Editorial Staff of the R. C. A. Quarterly. 1. Name of Journal. Please indicate to me your preference as to name for the journal. At our last meeting we narrowed it down to the following: Tradition, The Traditionalist, Ideas, Reflector. Let me know which is your first choice, second etc. Also, a sub-title is needed. How about somthing like this: A Quarterly Journal of Orthodox Jewish Opinion, A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought and Opinion – or some such combination? 2. Assignments. Please remember to follow through on the following "assignments" we voluntarily undertook at our last meeting. *Fox – to contact S. R. Weiss, D. Shapiro, N. Primmer for articles. Also Twersky of Boston and the Rav on his own contribution and on the Wurtzburger piece. *Lander – to contact Wouk, R. Chayim Zimmerman, and the group of Orthodox social workers. Also – contact Irving Agus, and remind Dr. Belkin of his contribution before he leaves for Pesach.*Rackman - submit own draft of article, and contact technical assistant from Columbia U. press.*Klavan - contact Rabinowitz (S. Africa) and Rabbi Kasher for articles.PLEASE ANSWER ME ON #1 aS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND GET TOWORK ON # 2.WE HAVE TO GET THIS THING OFF THE GROUND ONCE AND FOR ALL.

“Tradition” is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and maligned words in our contemporary vocabulary. It has been misconstrued by some as the very antithesis of “progress” and as a synonym for the tyranny that a rigid past blindly imposes upon the present. For others the word evokes different associations. Tradition becomes for them the object of sentimental adoration, the kind of nostalgic affection which renders it ineffective and inconsequential, like the love for an old and naive grandmother — possessing great charm, but exercising little power or influence. What then do we mean by “tradition,” and why have we decided to publish a journal by that name in an age when man has broken the shackles of gravity and is on the verge of the conquest of the heavens themselves, an age which seems to have broken completely with the past which nurtured it?By “tradition” we mean neither a slavish adherence to old formulas, nor a romantic veneration of “the good old days” which strips the past of all meaningfulness for the present. In our conception of “tradition” we do not concentrate exclusively on the past at all. The word itself comes from the Latin tradere which means to hand down, to transmit, to bequeath. Similarly, its Hebrew equivalent masorah derives from the root מסר which means “to give over.” The focus of Tradition is, then, the future and not the past. “Tradition” is thus a commitment by the past to the future, the promise of roots, the precondition of a healthy continuity of that which is worthy of being preserved, the affirmation that the human predicament in general, and the Jewish situation in particular, are not frighteningly new, but that they grow out of a soil which we can know and analyze and use to great benefit.What, exactly, does this “tradition” consist of, this “tradition” we want to “give over” to our readers, to our future? It is the cumulative historical experience and wisdom of the people of Israel and the totality of its divinely revealed ins…

