtly judgmental but to allow the lesson to be derived from the sequence of the narrative). I liked especially your insights regarding the "name" matter – the literary juxtaposition is beautiful! Time does not permit me to expand on this theme, and we'll have to leave it for when we next meet, אי״ה. Hence, just a few comments, mostly in the nature of תניא דמסייע ליה: 1) See Abarbanel on the beginning of ויצא, where he attributes Jacob's dream to his troubled conscience about stealing the blessings from Isaac. 2) Either Casuto or Benno Jacob has an excellent analysis of the whole incident (similar to yours). One of the things that stands out in my memory: Jacob deceived his father by substituting himself, a younger brother, for an older sibling, exploiting the darkness of his father's blindness. The punishment – מדה כנגד מדה – comes when Laban substitutes an older daughter for her younger sibling under the cover of literal darkness. 3) See Netziv's העמק דבר on ותקח את הצעיף ותתכס as being a symbolic act which colored the relationship of Isaac and Rebecca – a failure in communication between husband and wife, which impeded their talking out problems in their family, which meant they worked at cross purposes even though they really had the same goals in mind – thus creating a situation where deceit became "necessary." That's all for now. Keep them coming – especially the ones you really like. And forgive me if I don't always reply; you may be sure I read carefully what you send. Cordially, Norman Lamm

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Hopefully, you had a good holiday here in Israel, and are rested and refreshed as you head back to New York. I want to thank you again for finding the time to meet with me in New York, and for sending me your very thoughtful piece on the Holocaust, "Faces of God." I have read it once, and will send you some thoughts on it over the coming weeks as I read it again. I arrived in Israel just before Yom Kippur after a very successful eight week stay in the US. Shortly after we met in New York, I was scholar in residence for a weekend in Phoenix. On Shabbos I delivered two sermons, and after the Kiddush gave a one hour class on the subject "The Teleology of Maimonides." Following the class, the president of the shul told me that he was undertaking to raise money to bring me out for a two week stay. I guess he liked the class.On Sunday I led a workshop in Non-violent (or: Compassionate) Communication, a method I learned last year and that I am now beginning to teach. (In my "shtut meshugener" Purim message I mentioned it to you as a skill I think every musmakh would be most enriched by having.) I was then invited to return for another weekend on my way back from LA. They specifically requested that I teach again both Torah and Compassionate Communication. So I went off for two weeks to LA, in which I visited friends, and also preached, taught Torah and led Compassionate Communication workshops, then came back to Arizona in September.The wonderful news is that in the course of two months the people in Arizona raised a cool $5,000. It covers airfare from Israel, hotel, car rental and a very generous wage. They are still hoping to raise money for an publicity campaign. God willing, I will visit Arizona for two weeks beginning Purim. (Anything beats being there in August.) Being so dramatically appreciated and desired is still new to me. I hope it is a sign of things to come.I have a special thrill and great joy teaching Compassionate Communication. First, be…

Hello Rabbi Lamm – I sent you my message on Purim a little nervous, not very certain as to how you would take to all that I wrote. Have I not received any message from you because you are thinking about it, angry about it, or just plain busy? Best wishes, Uzi. P.S. – Please note the new internet address.

