When the Senior Class was preparing the plans for this evening, and the question of dedication presented itself, we found that there was only one logical choice as to the man whom we were going to honor this evening. Since the choice of a professor in either the natural or social sciences would have resulted in a rabid free-for-all among the students, we had to choose a man who was neither a strictly natural scientist nor exclusively devoted to the social sciences – a sort of happy compromise which automatically eliminated most of the faculty. Furthermore, democratic procedure required that, since most members of the class are unfortunately of Lithuanian extraction, the candidate had to be a chemically pure Litvak. Two more facts were crucial in influencing our decision. One, the fact that all members of the class are Jewish and, hence, have some interest in the Bible; and second, the astounding fact that we all are men. The four corresponding prerequisites, we found to our satisfaction, could be fulfilled by only one man. This man is not a natural scientist and also not exclusively a social scientist. He is an unadulterated Litvak, with the added distinction of having been a student at the Telsher Yeshiva. He is a Professor of Bible and, happily, a Dean of Men at Yeshiva University. In short, he is Mr. Samuel L. Sar.I must admit, however, that the decision to honor Mr. Sar was attended with some difficulty. And the crux of the problem was the very touchy fact I mentioned – Mr. Sar’s being a Litvak. Anyone who has attended any of his Thursday afternoon Bible classes this past year knows of the constant clashes and exchange of words between Mr. Sar and his few chassidishe students, of which I am one. And we Hasidim, though a minority, were seriously considering attaching one condition to the election of Mr. Sar. The condition was one which dared Mr. Sar to pronounce the sentence as a Jew would pronounce it: “ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם.” To which one of my Litvak classma…

Dr. Belkin, Honored Guests, Fellow Graduates, Friends: It is customary for the valedictorian to stress the idea that the class' four year stay at the college has been but preparation for later accomplishments; that the college has given the tools, but the actual forging ahead must come, as a result of individual efforts, in the years following, I find myself forced to adhere to this stereotype. Yeshiva, in the final analysis, is bound only to give us the raw materials necessary for that now-famous synthesis of Western civilization and Traditional Judaism which is the epitome of the ideals of this school. It is our duty to effect within ourselves this conciliation or harmony between the two cultures. It is generally conceded that one of the primary characteristics of Western civilization is science; that science, and especially technology, is the foundation upon which is built the edifice of modern Western civilization. Therefore, it becomes our interest to consider the juxtaposition of science and Judaism. However, I do not believe it proper to rehash, here, the ancient topic of science and religion. Much — very much — has been said, but little indeed has been done. Perhaps we should begin to emphasize the "doing” rather than the "saying”. The essence of Traditional Judaism, as we know it and as we would like to know it, is the Halacha. מיום שחרב בית המקדש אין לו להקב"ה בעולמו אלא ד' אמות של הלכה בלבד. "Since the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, Blessed be He, has in His world only the four cubits of Halacha”. And what is the Halacha if not the application of divinely revealed Biblical and Talmudic principles to empirical facts, to what William James called "the irreducible and stubborn facts" of Nature. As such, the understanding and correct practice of Halacha is necessarily dependent upon the development and success of scientific endeavor. Since the codification of Halacha, and particularly in the past on e hundred years, men have discovered more…

