As this article goes to press, a committee of the U.N. has decided in favor of the internationalization of Jerusalem, and the newspapers inform us that it is probable that the assembly will also vote for internationalizing Jerusalem. Somehow, our faces are not shown and our spirits are not fallen as they were during those hectic days, 2 eps. ago, when the UN was debating the issue of the existence of a State of Israel.

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…

A) A news report – Jerusalem, N.Y.T. Pramlar B-G (to Knesset) – Sinai Peninsula (מדבר סיני) belongs to Israel under ancient historical mandate... "I hope that in the future we will not be forced by the Egyptian dictator to violate the commandment given to us 3300 years ago not to return to Egypt." B) Background – Forbidden to return to Egypt. Question whether conquest of Egypt by Israel permitted.

We who are gathered here today stand united in the cause of Israel and the advancement of the bonds that tie Jews everywhere to the State. Our interest in Israel is more than in just another piece of real estate first parcelled out to Father Abraham and repossessed by his heirs in 1948. If the State of Israel is precious to us, it is because the Holy Land is sacred to us. More than the nation’s domain, it is our religious home and the source of our spirit. When we invest in Israel, it is not only because it is wise, but also because it is a mitzvah – not only that the property of Israel gain in value, but that the people of Israel gain in stature. What we give of our substance, we receive in greater measure in our spirit. The bonds we buy and sell serve only to strengthen the bonds that link Jews to each other and all of us to God. Grant, O Lord, that we ever enjoy the pride we feel in Medinat Yisrael; that as the leaders of the UN gather in our city this week, they listen carefully to the echo of the message of universal peace and equality proclaimed by Thy prophets on Mount Zion; that all of us here gathered on behalf of the Bonds for Israel – and especially the gallant, public-spirited fellow Jew whom we have come to honor – and all Israel and all humanity be blessed with a year of health and happiness, inner tranquility, and everlasting peace. Amen. Almighty God, we ask Thy divine blessing upon all those here gathered – students, teachers, and guests – all mutually devoted to the cause of mercy. It is Moses who taught us that mercy is one of Thy major attributes, O Heavenly Father. It is therefore man’s noblest mission and loftiest ambition to imitate Thee and act with love and compassion toward his fellow man. Bless Thou those here assembled that they might take counsel together the better to be able to practice the art of mercy. Teach them to remain sensitive to the individual and his uniqueness; to listen not only to the heartbeat but also for the whisper o…

My Dear Rabbi Rabinowitz: Your manuscript on the problem of American Orthodox relations to the State of Israel finally arrived yesterday and I read it with great care. Needless to say it is extremely well done and clearly points to a major problem in the whole ideological structure of American Orthodoxy. This problem has bothered me considerably, especially after my visit to Israel when I returned from India six months ago. I myself feel caught up In the ambivalence that seems to characterize the whole posture of traditional Judaism in the United States. It is something that cannot be lightly dismissed. I think it requires very deep thought and profound analysis, and I suspect that the underlying motives are of a highly consequential nature. As a matter of fact, I am beginning to doubt whether there will be any "great debate" on this theme in our ranks. I fear that the problem is too deeply psychological in a collective sense to become the basis for a doctrinal dialogue which involves at least two clearly defined points of view.Space does not permit me to elaborate on my preliminary thinking on this subject. I wish we had spent more time together when you were here on your last visit. However, I would like to offer this suggestion: the dilemma, to my mind, is caused in no small way by the modesty of the original Zionist aspirations. Zionism dreamt of a State and now we have it – how after this fullfillment, are we still to entertain Zionism as a worthy goal?I believe that if all of Zionism had been geared to the messianic visions of a Kalischer or Reines, visions which transcended the political and social and were informed by a mystic and eschatological impulse, then Zionism would still be a dynamic reality for committed Jews today. This, of course, is in addition to the sense of frustration and disappointment which American Orthodoxy suffers when contemplating the secularism am of the Non-Orthodox elements in Israel and the refusal of so much of the right wing to …

