Dear Rabbi Lamm: When I saw you in Long Beach last week, you mentioned to me a Chassidic manuscript that came into your possession, and said you would be pleased to lend it to us. We are prepared to send a special messenger to pick it up, if you will be good enough to advise me as to the most convenient time. Needless to say, the manuscript will be well taken care of and safely returned. May I take this opportunity to again express my pleasure, and I am sure I speak for the whole audience, at the illuminating address which you gave us last week.Sincerely yours,Dr. Nissan MindelP.S. I can be reached by phone at (516) 432-5074.

Dear Col. Bar-On: I am most grateful to you for your kindness in sending on to me the corrected reprint of the article in which you were interviewed about your thoughts on emunah. I am genuinely sorry that I delayed my response until now, but I was caught up in the "Passover rush," and then left for England for several weeks, and as a result was not able to get to the article and the letter until now. I had, of course, heard a great deal about the article, and reading it was a supreme pleasure for me. I am quite astonished at how someone who was "outside the fold" and has turned back towards it, has succeeded so well in formulating an authentically Jewish religious response in the context of modern times. I can now very well understand the widespread repercussions of this interview, and frankly I think it deserves even greater dissemination than it has received heretofore.I believe that some time ago I sent to you, by post, several reprints of articles that I had written and in which I thought you might find some interest. Now, with special regard to your comments about the re-ligious situation in Israel, I have the pleasure to enclose a reprint of a popular article that I wrote (based upon a speech that I gave) upon my return from my recent visit to Israel in which I was fortunate enough to make your acquaintance.Permit me to make several comments on your interview, all of them in support of various points you made1• About the shallowness of popular rationalism that prevents 60 many people from even entertaining any notion of emunah: this is true not only for Israelis, but for Americans and people of other national-ities as well. The immediate and unquestioning use of the rationalist yardstick represents an interesting cultural lag in this day of instan-taneous electronic communication. Apparently, those who consider them-selves most ״modem״ have been by-passed both by events and advanced philosophical thinking.2• Your distinction between ”coming” and "returning" …

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Thank you for replying so promptly. I am sorry for imposing but I am glad to be reassured that our correspondence will continue. I am enclosing two small articles that I have written recently for publication and part of a letter to L. Jacobs. I would welcome any comments you may have. The letter to Maurice is a response to a rather critical letter he wrote in the Sussex University Jewish society magazine 'Exodus' after a talk given by my dear friend Smuel Lew. His theme was the irrelevance of מעשי המצוות & the narrowness of Judaism. Like every "with it" student, he came out with the superficial cliches that instead of worrying about donning Tephillin, we should concern ourselves with the true problems of life like Vietnam. Its the usual stuff students talk about, often to evade the responsibility of daily living which, by comparison(is not nearly so exciting – doesn't this comment sound rather reactionary!? Anyway,I have since met Maurice – he is a charming chap – and we had a nice long chat and we are good friends. Last week he went to Lubavitch centre to arrange for the sale of his Chametz and to collect some hand-baked matza. How's that for quick work?I was invited to speak at a weekend at Carmel College for 30 six formers from the J.F.S..Manny Klein is an orthodox teacher at the school and he organised the seminar and asked me write an 800 word article for the school magazine.The extract from a letter to L. Jacobs elicited no reply. He usually replies within about a week but the correspondence between us has since continued on other topics. It seems he doesn't want to discuss this particular subject by letter. I felt I had to tell him exactly how I felt about a number of his opinions.I am also including an article reprint written by Rabbi Lew some time ago. I would like to tell you about my attitude and attraction towards Chabad in some future letter. Although it doesn't completely satisfy me, I do derive tremendous inspiration from the Der…

