Dear Rabbi: At the outset I must first say "Mazel Tov" and lets together make "Shehecheyonu" that we have lived to see that The R.C.A. has its own "Tradition." As for myself I congratulate you as the Editor and your board of editors for seeing to it that "Tradition" came out as good as it did. This letter comes to you from a man by the name Baruch Litvin living in Mount Clemens, Michigan, the fellow that is fighting windmills, the fellow who started the "Milchamas Hashem" against letting the laity in a Synnagogue by majority vote decide Hallacha, which means taking over the prerogatives of the Rabbis, and of course once we let this thing go by without a fight the next thing then follows: what was taken up on the concervative convention that the laity must have the final, in determinning the norms of the ritual and ethical behavior, yes the Rabbi can be consulted but the final say is left with the "Am Aratzim and the women" (please excuse my attitute toward the the women and their husbands who do not know the difference of an Alef to a Beis).I do not wish to burden you with the vast amount of information gathered by myself in regards the Tradition of Mechitzos, but I feel that Mechitzos are entitled to be spread on the pages of ״Tradition" as a part of what the alms of Tradition is, and should be.Should you give serious consideration to my way of thinking I can arrange a meeting between you and myself and give you much more material than I am stating now. Your Secretary Profesor fox knows me and is well aquainted with the case same is Rabbi Sharfman, Rabbi Rockman, and I am making this plea to you, and your board to consider Litvins thought on the matter of Mechitzos, that Judaism will stand or chas Vecholile fall by the attitude of the Rabbis towards mixed pews.I need not go into detail as I am aware that I am writing to Rabbis and I am only a laymen Vehamaskil Yovin.Please if after deliberation you find merit in my thinking that "Tradition" Must take up the fight …

Dear Mendy: I have not answered your recent form letter concerning a delegation from The Jewish Center at the dedication exercises at the new building, because our president, Mr. Max Stern, is still in the hospital. Although we all know how closely The Jewish Center feels towards the Yeshiva, neither Rabbi Jung nor I feel it is proper to signify an official commitment without Mr. Stern's consent and approval. Best wishes for a "Shanah Tovah," Sincerely,RABBI NORMAN LAMMNL\:ff

Dear Norman and Walter, Thanks very much for your letter of the 28th. I certainly consent to the publication of any of my essays in Tradition, and I dare say that from among those that I published, you did select the two that are the most scholarly, though not necessarily the most popular. I will reread the two essays as soon as possible for corrections. Warmest personal regards and best wishes, Yours as ever, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman.Rabbi Norman Lamm, and Rabbi Walter Wurzburger,Co-Editorsc/o Rabbinical Council of America,84 Fifth Avenue,New York 11, N.Y.

Dear Norman, Thanks very much for sending me a copy of your A Hedge of Roses. It is beautifully done. However, I was really intrigued by your chapter on the sanctity of time. Beginning with page 75 you make a point which I had made in my first essay in Tradition. I thought it was original and I had offered it with tongue in cheek. Are there Gedolim who have advanced this thought? If so, I would be gratified to know. I, too, came upon the same conclusion almost twenty years ago. Best wishes from house to house for a Chag Kasher ve-Someach, Yours as ever, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman

Dear Bernard: I am very flattered by your invitation to me to accept the chairmanship of the committee which you described over the phone. However, most regretfully, I must decline the invitation I already indicated to you, during the same conversation my initial reaction. After thinking about it a bit more my feelings are intensified rather than diminished.While I approve wholeheartedly of the intentions that inform this particular move, I do take exception to the tactics and the tone, and I believe they will prove self defeating.Please, therefore, try to sympathize with my point of view, even if you don't agree with it.Thanks once again and very best regards,Cordially yours,Rabbi Norman LammRNL/fzbc – L. Hobrin, M. Lamm, R. Morris Feiner, R. Emanuel Rachman

