This week's Torah portion is called Lech Lecha, lit. "Come to You." It essentially recounts the rise of Abraham, our patriarch, from his homeland and the various situations in his life that made him grow and become worthy of God's love, ultimately transforming him into the father of Judaism, so to speak.
In this process, although Abraham was one against the rest of the world, this does not mean he was considered a madman and therefore isolated from others. On the contrary, Abraham traveled to various places, where he was known and presented before kings and rulers to engage in philosophical discussions about the monotheism he professed and its profound ethical values. This is why we see him debating with Nimrod, king of Persia; Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and Abimelech, king of Grar—the leading figures in the political and philosophical world of Abraham's time. Each of them, in their own way, recognized Abraham's greatness, even though they did not accept his principles.
In light of this academic way of understanding Abraham's journeys, I will now translate a letter from the Rebbe, written to Professor Dr. Abraham Luchins, a famous Gestalt psychologist and pioneer of group therapy.
Blessings and success,
Rabbi Tuvia Serber
By the grace of God
14 de Tevet 5731 (1971)
Brooklyn, NY
Prof. and Mrs. Abraham S. Luchins
53 Fordham Court
Albany, NY 12209
Greetings and blessings:
This letter is to express my gratitude for Volumes II and III of the Revised Wertheimer Seminar, which I have just received. Although I haven't yet had time to examine them closely, I have skimmed through the pages. As I did so, I was reminded once again of the saying of our sages: "If someone says that the nations of the world have a Torah, do not believe him; but if he says that they have science, you must believe him.".
In fact, I had the opportunity to discuss this at the farbrengen (Hasidic gathering). The point of this statement is that in the non-Jewish world, one can find outstanding thinkers and philosophers who can find solutions to the various problems facing humanity, and yet, they can approach the thought process with complete detachment, so that the solutions they come up with remain theoretical and do not affect their own lives. Indeed, the thinker, philosopher, or scientist can, in their personal life, act contrary to the high moral and ethical principles they themselves espouse.
This is very different from our Torah, which is our wisdom and science in the eyes of the nations. For us, Torah means teaching and guidance (from the word horaah - teaching), meaning that it penetrates and permeates our lives. This is because it has the power to compel, so to speak, the student and follower of the Torah to translate the solutions it provides into practical action. It gives the Torah Jew the strength to resist and subdue the yetzer hara (evil inclination), as our sages, of blessed memory, expressed it: barati yetzer hara, barati Torah tavlin ("I created the evil inclination, but I also created the Torah as an antidote").
With all good wishes for hatzlaja (success) in your work, as well as in your good influence to spread and strengthen the light of Torah and Mitzvot to the fullest of your ability.
With blessings,
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PS I was pleasantly surprised to see in the press that your son actively participated in the Union of Orthodox Congregations Convention in Washington.