Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, zt”l, is widely recognized as one of the outstanding Jewish leaders of the 20th century. As long-serving president of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Lamm was a champion of Modern Orthodoxy, navigating its complexities with vision and finesse. His pulpit career was equally legendary, and his sermons – artful, profound, and celebrated – earned him a place as arguably the greatest English-language darshan of his time. Yet, perhaps in part because of these towering accomplishments, Rabbi Lamm’s stature as a lamdan, a first-rate Talmudic scholar, has often gone underappreciated.
The recent publication of a new collection of Rabbi Lamm’s halachic essays, entitled Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim, serves as an invaluable corrective. The sefer reveals Rabbi Lamm’s deep and incisive mastery of lomdus, his halachic creativity, and his ability to blend Gemara with machshava and practical halacha. For anyone who associates Rabbi Lamm primarily with his sermons, Jewish thought, or leadership, this book is a revelation. (Full disclosure: I am married to Rabbi Lamm’s granddaughter, and it was at his request that I undertook the task of editing the sefer.)
The Book’s Content
The book is divided into five sections, with the first four corresponding to the four sections of Shulchan Aruch. The fifth section, titled Halachot Vedei’ot, addresses topics that fall outside the framework of those four but address the intersection of halacha and character development. The essays cover a range of subjects, from tefillah and kibbud av va’em, to legal discussions on modeh bemiktzat and the prohibition of arka’ot. He also considers practical halachic dilemmas such as the use of Shabbat clocks and the permissibility of returning an elderly person from a nursing home on Shabbat. These topics reflect not only his profound knowledge of halacha but also his sensitivity to the human and ethical dimensions of Jewish law.
The Book’s Genesis
Rabbi Lamm’s journey as a scholar was shaped by two of his early teachers. His maternal grandfather, Rabbi Yehoshua Baumel, author of the She’eilot U’Teshuvot Emek Halacha, provided him with a strong foundation in classical learning. Later, Rabbi Lamm studied under the renowned Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, whose piercing Brisker lomdus and integration of halacha and machshava left an indelible mark on Rabbi Lamm. These dual influences shaped the unique voice evident throughout these essays.
Many of the chapters in the volume originated as public lectures delivered in Yeshiva University’s beit midrash, particularly in memory of two towering figures: Dr. Samuel Belkin, Rabbi Lamm’s predecessor as YU president and rosh hayeshiva, and Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, the namesake of RIETS, Yeshiva University’s rabbinical seminary. Rabbi Mark Dratch, Rabbi Lamm’s son-in-law and longtime chavruta, learned many of the sugyot with him and contributed an introduction to the sefer. Collectively, the essays showcase Rabbi Lamm’s exceptional commitment to studying and teaching Torah at the highest levels even while fulfilling his monumental responsibilities as a university president.
The Title
At a basic level, the title Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim refers to the content of the sefer, which engages deeply with the works of both earlier (Rishonim) and later (Acharonim) authorities. This reflects Rabbi Lamm’s love of quoting a broad range of sources, a practice he particularly learned from Rabbi Baumel, a master of Shas, Rishonim, and Acharonim.
The title also reflects Rabbi Lamm’s humility. He does not present his interpretations as definitive but simply shares his own analysis “on” or about the Rishonim and Acharonim.
Rabbi Lamm often quoted Rabbi Soloveitchik, who emphasized the importance of his students thinking for themselves. In his eulogy for Rabbi Soloveitchik, Rabbi Lamm highlighted the Rav’s aspiration to cultivate talmidim, not chassidim – students who were challenging, questioning, and independent-minded. In this vein, Rabbi Lamm titled the book Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim to suggest that, while the essays reflect his interpretations, they leave room for others to contribute to the ongoing conversation.
Finally, the title is drawn from the prayer we recite following the morning Shema, “Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim,” which speaks to the transmission of faith across generations, symbolizing that talmud Torah serves as testimony to Hashem’s ever-present gifts.
Halacha and Aggadah: A Unified Approach
A hallmark of Rabbi Lamm’s scholarship was his synthesis of halacha and aggadah. For Rabbi Lamm, these were not separate spheres but complementary dimensions of a unified Torah. As he put it in the introduction to his previous volume of halachic essays, Halachot VaHalichot, “Without the body of law, spirituality is a ghost; without the sweep of the soaring soul, the corpus of law tends to become a corpse.”
This integration is central to Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim. Rabbi Lamm’s essays juxtapose halachic analysis with philosophical insights, creating a synthesis that illuminates both the legal and spiritual dimensions of Torah. For example, in his essay on kinyan arba amot (acquiring an object found within four cubits or less), Rabbi Lamm examines the concept from multiple perspectives. He explores how arba amot define personal space in halacha regarding areas such as ownership, prayer, and Shabbat boundaries. He then delves into the symbolic significance of arba amot as a sanctuary for divine service in a post-Temple world. Finally, he interprets arba amot as a metaphor for personal responsibility and sanctity, applying its lessons to contemporary discussions about autonomy and privacy. This essay exemplifies Rabbi Lamm’s ability to integrate rigorous halachic analysis with aggadic depth and ethical analysis.
Conclusion
As Rabbi Dratch notes in his introduction, Rabbi Lamm regarded his earlier compendium of halachic essays, Halachot VaHalikhot, as his most significant achievement. He took immense pride in its traditional rabbinic style, seeing it as a lasting contribution to Torah scholarship. Rabbi Lamm himself expressed the hope that this work, along with his prayers and efforts, might earn him a place in heaven with his beloved grandfather.
Al HaRishonim Ve’Al HaAcharonim invites us to follow Rabbi Lamm’s journey as a scholar – from his early years as a young talmid learning full-time with his grandfather, to his time as an exceptional student in the Rav’s shiur in the 1940s and 1950s, and ultimately to his role as a lamdan and rosh hayeshiva. Even without delivering a daily shiur, Rabbi Lamm’s mastery of Torah and profound love for its study shine through, reflecting his analytical depth, clarity of thought, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of halacha and Talmud Torah.
