Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, born in Poland in 1924, arrived in New York in 1941 when his family fled Nazi Europe. He studied in New York and was ordained by the Lubavich Hassidic yeshiva. As he pursued his studies in psychology, religion and spirituality, he broke away from Lubavich and ultimately became the father of the Jewish Renewal movement. He is one of the most unusual figures in contemporary religious life. Although he could not be described as a centrist Orthodox Jew, he has maintained an ongoing dialogue with Rabbi Marc Angel, Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. During one of their recent conversations, Rabbi Angel invited Reb Zalman to share his thoughts and concerns about the spiritual life of modern Orthodoxy. This article is Reb Zalman's letter of reply to Rabbi Angel, to be shared with the Institute's constituency. You are invited to comment on this article by emailing Rabbi Angel at
mdangel@jewishideas.org
Dear Rav Marc Angel,
It was good to have the conversation that we did today.
Besides what we talked about which I will address below, I want to suggest that some of the students of yeshivot might do well reviewing the work of Rav David Zvi Hoffman - Melammed l'ho'il--and Rav Eliezer Berkowitz as a counter balance to the unrealistic Rosh Yeshivah Halakha prevalent currently.
I also want to mention some contemporary sources of cosmology: Robert Godwin's One Cosmos Under God besides the works of Ken Wilber and those of Ervin Laszlo.
