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…

Norman Lamm ’’RELIGION AND MORALITY," delivered on March 30, 1965 as first in a series of lectures on "The Philosophy of Synthesis" in honor of the Tenth Anniversary of Stem College for Women, Yeshiva University: The term "synthesis," which forms the major theme of this Tenth Anniversary series of lectures, is most characteristic of all that Yeshiva stands for: its ideology and its outlook upon the world. The term itself is perhaps not the most felicitous or propitious, I remember the endless debates during my years at Yeshiva as to whether or not "synthesis" is a "good" word. After we finished many of these discussions concerning nomenclature, we began to ponder the content of the concept Many of us never succeeded in obtaining an accurate Socratic definition of the term; but I think that all of us at least were able to intuit its true significance. Hence the term whatever our semantic scruples, ultimately will do "Synthesis" is more than a mere educational device by which we combine or juggle two sets of curriculum - one religious and one secular. The term also comprehends I a metaphysic, a vision of the fate and the function of the Jew in the modern world. This vision seeks to describe how the Jew can fit into the world without being absorbed by it; how he can retain his identity, his full religious and spiritual individuality, and at the same time contribute greatness and holiness to enhance and advance the general community of mankind. Furthermore, ’synthesis” is not a self-contained fact, a desideratum Which may be pursued and successfully accomplished. It does not mean that if you have gone through four years of Yeshiva or Stem that you have achieved ”synthesis.” ”Synthesis,” in the sense we shall be using the term, is a method, the manner in which you approach problems, how you orient yourself towards your Jewishness. ”Synthesis” is a way, not an accomplished and Isolated fact; a process, not an event.This evening I propose to discuss not ״synthesis” as it …

YU not only institution, also idea and symbol. Synthesis. The modern Orthodox Jew as expression of this educational philosophy. Not a comfortable proposition. Synthesis, living in two worlds at same time, always has concommigant tension. Therefore, never complete success. Tension revealed in famous story of early Rosh Yeshivah, who walking through the then new halls of Yeshiva College one morning greeted other faculty members who passed by: Good morning. Dr. Churgin, Dr. Revel, Dr. Mirsky, Dr. Belkin... then said to an student nearby: "Vos iz dos, a Yeshiva oder a hospital?"Origins: Medieval Spain Yeshiva of Rabbi Reines. Idea of Rav Kook on the sacred and profane having mutual roots in theholy of holies , and function of holy to sanctify profane, and all profane as the not — yet — holy. S.R. Hirsch — as follows, shortly.YU began as high school ( 1886) worked up to thirteen schools plus four high schools (in addition to the present one on tha Pacific Coast); more than 6,660 students, 1200 faculty.But more than double curriculum. Three great ninteenth century interpretations of a principle of Judaism are incorporated in Yeshiva. The principle is from Perek: the study of Torah is beautiful with derekh eretz.S.R. Hirsch — the educational — cultural interpretation.R. Hayyin of Volozhin — the intellectual - metaphysical interpretation.The Hasidic interpretation, which is the practical-existential.S.R.H. — Incorporated in student studying in Yeshiva and at same time, Yeshiva College, Stern College, the high schools.Hayyim of Volozhin — incorporated in Riets, and Kollel.Hasidic, with emphasis on out-going, practical effects of education, in schools such as TIM, TIW, Medical School, Social Work.Emphasize J.S.P. personal stories about Jeff Tillman and his questions about tfillin in afternoon.Thus too: CSD — educational servicing of synagoggues such as educational servicing NCSY youth groups, place rabbis.Has transformed American Judaism. Imagine American Jewry without YU.No…