The success of my talk to you this evening is based on two things: the length of my mmemory and the shortness of yours. You see, after I had already notified your chairman that the topic of my talk would be, "Science and Judaism," or something of the sort, I remembered that about two years ago I addressed your Collegiate Group on this very topic, and by this time it was already too late to speak about something else since it usually takes me more than two weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. However, I know very well that those of you who heard me then have conveniently forgotten the bill of goods I was peddling and, besides, I believe that I really have something new to tell you. Since then many of thetheories I expounded have materialised into practical affairs.The border between Sc and Re has been pictured as a very tight one, and an adventure in the understanding of their relations to each other is as bad as walking on a tight rope; you take the risk of falling, on one side, into the biting witticisms of cynical scientists and, on the other side, into the pious rebukes hurled at you by self-proclaimed indignant Protectors of the Faith.So, if for no other reason than that of a risky adventure, we should find it interesting to know something of what is going on in this twin-planet of Sc & Re.True, we may be getting into hot water, but I believe in occasionally gettinginto’ hot water - it keeps you clean.^8^‘**^5*1 5^^י^■ ^^hi*־M — י-'I- The Speculative Conflicts. Copernicus, Galileo opposed by ChurchA Darwin and j[,־w . ^ a^ fo(u»1« ^*di^j ^^ ^״ajxvu • -4»111ץgeology by Jews too^ Long history polemics. Neither side clear in details whichis most important. In fundamentals, can be no conflict. Reply from religiousside ranges from stubborn denial to move one inch, though giving more figurativeinterpretation to certain parts Bible not against Judaism - Maimonides, others.Others marked by complete submission to utterance of any scientist regardless reliabilit…

Over a decade has passed since he was with us, a decade in which much has happened and in which the face of the world has been changed. During this lapse of time we have had the opportunity to view his life and death from a broader perspective, to submerge the minor details of his biography into the penumbra of our memory, and to bring out in clear and loving pastel-shades the more fundamental features of him and his life: in other words, the totality of Zeide. Perhaps the borders of the picture, the outlying regions of the mental portrait we have of him, are vague in the minds of many of us. But the central theme of the picture, the essential impression is, I believe, identical for all of us.I have been asked to speak to you, my family, on this occasion of his yahrzeit. I can do no more than, in a few words, attempt to transmit to you what I think is the important part of the picture or impression that I have of him. Perhaps this very gathering of his family to remember him so reverently and lovingly is one aspect of the immortality of his soul. For can we not say that he lives on and lives again when, for a time, he dominates our train of thought? Bio- logical or physical life is not the all of life. Man is a social animal, he lives among men, and therefore when he continues to occupy the minds and considerations of his fellows he cannot be said to have died in the full sense of that word. I dare say that Moses and Isaiah and Maimonides are more alive today than most of us. It is in this sense that I maintain that the gestalt of Zeide which hovers above us here, today, is alive in our memory of his indomitable warmth and essential humanity. We welcome him into our midst.I feel that it is unfortunate for me not to have known him more and better than I did. But those memories I do have, I cherish, and I hope you will allow me to share some of them with you.My very first memory of him - and I feel that the same is true for m…

Talk before Sisterhood, Young Israel Grand Concourse, Jan. 20, 1950: Unfortunate that title of talk is "Renaissance" etc. This word means, in plain English, "rebirth", and as we shall soon see, the continuity of J. lit. is such that it needs no rebirth, whereas J. Art has not really been born in the first place. However, shall accept it at face value. 1950. Half-century mark affords us opportunity to review the new literature which had its birth at the turn of the century and which now is at crossroads, its major crisis in its 50 yr. life. But, as said, J. lit. as such is undisrupted since Moses and Torah. Luick tracing of major outlines. Chumash, Tanach, Apocrypha, Mishna, Talmud, Geonim, Rishonim—philosophy—poetry—prose—mysticism, Achronim—responsa—mysticism—Hasidic—Mussar—Haskallah. Ahad Ha’am at his prime at turn of century, died 1927, can be regarded as paver for last 50 yrs of Zionism & lit. Bialik first true son of 20th cent. In this National poet find expression of the new era, swing fr. melancholy which caused almost pathological inaction w. regard to J. bitter fate, to young pessimism. The wide open fields synthesized w. nostalgia for Beis Hamidrash. Nationalistic aspirations. First poems appear, coincide approx. w. Herzl’s "Judenstaat", conversion of Rothschild by Ahad Ha’am to Zionism, to provide the dramatic setting for a revived J. dynamism, inspired by Prophets, which was to see fruition in 50 years, culminating w. declar. State Israel. Until contemporary period, most lit. strong nationalistic kernel, optimism—outdoors etc till contemporary period.The contemp period, the mid–cent, coincides w. Israel, which creates new problems for the literary talents of the new state. Lit, because it is the most articulate of the arts, is most intimately involved in the cultural, political, and social & economic issues as they evolve. Lit not only reflects them, it also directs. Our discussion of contemp, or as we call it "renaiss" of J. lit. must therefore…