Dear Rabbi Lamm: As usual, my husband and I were very much interested in your sermon last Saturday morning. We feel always so stimulated by your messages, except that we sense a certain aversion to Zionism every time you touch on the subject of Israel. Motivated by your call to the worshippers to speak up when they feel a wrong has been done, I am encouraged to take the liberty of commenting on your remarks in synagogue last Saturday morning. In the course of your sermon you criticized Ben-Gurion for choosing to spend his vacation to “meditate” in a Burmese Monastery. You implied that thereby he was betraying his own religion and setting a bad example for his fellow Jews. I am afraid the facts as presented were rather misleading because they were not given in the right perspective. This is especially unfortunate, as many of your congregants may not be acquainted with the events leading to Mr. Ben-Gurion’s action. You undoubtedly know that the coming sessions of the United Nations will deal with the Arab refugee problem and that these will be trying days for Israel, which will be subjected to a heavy barrage of attacks from all sides. You are also certainly aware that Israel has few, if any, friends. Mr. U Nu, who is a personal good friend of Mr. Ben-Gurion, is perhaps the only true friend Israel now has. He has invited Israel’s Prime Minister to be his guest, and as he has chosen to become a priest, his invitation was naturally extended to his Monastery. The present Acting Secretary-General, Mr. U Thant, is, as you know, a Burmese, and Mr. U Nu, though withdrawn to his Monastery, still has great influence on the representatives of his country and has earned the respect of many neutral countries. While the real reasons prompting Mr. Ben-Gurion’s acceptance of the invitation to Burma would not, of course, be stated publicly, it seems obvious that he is not going for the purpose of “meditating” or alienating his G’d, but rather in the interests of his people, trying …

א. בהתאם לנטייה המודרנית, אני מסתייג מ"אידיאולוגיה" ומ"שיטה" בעלת צורה שלמה וסיסטמטית. אני מזניח את הרעיון שהיהדות היא שיטה פילוסופית עקבית. בתור דרך חיים שניתנה לנו מסיני, יש לה הוראות וערכים מרחיקי לכת, ואפשר למצוא בה – על ידי ניתוח דק – כמה וכמה יסודות מחשבתיים לרבות פילוסופיים, אולם אין לנסות להתאימה למיטת סדום אידיאולוגית. מגמתי היא להכיר את העיקרים של היהדות התורנית כפי שאני מבינם, למיינם ולבררם. ב. לדעתי, ההלכה הפורמלית היא החומר היסודי להשקפת היהדות על האדם – השקפת עולם מצומצמת למסגרת אנתרופוצנטרית, וכל הוראה בתורת האדם צריכה לנבוע מן ההלכה. באשר למשנה תיאוסופית כוללת יותר, ההלכה מציבה גבולות – אף שאינה קובעת הוראה פסוקה, היא שוללת תפיסות שגויות מתוך סובייקטיביות או מדרש בלבד. ג. המעשה הדתי, כפי שהוא מוגבל על ידי ההלכה, משמש מסגרת ומכוון לחוויה הדתית. המעשה הוא המפתח לעולם הרוחני וכרטיס הכניסה לקרבת אלקים – ועם זאת, הוא גם המסגרת המובילה את האדם בדרך ישרה ומגינה עליו מן האנטינומיה. המינימום: תגובה לצו אלקי. המקסימום: גשר אל האינסוף – כדברי ריה"ל: "אין האדם מגיע אל הענין האלקי אלא בדבר האלקי". ד. ההלכה מושרשת במציאות – "לא בשמים היא" – ויש לה מנגנונים פנימיים להסתגלות, הדורשים אומץ קדוש. אולם אם ה"מציאות" היא הזיה סובייקטיבית, יש להגן על ההלכה מפני פגיעה. מכל מקום, הסמכות לקבוע היא בידי גדולי התורה בלבד. ה. השלב הראשון הוא "תורה עם דרך ארץ" (הרש"ר הירש), אך שיטתו אינה מייצרת דיאלוג פנימי בין קודש לחול. לעומת זאת, הראי"ה קוק ראה בקודש והחול שני ממדים של מציאות אחת – אין הבדלה נצחית ביניהם, אלא תהליך של קידוש החול. התורה לא רק "עם" דרך ארץ – אלא פועלת "על" דרך ארץ. חינוכו של קוק אינו רק חינוך אלא חזון קוסמי. ו. יש להשתחרר מן המיתולוגיה הרעיונית – גאולה, אתחלתא דגאולה, גלות – ולהכיר בכך שהעובדות ההיסטוריות והערכים הדתיים אינם משתנים על ידי פלפולים סמנטיים. מדינת ישראל אינה הגאולה השלמה – אך היא תופעה היסטורית חשובה. אם יבוא משיח ויתברר שהיא אתחלתא דגאולה – מה טוב; ואם לא – לאו. בכל מקרה, היא מדינתנו. ז. היחס אל הזרמים הלא־אורתודוקסיים: 1. אי אפשר לראות בתנועות הכופרות בתורה מן השמים יהדות דתית – העיקר הוא נאמנות להלכה. ההתבוללות אורבת מאחורי המילים היפות של קונ…