דומני שעלי, כמרצה האורח הראשון, להביע את תודתנו מעומק־הלב לד״ר משה קופל וחבריו על שארגנו את הכנס הזה. אני מלא ביטחון, שבנס זה יצליח במלוא מובן המלה ושכל הדיונים בו יהיו בלי ספק בטוב טעם ודעת ובשכל בריא. הוזמנתי לפתוח את הכנס הזה בדברי ברכה, והברכה הכי מתאימה העולה בפי היא "ברוך שחלק מחוכמתו ליראיו", כי משימתנו בכנס זה הוא אכן קדושה ונשגבה. הכנס הזה הוא בבחינת ״אז נדברו יראי ה' איש אל רעהו" – אני מקווה שגם "ויקשב ה׳ וישמע". ובהביאי הערב דברי ברכה לכל המשתתפים והמקשיבים לכנס זה לכבוד ה׳, תורתו ועולמו, כדאי לציין עובדה היסטורית שכבר הטעים היושב־ראש: לפי מיטב ידיעתי, זהו האירוע הראשון שמשתתפים בו גם אנשי ישיבה יוניברסיטי גם אוניברסיטת בר־אילן; ודווקא באולם של "מכון גרוס" בירושלים, שהוא השלוחה של ישיבה יוניברסיטי כאן בארץ. סוף־סוף הגענו לידי שיתוף־פעולה שהוא לגמרי טבעי, וגם נתמניתי היום באופן רשמי שליח על־ידי עמיתי וידידי פרופ' אקשטיין, נשיא אוניברסיטת בר־אילן, להביא לכם בשמו דברי ברכה ועידוד.סימן טוב הוא שישנם אנשים בעלי שאר־רוח במוסדות אלה - לרבות "צומת", והחוט המשולש לא במהרה יינתק - רבנים, פרופסורים וחוקרים המתמסרים לנושא של תורה ומדע. ובזה אנחנו מביעים ומבליטים את הרעיון המקודש, המשותף לכולנו, הבא מטעם "היגיון" ו״צומת", והתם מטעם "המפעל של תורה ומדע". רבותי, לאלה שלא מכירים את ישיבה יוניברסיטי, עלי להודיע לכם כי במעט שעברו שלושה דורות או יותר שישיבה יוניברסיטי מחנכת את תלמידיה ותלמידותיה בתורה ובמדע, בלימודי־קודש ובלימודים כלליים. אלא שרק בשנים האחרונות החלטנו לא רק להעניק את השילוב הזה, אלא גם להתבונן בו, להבין אותו ולהסביר אותו גם לנו גם לאחרים. דעו לכם, שכאשר קראתי את הגיליון הראשון של "היגיון", נתמלאתי התפעלות ושמחה, וממש גמרתי עליו את ההלל. אני תקווה שאנחנו בארצות־הברית נזכה להכיר מקרוב את כל היקף עבודתכם כאן, וגם אתם בארץ תנסו להכיר את מה שאנחנו עושים.בעוד כמה חודשים נוציא לאור כשניים־שלושה כרכים על נושא של תורה ומדע, והקטן לפני שנה, או פחות, יצא לאור ספרי "תורה ומדע" בשפה האנגלית. גם יש לנו שנתון בשם "תורה ומדע דורגל" שזה עתה יצא לאור הכרך השלישי שלו. בנס זה יתן אפוא דחף חדש לפעולתנו המשותפת וישמש גם הזדמנות לא רק לחזק ולהתחזק, אלא גם להעשיר זה את זה ברעיונו…

At this time of jubilee reunion, instead of being satisfied with reviewing the past and indulging in self-gratulation over what we have accomplished in American and world Jewry and in the community at large, it is more constructive for us to turn to the future and speak about what we are planning for the years to come. It simply is too much to plan for the next 50 years, but we can and have planned for the next decade, for the 1980s. A vibrant institution must always plan, must always revise, must always reorganize. It may not, cannot, dare not stand still. And even if we do not accept this as a general institutional virtue, it is, under the present circumstances, an absolute necessity. American higher education, as we all know, has come upon very difficult times, and Yeshiva University has not escaped this “plague of the generation.” If anything, our situation is more serious because of our dual undergraduate program where, in effect, we give two educations for the price of one – or less. The key to the survival of this institution is financial stability. There are times when the “bottom line” must go to the top of the agenda. At such times we are called upon to be realistic, which means, in this context, to appreciate that we cannot do everything. This is truly regrettable; I wish that I could respond affirmatively every time an alumnus or a community leader or student calls me with a great idea. But if I responded affirmatively to all, we would get nothing done. What we must do is establish priorities – priorities that express and reflect our institutional goals and our institutional mission. You all know full well the mission of Yeshiva University, and it requires no iteration or elaboration by me at this time. Our mission is Torah U’Mada, “synthesis,” the full and total commitment to the study of Torah – the entire scope of Jewish studies – and the concomitant commitment to education, culture, and research. We hope that somehow in the hearts and minds of our s…