When Rabbi Sturn and your Chairman asked me about what I wanted to speak, my first impulse was to say “about five minutes.” When this suggestion was rejected, however, I decided to choose the topic of “The Crisis in Contemporary Hebrew Literature.” The reason for my choice should be obvious. Here is a topic which has come to the fore as recently as this past Chanukah – a topic which has broad significance for all of us and which encompasses all the major cultural and social movements and all the political nuances which are shaping up in the great drama of Israel today. For literature is more than art. Art can, at the most, after all is said and done, only reflect the undertones of the civilization which produces it. Literature, however, is more than a mirror, more than merely an instrument which passively tells us what has occurred or what is occurring; literature can be and should be a dynamic force in the life of a people. It must direct, mold, create and shape the main current of the life of the society from which it springs. And the function of literature is even more pronounced when it is considered in the setting of a people whose lives have been renewed and reinvigorated by great national events and when this people stands at the threshold of a new era in history and does not know where to turn. It is confused, bewildered and perplexed. Its future social life, political orientation, religious form and cultural character are one big question mark. This, my friends, is Israel today. A nation on the verge of a great historical epoch, knowing that destiny has knocked on its door but not knowing where destiny wants or should want it to go. Such a situation is fertile ground for a man of letters with ideas and ideals. A literary movement sparked with zest and vigor can either lift Israel up to its former historical stature or can level it off until it is no more than a dull, near-Eastern replica of the disgustingly average inhabitant of this planet of ours. But be…

Over a decade has passed since he was with us, a decade in which much has happened and in which the face of the world has been changed. During this lapse of time we have had the opportunity to view his life and death from a broader perspective, to submerge the minor details of his biography into the penumbra of our memory and to bring out in clear and sentimental pastel-shades the more fundsmental features of him and his life, in other words, the totality of Zeide. Perhaps the borders of the picture, the outlying regions of the mental portrait we have of him, is vague in the minds of many of us. But the central theme of the picture, the essential impression is, I believe, identical for all of us. I have been asked to speak to you, my family on this occasion of his yahrzeit. I can do no more than, In a few words, attempt to transmit to you what I think is the important part of th picture or impression that I have of him. And perhaps this very gathering of his family to remember him so reverently and lovingly is one aspect of the immortality of his soul. For can we not say that he lives on and lives again when, for a time, he dominates our train of thought? Biological or physical life is not the all of Life. Man is a social animinal, he lives among men, and therefore when he continues to occupy the minds and considerations of his fellows he cannot be said to have died in the full sense of the woi I dare say that Moses and Isaiah and Maimonides are more above todt than most of us. It is in this sense that I maintain that the gestalt of Zeide which hovers above us here, today, 16 alive in oui memory of his indomitable warmth and essential humanity. We welcome him into our midst. I feel that it is unfortunate for me not to have known him more and better than I did. But those memories I do have, them I cherish, and I hope you will allow me to share some of them with you. My very first memory of him — and I feel that the same is true for my brother and many of my cousins…

