"The dear deceased, whom we mourn with such grief today, was known not only for his great benevolence to the unfortunate," the young Rabbi cleared his throat loudly, while raising his right hand for effect, "but also for his high degree of sportsmanship." The mourning audience was visibly affected, something the young Rabbi noticed with a deep feeling of satisfaction, and amid the loud assents which the mourners poured forth from their bereaved systems, he heard one mourner moaning illustrations of the deceased's sportsmanship with a reference to the time the deceased returned to his brother-in-law the twenty-odd dollars he had legitimately won from him in a game of pinochle. The Young Rabbi glanced at the draped coffin in front of him keeping his stare frozen at the sad enclosure before him long enough to force a lone tear out of each eye. Yes, he was in good form today. His new black homburg matched perfectly with his jet-black eyebrows and moustache. The moustache was a new addition to his smooth physiognomy, and it was the one thing he adored more than his homburg which he wore every Sunday to the funerals. This moustache, the Young Rabbi observed cheerfully, was not the common geometric kind which bore a remarkable resemblance to a pair of 30–60–90 right triangles drawn side to side. It was, rather, a sort of pencil-line affair which closely followed the contour of his upper lip. The Young Rabbi preferred this type of moustache, since it would emphasize and exaggerate every facial expression in which the upper lip played an important role. Every few minutes he would pass his right hand over this sacred spot between his nose and upper lip to reassure himself that he was presentable to his audience. It was a difficult thing to speak to funeral audiences these days, and he had to supply what his "flock" demanded. Anything but the black homburg, dark gray suit and rimless eyeglasses was unthinkable. "Yes", he humorously told himself, "the Modern Rabbinate is the f…

Dear Rabbi Lamm: With reference to your inquiry may I state first of all that we in the Rabbinical Council deem you an authority on Halachah and that as Moro D’asro of your community you are the authority to decide all questions of Jewish Law and it is within the province of your prerogative to make the decisions which need to be made. We know that whatever decisions you make will always be based upon Halachah without any deviation from its principles. With regard to the specific items under discussion, our Halachah Commission has on numerous occasions studied the various facets of the problems and has always come to the conclusions that: The ״mechitzah״ is an integral part of the synagogue and is ordained by the Halachah. Its absence reflects upon the synagogue as a sanctuary and deprives it of the ״Keddusha״ which differentiates it from another building. A house of worship must according to Halachah have a separation between the sexes in order that it might be a suitable place for worship. There can be no other opinion on this in the Halachah.On the question of microphone, may I say that our Halachah Commission considers the use of a microphone on the Sabbath a forbidden act involving issurim proscribed in the Torah.I am confident that because your authority and scholarship are recognized that the decisions which you will make will be accepted without questions.Kindest personal regards.CordiallyRabbi Israel Klavan

I have no doubt that most of those who have glanced at the question in the title have already answered it – in the negative. The majority of even orthodox Jewish parents, and of yeshivah students themselves, are not receptive to the thought of the rabbinate as a full time career. Unquestionably, one of the more important reasons for this attitude is the confused idea most of us have of the typical rabbi. A number of mutually inconsistent and undefined images compete for our conception of the rabbi today. Because of a cultural or psychological lag, there is one s'creo- type that often dominates our think- ing. It persists stubbornly in the re- cesses of our unconscious although we know, on the conscious level, that real flesh-and-blood rabbis bear very little semblance to that unfortunate image. This is the woeful picture of the pious rav, who struggles valiantly to make ends meet, hopelessly out of touch with “real life,” and whose people treat him respectfully but patroniz- ingly. Despite the fact that this kind of rabbi has been superseded in the past decades by a far different sort of rabbi—more assertive, more confident, receiving respect without a trace of condescension—this impression does have a hold on the minds and mem- ories of some parents whose personal December. 1960 experiences in the early part of this century discourage them from con- sidering the rabbinate for their sons. The yeshivah student who rules the rabbinate out of his future is moti- vated by a quite different stereotype, one which bears a greater resemblance to reality, but is still a distortion, for a modern rabbi need not necessarily conform to it. Paddy Chayefsky cari- catured this type in his “The Tenth Man"—a smooth, suave, disillusioned, philistinic young religious functionary. The intellectually honest and idealistic student of any of our many yeshivoth feels an abhorrence and disdain for this kind of imitation-rabbi who spends his life in a weird nightmare of flat- tery, submissi…

רב וידיד מאד נכבד, מאשר אני קבלת מכתבך מעש"ק פר יתרו – ומקוה בהתאם למכתבך שהענין יסתדר בקרוב. אשמח גם לקבל את חות דעתך בקשר לסידור הרב בהודו – אם אושר התקציב על ידי האוניון ובאיזה גובה, ואם אפשר לשלח את הרב לשם כשימצא האיש המתאים. הרעיון על בן ישיבה שישתלם נראה לי. נראה לי אבל זה לא פותר את הבעיה הדחופה. אשר לבר מצוה רצוי שתשלח לי את רשימת הילדים הנכנסים השנה לגיל המצוות. השם, הכתבת, והשבת ונשלח לך בשבילם תעודות בר מצוה מירושלים מהר-ציון ונחברם עם ילדים בני בר מצוה הנכנסים באותה שבת גופא למצוות בישראל. אשמח לשמוע ממך. בכבוד רב, ד"ר ש.ז. כהנא, המנהל הכללי.נ.ב. כך הנני להודיעך שהרבגוסהולד לא נמצא כעת בארץכך האינפורמציה שלי אינה שלמה.