In many ways, this Samson Raphael Hirsch Conference at Yeshiva University is a historic occurence which is long overdue. It is a puzzle to me that Hirsch and his thought were never accorded a full course of study at Yeshiva when, to such a large extent, Yeshiva University is a proud fulfillment of his teachings. This event, therefore, is an act of mutual legitimation. The fact that Mrs. Hannah Schwalbe is a great granddaughter of the legendary Samson Raphael Hirsch, and that it is in her and her husband's honor that the professorship has been established by their family, is a happy omen for the future. If, in the realm of ideas, Frankfort and Washington Heights are really that close, can Broadway forever remain the "great divide" between Bennett Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue? Hirsch was one of the giants of German Jewry. As a leader and educator he was eminently successful. He was personally responsible for the flourishing Denkglaubigkeit — or "enlightened Orthodoxy" — that survives him to this day. Thoroughly Jewish, and also a completely modern Western man, he aspired to bring about a harmony between the two traditions and outlooks. He tried to formulate a Jewish Humanism, demonstrating that the Humanism so popular in the Europe of his day had Jewish roots. Hence, his superman, the Yisroelmentsch. And hence, too, his great educational program of synthesis under the slogan of Torah im Derekh Eretz. A word about nomenclature. I confess that I have never been very happy with either of the terms used to describe the Weltanschauung that both Hirsch and Yeshiva share. The term Derekh Eretz never seemed to me to be adequate because it is too broad — it admits of a large variety of interpretations, from business to conjugal relations, and therefore does not adequately describe the world of culture to which Hirsch meant it to refer. I am equally dissatisfied with the term Mad da, because it is too narrow — in modern Hebrew especially it refers to science, and the culture to…

Yeshiva University is exceedingly proud of its alumni, both men and women, in Israel: their idealism, their personal deportment, their families, their professional achievements, and their varied contributions to the State of Israel. I have met our graduates in every part of this country and they are engaged in a dizzying variety of professions and businesses. In all cases, they have given us cause for pride and "nachas."But these accomplishments are, for the most part, personal, the result of individual efforts and successes. What has been missing is the collective voice of the Yeshiva University graduates in the State of Israel.The time has come for Yeshiva University, through its alumni, to become a clear and articulate moral force in this country. Our alumni must become a cohesive group united not only by a common alma mater, but by a comprehensive Torah outlook which, without keeping to any party line, will be idealistic yet realistic, both youthfully energetic and mature, assertive but balanced, and combining enthusiasm with sanity.A wave of extremism is sweeping the world, and America and the American Jewish community have not remained unaffected by it. But the negative results are far more palpable and consequential in Israel for a number of obvious reasons: it is a smaller country; this is a highly politicized and informal society; people here suffer from a low threshold of frustration because of the accumulated military, political, and economic pressures; and the country lacks an established tradition of civility in public discourse.Yet, these are only explanations, not excuses. The situation is too serious to ignore when it sometimes seems, at least to this observer, that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.At times of this sort, we all stand under a holy imperative: do not let the center collapse!What Yeshiva has taught us, both in theory and in practice — the joining of Torah learning and Western culture under the rubric of Torah Umadda; the opennes…

Yeshiva University is exceedingly proud of its alumni, both men and women, in Israel: their idealism, their personal deportment, their families, their professional achievements, and their varied contributions to the State of Israel. I have met our graduates in every part of this country and they are engaged in a dizzying variety of professions and businesses. In all cases, they have given us cause for pride and “nachas.”But these accomplishments are, for the most part, personal, the result of individual efforts and successes. What has been missing is the collective voice of the Yeshiva University graduates in the State of Israel.The time has come for Yeshiva University, through its alumni, to become a clear and articulate moral force in this country. Our alumni must become a cohesive group united not only by a common alma mater, but by a comprehensive Torah outlook which, without keeping to any party line, will be idealistic yet realistic, both youthfully energetic and mature, assertive but balanced, and combining enthu­siasm with sanity.A wave of extremism is sweeping the world, and America and the American Jewish com­munity have not remained unaffected by it. But the negative results are far more palpable and consequential in Israel for a number of obvious reasons: it is a smaller country; this is a highly politicized and informal society; people here suffer from a low threshold of frustration because of the accumulated military, political, and economic pressures; and the country lacksan established tradition of civility in public discourse.Yet, these are only explanations, not excuses. The situation is too serious to ignore when it sometimes seems, at least to this observer, that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.At times of this sort, we all stand under a holy imperative: do not let the center collapse!What Yeshiva has taught us, both in theory and in practice—the joining of Torah learning and Western culture under the rubric of Torah U’Mada; openness to …