O G-d of all men, bless this assembly here gathered to do honor to every citizen’s inalienable right to an adventure in the halls of learning. Bless, with Your charity, the officials of the government of the State and of the City of New York and the members of the Board of Education, through whose devotion and dedication to their high duty this ceremony has been made possible. O Fountain of Wisdom and Source of all Learning, endow the administration and the faculty of the school here to be built with the Divine gift of teaching their students the noble aspects of the cultures of humanity and the science of nature, so that these generations of citizens-to-come will understand that Nature is almost human, and Man is natural.Grant these educators skill, and understanding, insight and humaneness, teach them to teach others that Man must never become complacent and self-satisfied, but must constantly search for a better and higher life, so that their students will be pleased with their teachers and displeased with themselves.We beseech You, O Lord of the Universe and Origin of all Knowledge, to lend Divine aid to all those affiliated with this noble project, so that the school whose foundations we are laying today will be built around the framework of Democracy, grounded in the spirit of the Bill of Rights, reinforced with the indomitable pioneer-courage of our Founding Fathers, and will contain within it an atmosphere of learning saturated with faith in the Justice and Charity of G-d and loyalty to the constitution of thisour country. Amen.

Dear friends, unfortunately, I never had the honor of meeting the deceased personally. I never had the pleasure of seeing her and talking to her in the synagogue which she so loved. But one did not have to meet Mrs. Mary Bernard to know her. I never saw her; her reputation greeted me before she did or could. Like the luminaries of the heavens, of which the Psalmist writes, “There is no speech nor language; their voice is not heard, yet their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”—so with Mary Bernard. Though she did not sing her own praises from the rooftop or have them announced by publicity agents, yet her reputation and good works preceded her, and I knew her through them. In the office of the synagogue in which she worshipped, I was introduced to her parents. Browsing through some old yearbooks, I met her father, that venerable man with the tall yarmulke and well-trimmed beard, who, as one of the founders of Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun and one of its earliest presidents, must have had a considerable influence on the character, personality, and Jewishness of his beloved daughter. She indeed came from the aristocracy of Traditional Judaism, and she brought credit to that heritage. There I also met her children: I met her son, who is an active worker in the field of Jewish education, helping to advance the Religious School which his grandparents helped found and his parents helped develop. All I can say from her reputation as daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother is, “What a woman she must have been.” When we get down to the brass tacks of studying persons and personalities, we might say there are two types of people who respond to life and its changing conditions in totally different ways. There are people who are like willows in the field—when the sun smiles upon the earth, they stand proud and erect, a picture of good health and self-confidence. The warm rays inspire them with courage and cheerfulness. Yet no on…

We are come here to reverence the memory of those dear friends and associates who have departed this year. With tender affections, we commend to G‑d Almighty those souls whom He has called to eternal rest and peace. (List of names here?) Let it be said on their behalf that it was no small merit for them to be affiliated with a benevolent society. By this affiliation they have, in their lifetimes, indicated that they regarded, in creed and deed, that benevolence, gmilas chassodim, is the cornerstone of their lives.a^ G’CH is the distinguishing mark of Jewishness - not long nose, high brow, f*.חסן <(,<’«? - fj^zk ?^1(1 ^ t't'fik (*'$b) at a time when men - intrigue, conspiracy, fiendish weapons, diabolical atom and even hydrogen bombs, hatred and enmity, they tower head and shoulders above fellow humans because they preached and practiced the doctrine of G’Ch. H*״^/c) Death for such people not mere disappearance, erased from records, graveyard of forgotten history. ed) f<^^ J/c 10/v’i ....................... <o^ץ^(t.. AH>I YIJ'I Rabbis: "unto his people"means "each to his own type". Thise dead whom we today memorialize are gathered unto their people who, like Father Abraham, pursued carrer G’Ch, who made life ambition to serve others; ־who knew not only Charity begin at home, but Home begins woth Charity that benevolence is the road on which the children of Abraham can march to immortalitye) {׳y^ |f1 4&£*| . We who vow to continue this sacred work of benevolence; who regard G’Ch as a Service and Benevolence as a Worship of G-d, we welcome their souls to an honorable place of eternal and indelible memory in our hearts. They are gathered unto us.f) Those dear souls shall not be forgotten; the warmth and sentiment which filled their souls, the sacredness and Selflessness ■which guided their actions of benevolence, the dedication and devotion to G’Ch which raised simple men and women to the stature of messengers of mercy, shall forever be for us a G-d…