Dear Michael: Mrs. Lamm and I are grateful to you for your post card and your letter containing a number of "Torah thoughts" from Lubavitch. I re-read them with great interest. I say: "re-read," because I get them directly from "headquarters." Unfortunately, I could not go to the י"ט כסלו celebration last night because I was lecturing elsewhere in the city. I know that to a devotee of your conviction this is a very lame excuse indeed, but I hope you will recognize that there has to be someone who, though sympathetic, is outside the camp, in order that all of you who are inside the camp can shine by contrast. Do let me know how you are getting along. My entire family joins me in wishing you a very pleasant and Happy Chanukah-and we look forward to seeing you again in the not too distant future. Cordially, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Michael: It was a pleasure receiving your ל"ג בעומר letter with the good news of the marriage of your sister. My most genuine wishes for מזל טוב and hopes that before long I may be able to extend the same kind of good wishes to you personally... Unfortunately, I have no immediate plans to visit Israel during this coming summer, and so I do not think it will be possible for me to meet you in כפר חב"ד.I was in England last week – for a weekend only in Bournemouth – and I too only heard then that Chaim Potok had spoken to the Lubavitcher dinner. However, I did not get the impression from the reports I heard that Potok was on the threshold of a Chabad conversion.Thank you for your comments about the Jewish Chronicle review of mv hook Faith and Doubt. I was amazed to learn that Friedlander, the reviewer, is a Progressive Jew and I am all the more pleased about the nice things he had to say about my book. As a reviewer he is, of course, free to express his own opinions even if they are critical and negative. I do think, however, that he was very wide of a mark by referring to my chapter on ecology as a "good sermon." It was heavily on both הלכה and מחשבה and, to my knowledge, such material is not the usual fare for sermons.I enjoyed the coincidence of the assignment that you received in school to read the Miranda Case. Perhaps you might be interested in reading the enclosed copy of the Garrity Case, two years later, on the same general subject. Here too the הלכה was cited in even greater detail.I hope all is going well with you and your studies. I do hope that personal matters will improve upon your forthcoming visit to the Holy Land.No, my son has not yet been sufficiently inspired to take up the violin. Hence, you owe another and longer visit in which I trust you will be able to exert more successfully beneficent influence on my son. How I would enjoy it!Do keep in contact Michael, and I hope that ere long you will have some good news to relate to me. Meanwhile, m…

לרב נורמאן לאם, ידידי, שלום וברכה, אני מאוד מקווה שאינך מתרעם עלי על העירוך בתשובתי. פשוט הייתי (והנני) כל כך עסוק שבקושי התפניתי למשהו, ומאחר שלא רציתי להשידך "סתם" דחיתי – כאומר אני מאד עסוקים כאן בכנסת, בחנימה, ובדעורים. במרכז ו"בשדה" בקושי נושמים. לכן גם נדחה את נסיתנו שתכננו לארה"ב ובעז"ה נקיומה בעוד מספר חדשים, ובודאי נספיק לשוחח על רק בא"פ בהיותך בארץ. להלן 2 נושאים משמפיה שלנו:

המאמר החז"לי "נתאוה הקב"ה להיות לו דירה בתחתונים" (בראשית רבה פרשה ל"ד ועוד במקורות חסידיים) מבטא רעיון יסודי בתיאולוגיה החסידית ובעיקר בתורת חב"ד: תכלית הבריאה איננה ב"עליונים", אלא דווקא בכך שהקב"ה רצה – בלשון "תאווה", ביטוי של רצון עצמי שאין לו טעם שכלי – שהאדם יכין לו מקום כאן בעולם הגשמי. "דירה בתחתונים" פירושה שהקב"ה מתגלה לא בעולם המופשט והנשגב בלבד, אלא דווקא בתוך המציאות החומרית והגופנית, כאשר היא מתוקנת ומזוככת על ידי מצוות, תורה ועבודת ה'. בניגוד לגישה הרואה את העיסוק ברוחני בלבד כתכלית, כאן מודגש שהגשמיות אינה מכשול אלא יעד – להפוך אותה לכלי לאלוקות.במקורות חב"ד מודגש שהשימוש במילה "נתאוה" מורה על רצון עצמי שאין עליו שאלה "למה", משום שהוא למעלה מטעם ודעת. כך גם מטרת הבריאה אינה נובעת מהיגיון אנושי אלא מרצונו העצמי של הבורא. עבודת האדם אם כן היא לגלות את האלוקות ב"תחתונים", לא לברוח מהם אלא לקדש אותם – לאכול בקדושה, לעבוד לפרנסה מתוך יראת שמים, ליחד גשמיות עם רוחניות.הרעיון הזה נעשה לאבן יסוד בחסידות: הדירה בתחתונים מתממשת בכל מעשה מצווה, וביתר שאת בגאולה העתידה, כאשר "ונגלה כבוד ה' וראו כל בשר יחדיו".רוצה שאסביר לך איך המושג הזה קיבל עיבוד שונה אצל חסידים שונים (למשל חב"ד מול פשיסחא–קוצק), או שתרצה שאבאר דווקא איך זה קשור לרעיונות קבליים על השתלשלות וצמצום?

