My dear Norman: Thank you very much for your lovely note. I wish I could answer it in Hebrew, but my dictaphone doesn’t understand the language. Of late I have had to resort to a dictaphone. That’s how heavy correspondence has been. I am glad that you found the article interesting. As a matter of fact, I am now translating it into English, and it will be ready very soon. Maybe, you have some idea as to how it can receive the prominence that I would like it to receive, not for my own honor but for the sake of the University.Thank you also for the lovely "good word" that you conveyed in your letter. It certainly fits the subject that I discussed.I want to thank you for sending me the "Spring Piyyutim" published by the Center. I envy you that your congregation did it. I had it in mind for a long time. As a matter of fact, not only these "Piyyutim", but "Selichoth" and other supplementary prayers really beg for proper publication, proper translation, and proper rendition. Maybe, one of these days something will be done about it.Thanks again.Very cordially yours,Joseph H. LooksteinJHL:js

Dear Mr. Gottesman, I have prepared the enclosed letter and return postal card, with the approval of Rabbi Jung in an attempt to improve our minyan attendance. This has been done with the understanding that you will be kind enough to lend your services to the endeavor. Previous experience has shown us that a follow-through by the Ritual Director or Executive Director simply does not work. Our laymen will have to be contacted, by a fellow layman. I feel that whereas some work will have to be done to get the initial agreements of our membership to the project, afterwards it will be able to work more or less automatically, supervised by either one of the two people mentioned above. I would like you, first, to make one decision: do we solicit every member of the Center, and therefore try equally hard to enroll each and every one in our project; or do we concentrate only on those who most likely will give their consent? If we decide to contact every member, then the letter can stay as is. If not, then the first sentence of the fourth paragraph must be changed, substituting the word "You" for the underlined words in that paragraph. I leave that decision to you. Please inform me as soon as possible of your decision. I do not think it proper to proceed on the whole project, unless we can be sure there will be significant follow-up. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Green: Rabbi Jung and I are very grateful to you for having presented a luminous example of consistently punctual attendance during the two weeks of your "Jewry duty." May I hope that in good health and spirits you will be able to perform a similar Mitzvah for many years. With warmest wishes to you and your dear ones, Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm cc: Mr. Julius

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I have been attending services at the Jewish Center on an irregular basis for many years, however your sermon on the first day of Passover is the first to stimulate me to comment. I would like to comment at the start that I definitely agree with your theme. There is no questions in my mind that prayer to most people today is little more than recitation of what is given to them in the prayer book, and sincere expression of emotion and devotion seem to be lacking. But I think that the powers that supervise the service but accept a large amount of responsibility for this situation. I will cite one example to illustrate my point on this has been bothering me for quite a long time.

My dear Rabbi Lamm נ"י, When I read your article, "The Religious Implications of Extraterrestrial Life" in the l965/66 Vol.7-8 issue of Tradition it came to my mind how Gabirol in his כתר מלכות tried, in his own way and partly, based on the available knowledge of his time, to "penetrate" the great mysteries of the Universe. It was my intention to write to you soon after I had tried (to use the same word) "to penetrate" and to understand your 'flight' into outer space. But, as it happens so often, my letter then to be written to you, remained unwritten – until now.I was, however, reminded of that intention when I happened to see, in a recent New York Times Sunday edition, an article about Saturn and its "rings" and "moons".(All this is completely beyond the scope of my knowledge. Young students may learn and know more about such phenomena than the older generation to which I belong).I opened Gabirol's great hymn of which he wrote in his introductory words: ספרתי בה פלאי אלי חס and I wondered whether it would not be worthwhile, in connection with your above-mentioned essay, to present to the readers of Tradition an analysis of כתר מלכות, both his amazing insight into, and interpretation of, extraterrestrial areas, but also his brilliant, though somewhat flowery effort to cross the bridge from our human-Jewish existence to the mysteries of G-d's creation...לב הסודות אשר לא יכולים שבח ורעיוןI thought the idea might interest you. Since you wrote the article about "The Implications etc.", I could think of no one who would be better qualified to write, so to speak, a continuation of that venture into the Unknown, just as Gabirol did in his own days.We had the custom to read at least part of כתר מלכ' at the very end of the כל נדרי Service, The Rodelheim Machzorim have it preserved for those who still want to find in it a source of inspiration. And is it not indeed in a way closer to us today in our "famous" age of space exploration?...I suggest that such an article on Gabi…

