Exchange with Jeffrey Krulwich about Suggestions for Youth Shabbat Sermon (1966)
Dear Rabbi Lamm: I have enclosed a rough draft of the sermon I propose to give on Youth Shabbat. Selecting a topic was not an easy task. I do not want to give a "we-youth-look-to-you-adults-for-guidance-and-we-are-grateful" talk. While there is nothing wrong or insincere in that theme, I feel that as long as I am taking the time to prepare a talk I should make it on a subject I feel is interesting, and rarely spoken on. I have no delusions, however, that whatever I say will significantly alter many people's behavior. Briefly, my point is as follows: Many Jewish students entering college come upon a non-Jewish environment for the first time. The training these students have received and how they view Judaism will strongly affect their religious lives. The "proper training", in my opinion, is one that emphasizes the warmth and beauty of Judaism rather than sheer rituals and observance. Jeff Krulwich