Beginning new year studies — Torah and Madda...Appropriate ask selves question that has not only theoretical but also existential value: what, if anything, relates them to each other in a substantive way, i.e., other than their existence in one curriculum at YU or being pursued by same student? There are, of course, a number of answers But today, at threshhold of a new year, I ish moral focus on one of them: the goal of both Torah and Mada.Torah: אמר רב: מה לי שחיטה מן ה3ואר\ מן העורף? אלא לא ניתנו המצוות אלא לגרוף .בהן את הבריות — thus: moral ends to Torah study.Secular Studies (מדע, דרך ארץ, חכמה). Same answer:גמ׳ ברכות די"ז . — תכלית חכמה - תשובה ומעשים טוביםThus: purpose all our studying = development moral character. Primary element: חסד — עשיית הטוב.Granted חסד as goal, question is: what is its roin human life? Is man fundamentally good or evil?' Is חסד an integral part of his nature, or is it acquired from wi thout?In Western thought, two major tendencies: Freud - the Id, libido — all יצר הרע. Jean Jacques Rousseau — "the noble savage", basically good, but society corrupts. Judaism: man possesses both propensities, יצ"ט ויצה״ר, and their struggle for conquest of his soul is the greatest drama of his life — his agony as well as his glory.However, that's not altogether clear. Question: we find man's penchant for evil in Genesis — יצר לב האדם רק רע מנעוריו, but what of his better nature, capacity?חסד, טוב forAnswer: that too. Commend insight of R. Yaakov Zvi Meklenburg, author "הכתב והקבלה" — we know man created in צלם אלקיט, but do we know about Him? Most emphatic in 6 days creation: כי טוב, His creation is good. But that's only creation; what of Creator?וירא אלקים = הראה אלקים.... כי טוב־ כי ה׳ הוא :9.Answerטוב ומטבע הטוב להטיב אל הזולת. Thus, since Gad is goad, and man is in His image, then man has goodness ingrained in him.Kabbalah: this quality is known as חסד —overflowing of טבע, kindness, existence itself.Thus, Halakhah: if happy at new acquisition, make…

It is with a mixture of personal pleasure and the poignant pain of nostalgia that I preside over this commencement which is the last official ceremony of our Centennial year – which has now lasted more than two years.... Last September, at the beginning of this academic year, I spoke at our formal Centennial Convocation and pleaded for greater awareness of moral values in education. Secretary William Bennett, who was present at that event, had been talking the subject up and down the nation, and Governor Mario Cuomo had just recently spoken in the same vein. Finding myself in such distinguished company from both sides of the political divide, I expected little passion in reaction to my comments, even when they were condensed in an op-ed page article for The New York Times.I was sorely mistaken. There was passion aplenty in both my supporters (who obviously were in the right...) and my detractors. My opponents, all from the academic community, were all high-minded, sophisticated, and articulate — but not always consistent. Thus, a typical response was that I was merely mouthing truisms to which no one could take exception, and hence I was really saying nothing, AND that my thesis was a disguised attempt at introducing denominational indoctrination into our universities. That the two propositions contradict each otherwas not apparent to my critics.More to the point, other critics, equally oblivious to the need for elementary consistency, asked why my values should be preferred to others, and continued to assert a basically relativistic ethos according to which all values have equal validity in the "marketplace of ideas," a theory which if pursued to its logical conclusion leads to moral nihilism. They then proceeded to assure me and their own readers that the academy certainly does act upon certain accepted moral principles, such as no murder, mayhem, robbery, or cheating. How nice.There is, however, a fundamental error committed by both sides in this national debate…