Dear Norman: Upon catching up with my correspondence; since I left on June 1, 1971, and being occupied before then, I found a communication from you in reference to S'Lechos Services. There is no question which I wish to raise concerning when the Services should be held. There are many, who observe various Minhagim, over which we have no control. The change of the Minhag of the individual congregation requires much more than a statement by one; or even several. As difficult as it is, I shall continue to maintain the MinHag of Ohab Zedek to have S'Lechos Services after midnight; Rabbi Zevin to the contrary notwithstanding. It is my thinking, based on Halachic background, that you will be better off having S’Lechos Services in the morning rather than at 9:30 or 10 p.m. Saturday night. I am sorry that you have decided to have the Jewish Center, as well as Lehilath Jeshurun schedule their S’Lechos Services for 10 p.m. on the evening of September 11th, because I cannot agree with you in your thinking. With kindest personal regards, I am

My dear Rabbi Jung: From a letter that I received from you regarding the Kashruth Board, I imagine that you are back in town, just as I am back on the job. I have a feeling that Rabbi Lamm is not yet back in the city. That is why I am troubling you with the enclosed copy of the letter which I received. I do not take seriously the observations of Rabbi Adams on the subject of an earlier Selichoth service. I am only anxious to find out if the Jewish Center is still abiding by its decision, and Kehilath Jeshurun will follow your example. All good wishes to you and to the entire family for the New Year. Very cordially yours, Joseph H. Lookstein

The following items concern services and you may want to comment on them to me before I raise them at the Cabinet Meeting. (1) The new Cantor. I would like to do away with the cantorial robe and have him wear formal clothing, the same as the Rabbis and officers. (2) A reminder to the officers that each must wear a kittel on High Holidays. (3) Discuss, once again, the long Yizkor reading on Yom Kippur, and possibly schedule an official recess, thus hopefully avoiding the situation whereby most of the congregation is absent during the Avodah and most of Minchah.Simchat Torah: a new system is very much needed to avoid the chaos that prevails at present. Instead of calling up members by reading off the list, perhaps a system whereby we distribute cards on a first-come, first-serve basis.Please do let me know your feelings about these matters.

Dear Harvey: I have contacted four people who, together with yourself, will constitute the committee to implement the ideas we discussed concerning minyan attendance. All of them agreed that they would await your phone call, attend the meeting, and divide the names of those who are likely candidates to attend either once a month, in response to your “Choose a Number from 1-30” plan, or more often, such as a two-week period during the year, or once every week. I suggest that you call the meeting and make sure that either Rabbi Wermuth or Cantor Wietschnr attend together with you. Rabbi Wermuth will prepare for you a list of likely candidates who should or will respond to such an invitation. Your committee can then divide up the names and make the calls. You ought to decide upon a common approach to the people who are called. The five people who are awaiting your call, and who have agreed to serve, are as follows: Sol Gold (home number: SU7-5668; business number: 787-7815), Irving Kobrin (home number: 787-1087; business number: SW5-2100), Sam Scher (home number: TR7-3578; business number: 873-4160), and Abraham Tennenbaum (home number: SU7-0756; business number: WA5-1020). Please let me know what progress you make, and thank you ever so much for volunteering to head up this committee. Warmest regards to Jane. Cordially yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm.

Dear Dr. Lamm: May I herewith inform you that it is our intention to publish your article replying to Dr. Twerski’s “Open Letter” in the form that you submitted it, with no changes. You understand, of course, that Professor Twerski reserves the right to respond to your article in the same issue. Our mutual good friend, Rabbi Yehuda Parnes, indeed does serve us well. It would be inaccurate, however, to say that he transmitted our “invitation” to publish your reply; it would be more accurate to say that we agree to publish it. Cordially yours, Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Editor