Dear Mr. Charikar: Please do not think that I have forgotten you or any other of the youth group. I shall always remember your enthusiasm and be grateful to you for your wonderful gifts. Our UOJC office shall be in contact with Mr. Jifrad about all matters, including youth. Meanwhile, I am submitting all the material, including your requisition request and Mr. Malyankar’s speech, to Rabbi Stolper of the UOJC who is in charge of all youth activities. You shall be hearing either from him directly or through Mr. Jifrad in the future. I do hope you will give my very fondest regards to all your colleagues on the youth group. You have begun some wonderful work. May God bless all of you with the strength, health and enthusiasm to continue to strive for these great ideals which all of us Jews together share. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Rabbi Cohen: I hope you will excuse me for writing in English, but I have no secretarial help in Hebrew and my correspondence is too much for handwriting. I want to thank you for the opportunity you afforded me to meet with your illustrious father, may he live and be well. It was a most unusual experience talking with him and I was most appreciative of his wisdom. I have asked Mr. Peli to mail to your father the copies of Panim el Panim containing my articles. I am most curious as to his reaction and would appreciate hearing from you about it. Similarly, I was most happy to make the personal acquaintance of Rabbi Goren. I am well aware of his writings and especially those printed in Tradition. This will be the second or third time that I have directed the office of the Rabbinical Council of America to make his articles available in translated versions for our American readers who do not always master Hebrew. The forthcoming issue of Tradition on Passover will contain a summary of one of his articles. Please give both your parents and your brother-in-law my fondest regards. As soon as I returned I called Rabbis Goldstein and Reichel to convey your good wishes to them. May I remind you that we had agreed to enter into a complimentary exchange subscription between Tradition and all publications of the Bar Ilan Bet Midrash Institute. If this is the proper time to institute this arrangement for review, I shall see that they are assigned suitable individuals for such reviews. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Isaac: Thank you very much for sending me your heavily ironic article concerning the German sense of guilt. I enjoyed reading it very much – i.e., I enjoyed the literary quality whilst reacting with anguish at the content. My frank opinion is that the article should be circulated privately, but not printed. The reasons you give in your note to me are entirely correct. Irony is understood only by more intelligent people. Most individuals will simply fail to see your point and attribute to you ideas which are diametrically opposed to those you are really trying to enunciate.With all good wishes.Sincerely,Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Walter: Enclosed please find the remains of my stewardship of "Tradition." It gives me a sad feeling, upon sending them to you, to know that henceforth I shall no longer experience the pangs of panic, hysteria, and utter disgust at the quality of material received. I regretfully bequathe these redourbtable experiences to you. I met with Larry this morning and, as a result I am mailing to you the following consisting of: a number of rejected articles (for use in absolute emergency only) and, I suggest, after first contacting the author for permission; some correspondence with a number of people you may want to contact for articles; correspondence relating to reviews and articles promised but never received and other sundry material).Also, please include in your next issue some note of "books received", i.e. books which are inappropriate even for a "briefly noted". In them, please include Baruch Spinoza’s Principals of Cartesian Phil." newly translated by Harry E. Wedeck with a preface by Dagobert D. Runes Philosophical Library New York 1961.Cordially yours,Rabbi Norman LammNL:ffEnclsFile: Warzburger

Dear Rabbi Lamm: I should like to express to you my deep appreciation for your past services to Tradition. I am pleased to inform you that our new editor-in-chief is Rabbi Walter S. Wurzburger, under whose leadership I am confident that Tradition will continue to present a high standard of scholarly articles. Rabbi Wurzburger has indicated that he would like to retain you on the editorial staff, and so I am hereby asking you to remain on the Editorial Board. It is conceivable that the editor-in-chief will rearrange the responsibilities, but in that event I presume he will discuss the matter with you directly.Cordially yours,Rabbi Charles WeinbergPresident

Dear Rabbi Lamm, Some months ago I wrote to you complaining that my last Spring issue of “Tradition” had not arrived – you said that you would look into the matter. The copy has still not reached me – your personal intervention would be much appreciated to expedite my lot. I am sorry that back copies are no longer available for the library (spare copies of the first issue would certainly be welcome). Is there any chance that we might receive a complementary copy of current and future issues?

Dear Mr. Lamm: My last communication to you called your attention to the fact that I had received a duplicate copy of the Fall, 1961 Tradition journal. I had asked whether your Spring, 1962 edition had already appeared. Instead you sent me now a 3rd copy of the Fall, 1961 edition. Please be good enough to let me know whether your Spring, 1962 number has already been published. Sincerely yours, Herman E. Schaalman, Rabbi. P.S. The mail today brought me now a 4th copy of the Fall, 1961 issue. Enough is enough!

Dear Walter: A couple of years ago I wrote a paper, for my own amusement, on “The Holiday of the Exiles” – a defense of the Orthodox position on “Yom Tov Sheni.” It has been gathering dust in my files ever since. Now someone has made available to me the enclosed report which, as I had suspected years ago, was both to appear and ultimately result in the Conservatives accepting the Reform position, and presenting us with a new issue for public controversy. Unfortunately, with our extremely un-hierarchical structure, we have no central authority to mobilize our forces in advance to meet oncoming problems. I believe, therefore, that especially in this instance, Tradition is best equipped to deal with this matter in a substantive way.If we wait until the issue is broached publicly by the Conservatives, we will then be reduced once again to wild and undignified polemics instead of an intellectually respectable position.I therefore would like to suggest to you that you arrange, as soon as possible, to set aside a special issue of *Tradition* treating this topic. I do not mean that no other articles be included; rather, that you have a concentration of material dealing with this theme. I would invite especially historians to analyze it carefully, and then articulate halakhists to treat it from their point of view and, finally, some intellectual publicistic material to be included as well.Let me know what you think about the proposal, and please please return the enclosed to me. Also, if you want to see the essay I once wrote, provided I can find it, I shall be glad to mail it on to you.Sincerely,RABBI NORMAN LAMM