Dear friend, Somewhere I once remember reading a sermon of yours on the text: “East of Eden” but I cannot remember just where. If you can locate the sermon and zerox it for me I will be most grateful. What reminded me of it was seeing a reference to it in your address to the conference of synagogues in Panim El Panim. It is a fine address. A hearty yasher koach to you. By separate mail I send a dvar torah to you in exchange. We really ought to get together sometime to talk about matters of mutual concern. Meantime with every good wish for briyut haguf vihanefesh, I am sincerely yours, Rabbi Jack Riemer

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Thank you for your letter and for the sermon. The same mail chanced to bring something from Israel which I thought I should mention to you in case you haven’t seen it. It is a series of studies by Dr. Nahum Rackover, the advisor on Jewish law of the Israeli Government’s Justice Dept. on Jewish Law and questions of human rights which touch many of the same topics that you have written about such as the laws of privacy and self incrimination, and so I thought I should call this to your attention in case you have not seen it. Dr. Rackover’s address is Richov Itamar Ben Tzvi 22, Jerusalem. What I would like to talk to you about one of these days is your work on halachah and human rights. Your two essays on the 4th and 5th amendments are required readings in the course I give each semester at Stern in Jewish Law and the secular law, and the students have found them very enlightening. You really ought to do more work along these lines relating Jewish law to the problems in law when it is read. I think Lily Edelman has mentioned to me that you are at work on a book along these lines, and if so I would like to know more about it and urge you to see it when it is ready. It should be a helpful work. Tell me what other material on Jewish law and contemporary issues you have prepared, if you will, and perhaps we can talk more in depth about these things the next time I get to New York. Meantime with all good wishes for briyut haguf vihanefesh, I am sincerely yours, Rabbi Jack Riemer

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Thank you for your letter. I am glad to hear that your new book Faith and Doubt is now published and that it contains updated forms of the essays on privacy and self incrimination. Would you please ask your publisher to send me a review copy. I review books frequently for Commonweal, and for many journals within the Jewish community here and in Israel, and will be happy to do what I can to call the work to the attention of a larger audience. I look forward to seeing the book. With every good wish for briyut haguf vihanefesh, I am sincerely yours, Rabbi Jack Riemer

Dear Norman: Just a note to say that in view of all the recent developments in connection with wire tapping – the Supreme Court decision last week, the Ellsberg case, etc. – I wonder if you want to update your essay on the halachic parallels to the 4th amendment. The subject is now very much in the headlines, and therefore your article is of great interest. You needn’t do much to update it – you ought to say something about Senator Irvin’s findings – that the army has prominent civilians under surveillance, and perhaps the scandal of the recent attempt to bug the democratic headquarters – plus whatever you want to do in the Jewish sources. Look at it again and let me know. I never heard anything from Dr. Menachem Brayer, whom you suggested that I write to. If you know him, do you think you could remind him or ask him to respond to my invitation. The book is taking shape nicely – an essay by Heschel on God in search of man, an article of protest by Yitzchak Greenberg on the halacha and the ethics of legislation, have come in, and a few more promising things seem to be on the way. Any additions you may know of that can combine work on current issues from a halachic perspective will be much appreciated. Do you know a Yechtel Poupko who tells me that he has material on property, on education, and on labor relations from a halachic perspective? Do you think he can do a good essay? All good wishes for briyut haguf vihanefesh, friend, and let’s continue to be in touch. Kol tov, Jack

Dear Nachum: Enclosed are some recent sermons which I hope you will like. They sounded better than they read, but I suppose that is true of all sermons. I am still “mutching” along with my anthology. For some reasons the students of Rabbi Soloveitchik seem to have all acquired his bad characteristic as well as his good ones, they all share his reluctance to publish! If you have any suggestions on essays that relate halachah to the issues of our time, please let me know. Conservative Judaism ended up in some mixup sending your book to someone else who did a favorable but pedantic review. I’ll send mine to Judaism or Congress Bi-weekly instead. I must tell you that the longer I look for material that deals with the issues of our time from out of a knowledge of the sources, the more I appreciate your book. Most of the essays I find either know halachah but can’t relate it to the world or else know the world but don’t know the Jewish sources. For instance, do you know of any other essay but yours that deals with the problem of leisure in any substantive way from a Jewish perspective? Anything that is fit to be put near something like De Grazia’s work? If you do, let me know. I haven’t found one yet, and the same on war, on nonviolence, economic justice, etc. But enough complaining, all I meant to do when I started this letter was send you these sermons, and all good wishes, Yaakov

Dear Norman, Yasher koach on your acceptance speech which I read in Panim el Panim. It was written bituv taam. I had lunch with Joe Lookstein in Tel Aviv, and he hinted that there might be good news about you soon. I hope so, for your sake and theirs. Is a copy of your paper: “The Quest for World Community Based on the Resources of Other Faiths” available yet? If so, I would like to see a copy, since I am speaking on a similar theme at a dialogue here soon. All good wishes, Yaakov