Dear Bentley: I am writing to you at this time to inform you of my feeling regarding the Calli Bill which has been introduced in the Assembly. This bill would leave it to the Secretary of Agriculture to determine what is a humane method of slaughter of animals. Frankly, this position is unacceptable. We Jews have had a long and sorry history with regard to efforts to curb Shechita under the guise of humaneness. This particular bill does not have adequate provision for the handling of cattle prior to their slaughter. I would, therefore, strongly urge you to do whatever you can to see to it that the bill does not become law.Thank you very much. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm

The Assembly Codes Committee will hold a public hearing on the Sabbath bills introduced by myself and others on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, at 2:00 P.M. in the Assembly Parlor in the Capitol. I shall be pleased to see you there, or you may send a statement of your position to Assemblyman Julius Volker, Chairman, Assembly Codes Committee, Albany, New York. Assemblyman Bentley Kassal

Dear Assemblyman Volker: As the rabbis of a most important Orthodox Synagogue in Manhattan, we are naturally quite concerned about any legislation which might affect the ability of our congregants, together with Orthodox Jews throughout the city and state, to observe our Sabbath in the manner prescribed by millennia of Jewish law and tradition. As you are well aware, the Blue Laws have a discriminatory effect on observant Jews. We, therefore, are most anxious for provision to be made by the Assembly to enable religious Jews to pursue their livelihood without harassment.It is for this reason that we respectfully urge you to do all within your power to support the Sabbath bills currently being introduced by our Assemblyman, the Honorable Bentley Kassal, and others.We need not emphasize that we speak not only in our behalf but in the name of our entire congregation.Sincerely yours,Rabbi Leo Jung

Dear Congregant: Your vote is urgently needed to defeat proposed legislation in the New York State Senate. If all of us do not participate, we place ourselves in great jeopardy of not being able to slaughter kosher meat. The proposal of Senator Conklin and Assemblyman Calli places stringent restrictions on the hoisting, shackling, and slaughtering of animals in conformity with traditional Jewish law. It is shocking, indeed, to read proposals made in the legislature of this state which, if adopted, would violate the religious conscience of one-fifth of its total population.The Jewish religion clearly and unambiguously instructs the most humane treatment of animals. The Federal Department of Agriculture could find no inhumanity in the preparation of kosher meat.It is thus doubly shocking that the State of New York should try to enact the most flagrant anti-Jewish and anti-religious legislation under the guise of humaneness.In order to defend our rights as Jews, I urge you to write the following three legislators. You may use the suggested texts or any one of your own choosing.The Honorable Speaker Joseph Carlino Speaker of the Assembly; Albany, New YorkDear Sir:We urge that you use your good offices to oppose the Conklin Bill, because it will directly hamper and curtail the Jewish humane and ritual slaughtering of animals, and will not allow us to practice the freedom of religion guaranteed to us by the United States Constitution. We will not accept the passing of this bill gracefully.The Honorable Senator William T. Conklin Albany, New YorkI, as a Jew, vigorously oppose your bill, because it is directly opposed to the practice of freedom of religion. Your bill is in direct conflict with the teachings and practices of my faith. I appeal to you to withdraw this unfair act. We are entitled to perform, without interference, the ritual and humane slaughtering of animals according to the laws of our religion. We will not accept the passing of this bill gracefully.The Hono…

Dear Sol: I understand that the question in Albany concerning the Blue Laws has been postponed. May I suggest that you notify me and all other members in New York sufficiently before the bill is again considered in the Senate and the Assembly so that we may conduct a letter-writing campaign in our individual synagogues. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm.

Dear Manny: The Jewish Center this week sent out requests to the entire membership to write to the Assembly and Senate concerning Shechita legislation, as you will notice in the enclosed sheet. I would like to ask you to do Rabbi Jung and me a favor. A certain Mrs. Wilhelm Schupp, 322 Central Park West, New York 25, N.Y., is a strong proponent of the Conklin Bill. She is, however, an open-minded person (a Jewess married to a liberal Lutheran). She has informed Rabbi Jung that if the merits of the opposition to Conklin can be explained to her, she will be glad to take up the cudgels on our behalf.Both Rabbi Jung and I would be grateful to you if you could contact her and, very briefly, in a personal meeting, explain to her our reasons. If this is impossible, could you mail to her all the relevant material explaining our point of view?My very best to your wife.Sincerely,Rabbi Norman Lammcc: Rabbi Jung