Dear Rabbi Lamm: During the past month I have been traveling in the U.S., visiting Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, AZ, and Los Angeles. Along the way I had the opportunity to teach Torah, and early next week I will send you “Words that Heal, Words that Hurt,” a sermon that I delivered in three shuls. Today’s message is a unique one, in that it does not look at a text but contains some thoughts and feelings about current events, specifically about how Jews treat Jews. There are now close to thirty rabbis, educators, and academics who receive these divrei Torah once or twice a month. The list cuts across denominational lines and includes Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Jewish Renewal – there are also some Christian readers. This serves as an important reminder that whatever our differences, we can find common ground studying Torah in an environment of mutual respect. Some of my non-Orthodox colleagues have indicated to me that they will speak on Rosh Hashanah about religious pluralism in Israel and the tension between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews. Many have personally experienced, or have congregants who have personally experienced, verbal or physical abuse from ultra-Orthodox Jews this past summer in Jerusalem. This is a very painful subject for me. The morning after Shavuot, when I saw the headlines describing the abuse of Jews at the Kotel, I was sick to my stomach. Shortly thereafter I spoke with a Jewish Renewal couple who came to Israel to live more fully as Jews – they were at the Kotel on Shavuot night, and listening to them describe what they were subjected to, and how poisoned they felt, was one of the saddest experiences I have had. Two months later, on Tisha b’Av night, TV cameras brought into my home the sight of Jewish police physically evicting Jews from the Kotel in the middle of davening Ma’ariv. This was followed by the burning of a Reform kindergarten in a Jerusalem suburb. It has been a very difficult summer. My own struggles …

Hello Rabbi Lamm, I hope you had a good stay in Israel and a safe trip home. This piece on Noach went out on Friday to the readers on the list, but not to you. I printed it out and brought it to the Plaza Hotel to hand deliver it. Then I found out you were no longer there. I am now sending it by e-mail. BTW, on Friday two interviews with you appeared in the Israeli press, one in Yom Hashishi and the other in Makor Rishon. Is it true that you said that Reform Judaism has no future? I want to first hear from you directly about this before responding. Enclosed is the piece on Noach, which I hope you enjoy. Best wishes for a good winter, Uzi Weingarten

Dear Uzi: I just returned from my Israel-Prague trip and haven’t yet had time to unpack and go through my accumulated mail and calls, but I did want to respond to your somewhat anguished query about my interviews with Yom Hashishi and Makor Rishon. I did not see the printed results of the interviews, but – yes – I did and do feel that Reform has no future. I do not say this with any degree of satisfaction or triumphalism, certainly not with Schadenfreude. Indeed, it is tragic to even contemplate where Reform (and, for that matter, most of the American–Jewish community) is going. My prediction is based upon a cold (very cold!) analysis of the demographic data and the simple extrapolations, granted, of course, that no major societal or cultural convulsions will occur. Walk into any Reform Temple in this country and keep both your eyes and ears open and you will sense the tragic mass movement, lemming-like, into obscurity. Of course, if you’re willing to accept patrilinealism and easy “conversions” and “inclusivism” (which includes non-Jewish spouses officiating at various “rituals” in the “service”), then the future shines bright. But are you willing to make that assumption? Are you ready to have your humanism (in the best sense), your compassion, and Ahavat Yisrael so overwhelm your primary sense data and perception of objective facts that you are ready to concede that they are viable for the next few generations as a Jewish community? I am not ready to do that, because such transcendental ignorance does not contribute to healthy and effective communal planning. I repeat that we are facing a tragedy, and I am not in the business of assigning blame – there is enough to go around to all concerned. But this is what I foresee, what I fear, what I think must be said if we are to find or create some harbor for the gathering storm. For me to do otherwise is to submit to cultural correctness, which is every bit as dangerous as political correctness. So, Uzi, that’s where I…

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Thank you for having copies of some of my past studies. Your secretary forwarded some of them to me, and then asked how I would prefer she proceed. What would be most helpful is if the studies could be copied onto a CD or on some floppies, and then sent to me by regular mail. This way I would not need to copy and paste one by one. Is that possible? Also, some years back you shared with me a teaching from the Kotzker Rebbe, about a Midrash that Rashi brings in the beginning of Lech L’cha, that we say “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,” but at the end of the bracha we mention only Avraham. The Kotzker explains that Avraham is the quality of chesed, and while we also need avodah and Torah, the qualities of Yitzchak and Yaakov, it all needs to be grounded in compassion. I plan on mentioning this in my study this week, and am wondering if this is an oral teaching or if there is a written source I could reference. Warmly, Uzi