Dear Rabbis: In the article by Arthur Hertzberg in Commentary on Israel and American Jewry dealing with the activities here during the "crisis," he refers to an informal survey apparently undertaken on the spot by Dr. Arnulf Pins, Executive Director of the Council on Social Work Education, who helped process the Jewish Agency volunteers. Apparently, this substantiated what many in New York knew (and if I recall correctly, was the subject of a letter from Rabbi Lamm to Rabbi Rackman) insofar as the extensive participation of religious youth was concerned. I wonder if it would be appropriate to find someone to undertake a more intensive and scientific study of whatever findings are available. Perhaps the results could be published in Tradition or given even wider circulation.The Hertzberg discussion comes on page 71 of the August issue of Commentary.Best regards,Sincerely yours,Lawrence A. Kobrin

My Dear Friends: Permit me, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, to express to you my personal and fraternal greetings on this milestone in your communal life. The Fifth Avenue Synagogue has, in the decade of its existence, made a distinct contribution to Orthodox Jewry in New York, Its pulpit graced by two of the most distinguished spiritual leaders of our time, and supported by dedicated and energetic lay leaders, Fifth Avenue Synagogue has accomplished very much towards the enhancement and prestige of Torah Judaism in our city. At the occasion of your forthcoming celebrations, please do extend my neighborly greetings to all members and friends of the Synagogue, along with my best wishes for many, many years of continued service for the great causes that unite us. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

My dear Emanuel: I am writing to you almost as a last resort. Previous efforts made by others brought no results. I think that you and I can bring these results. The Foundation, some years ago, contributed $12,500 to the Jewish Women’s Club, which we call the Mikveh. This was a one-time generous contribution, for in course of any kind of consideration that the late Gustave Wurzweiler would have given. In addition to the above gift, the Foundation put up $40,000 worth of securities as collateral for the Jewish Women’s Club’s mortgage so that it may be able to obtain a loan for its needs. We did it as an act of good will and generosity for an institution that was in great difficulty at the time. For what we did, no one has regrets. Certainly I have no regrets. Unfortunately, the loan was never repaid nor were the securities returned, a point to which even the Jewish Women’s Club could, even tacitly, scarcely pay much attention. As a matter of fact, due to the interest it accrued, the Foundation was advancing the interest for approximately the last two years.

Dear Norman: I received a letter from Rabbi Kirshblum in Jerusalem and he warmly endorses Seymour Lachman’s proposal that we get an expression from American Jewish academicians with regard to the “who is a Jew” problem. Are you following through with Seymour’s suggestion? Warmest personal regards and best wishes for a Chag Kasher ve-Sameach. Yours as ever, Emanuel Rackman, Rabbi

Dear Rabbi Rackman, As you may be aware, a rather comprehensive article on rabbinical courts, written by Joseph Kaplan, a Columbia student, was reprinted in the New York Law Journal during the summer. Certain of the information was based on interviews with you, and I assume that you must have previously seen a copy of the original article. If not, I would commend it to your attention. The appearance of the article suggests one or two points which I would share with you.The presentation of the activities of the RCA Beth Din is a rather favorable one. It occurs to me that it might be appropriate to arrange for some kind of reprinting and distribution of the article for publicity purposes. As a matter of fact, if the reprints could be made available in quantity, this is the kind of material that we might consider including in the "kit" normally distributed to UOJCA convention delegates.The conclusion of the article touches on a matter which has been the subject of correspondence between us in the past—the possible expanded use of the RCA Beth Din in areas other than matrimonial problems and situations. You may recall, for instance, that I had once suggested the recommendation that contracts with synagogue employees include compulsory arbitration provisions so that the embarrassing public display of a litigated dispute with a cantor, rabbi, or school principal could be avoided. While I know that the RCA has an excellent leaflet describing their procedures in matrimonial matters, a parallel publication for non-matrimonial activities might also be appropriate.The article contains an assertion that the Conservative *ketubah* clause has not been widely used. The only support for that assertion, however, which is given in the footnote appears to be a statement in the article originally written by Rabbi Lamm when the clause was first promulgated. In the light of our conversation and correspondence before the summer, I would be curious as to whether any better information is …