Dear Rabbi & Mrs Lamm, Greeting from your Anglo-Saxon friends! It's a girl!! born on 14 July כ"ד תמוז at 11:50 pm is to be names שושנה – what a relief and excellent timing. Naomi attended the final speech day and promptly afterwards at 4:30 pm we despatched her off to Wallingford Hospital. ב"ה both are well and doing fine. Hopefully I will have some time this summer to catch up on my vocational delights: fiddling, reading, writing & being with my wife & family for a שבת (what a change!?) I would like to send you some ideas on חב"ד for your forthcoming book & if you give me a few weeks I'll be writing a longer letter.May I in the interim make one suggestion. You seem to want to cover a tremendous field within the confines of one book and yet at the same time to resent the profound Hasidic ideas which will require concentrated thought and study. You mention that you don't want to adopt the anecdotal style of Buber or non existentialist/but academic approach of Schulem. If your format is to be selected passages from classical texts & commentary, won't you need to be either highly selective in what you choose or compete with the 8 vols. of שט"נמן on באר החסידות.Anyway be that as it may, I would like to write to you my favorite stories, ideas on חב"ד.The merger between junior/sen school goes ahead in September. I'll be teaching English & social studies across the board & a Rabbi Kelman (a talmid of yours?) is coming to join the staff.With fondest wishes from the Tabor trio to the Lamm sextet, I end with an observation of the previous Rebbe on the state of wester & particularly American society: He says that in America the מחלה is איך מאג, איך קען but the chassidim of old used to say:וואס מען קען זיט – קען מעין זיט אבאר זיט אלס וואס מען מאג בדארף מען טאןThose were the days ...?!כידדות עוזמיכאל תי

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Greetings! Many thanks for your good wishes on the birth of שושנה, who is thriving. School starts again in a few weeks and before the pressure begins again I have written out some suggestions re the writings of the נשיאי חב"ד which I hope will be of some use in your search for suitable material. As you can see (and please note for future correspondence...!?) we have moved into a house on the campus and slowly getting organized. We didn't go away this summer but remained in the splendid isolation of interterm Carmel – I've enjoyed the peace and opportunity to read and practice altho' Naomi misses town life quite a bit – but as you said some months ago marriage is constant interaction and adaptation on both sides...Well I bid you and your charming wife & family (what are your kids doing now – I especially remember your daughter (youngest!?) who did a little dance for me – are your other children studying?]The seasonal greetings: כתיבה וחתימה טובהמיכאל ת'General Books & Ideas [mostly published by Kehor – or obtainable from your other Luby inclined friends & acquaintancesספר המפתחות – useful cross red & index of of ideas within literatureספר העררים – Encyclopedia – out a few years ago (1971?) I think only first vol is up to א!אור החסידות – brief summary/outline of basic concepts – some beautiful summaries of חב"ד by the נשיאי חב"ד.* על ספר החבדית – collection of short essays on major חב"ד books.The Tzemach Tzedek & Haskalah movement – interesting reading on background of fierce kultur komph & intrigues of Haskalah ideologists/missionaries'.On Teachings of Chassidus, On Learning Chassidus, קינטרס לימוד החסידות : transl by Z. Posner of two booklets by previous Rebbe.Deals with questions of how its possible to 'understand' theological concepts of chassidut. I found the 2nd part very interesting bringing parallels from other intellectual disciplines – different of comprehension:[P.27]הפשטה = עליית המשיג אל המושגהלבשה = המשכת וירידת …

Reading through the recent issue of Tradition I note that you continue to pursue your interest in Chassidism and are presently engaged in compiling an anthology of Chassidic teachings. I myself recently started work on a similar project, but who knows when I will be able to finish it. (Incidentally, Louis Jacobs from London informs me that he has just completed a similar anthology for Behrman House.) In any case, it is important that people who understand and appreciate Chassidism positively will finally take over the "academic field" of it to negate the distortions and misrepresentations of people like Buber and Scholem et al.