Dear Mr. Mayor: My good friend and associate, Mr. Z. William Wolfson reported to me about your very deep interest in the cultural welfare of our more destitute brethren in your city, particularly those in the Sephardic community. Please accept my sincere appreciation for your readiness to be of assistance to us in establishing the religious teachers' seminary in Haifa under the auspices of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. We are currently working on the details of this project, and you will hear further from us in the near future. I was especially pleased to hear of your interest in establishing an institution to train spiritual leaders for the Sephardic community in your city. I shall endeavor to look into the possibility of finding competent individuals who might assist you in accomplishing this objective. I eagerly look forward to meeting you and getting to know you personally, either on my next trip to Israel or in New York if you should plan to visit the US. I trust that such an association will be a [handwriting] one for our people. In the name of our three thousand congregations and their worshippers, please permit me to thank you very sincerely for your offer to help us in our undertaking. With every good wish for a happy and fruitful New Year, I am Sincerely yours, Moses I. Feuerstein

My Dear Mr. Zohar: Please accept my sincerest thanks, in which Mrs. Lamm and the children join me, for your kind and thoughtful gift and your generous sentiments on the eve of this new year. May G-d grant that this year be for you and your family one of health, happiness, and success, and for the State of Israel and all our people throughout the world one of peace, greater dedication to Torah, and serenity. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm.

Contents: A. Significant Dates – 1; B. The Young Rav Kook – 2; C. Israel's Love of God – 2; D. The Love of Israel – 5; E. The Non-Observant – 7; F. Our Modern Times – 9; G. Religious Poetry – 11; H. The Unity Theme – 13; I. Science and Religion – 15. Translators of Rav Kook’s excerpts: JA – Jacob B. Agus, The Banner of Jerusalem (NY: 1946); SB – Samuel H. Bergman, Faith and Reason (Philadelphia: 1961); LS – Leon D. Stitskin, "From the Pages of Tradition", Tradition (III:2); ML – original translations by Rabbi Lamm. A growing Hebrew literature on Rav Kook includes Shmuel Avidor’s The Man Against the Tide (Jerusalem: 1962). A. Significant Dates: Elul 6, 1865 – born in Grieve; 1880 – studies in Lutzin; 1881 – enrolls in Volozhin Yeshiva; 1887 – marries, moves to Ponovezh; 1889 – Rabbi in Zoimel; 1895 – Rabbi of Boisk; 1904 – elected Rabbi of Jaffa; 1914 – stranded in Europe; 1916 – Rabbi in London; 1919 – Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem; 1921 – Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land; Elul 3, 1935 – dies. B. The Young Rav Kook (Autobiography of Abraham Shoer, JA): Abraham Isaac’s diligence stemmed not from ambition but from piety. His absence from Torah study caused him genuine sorrow. During late-night study, surrounded by silence, he told me with mysterious intensity that perhaps our Torah alone was sustaining the world, tipping the scale of merit. On Tisha B’Av nights, he would cry bitterly over the Temple’s destruction. His love for Eretz Yisrael and longing for the Messiah were passionate and personal. When I asked why he cried so much during "chatzot," he answered simply, “I am a Kohen.” C. Israel's Love of God. 1. From Ikvei ha-Tzon (JA): Spiritual conceptions relate to nations in three ways: some are universal and holy, transcending national boundaries; others are universal in essence but vary in form among nations; and some are unique to Israel in both content and style. The love of God is rooted in Israel’s unique yearning for the dominion of the Divine Will. 2. From Eder Ha-…