abraham

Letter to Rabbi Avrohom Jaffe regarding the length of a sermon

[September, 1964]

P.S. I received your letters, after wondering why it took you so long before writing, although I received regards from you through your relatives.

May G‑d grant that your moving into your new home should be in a happy and auspicious hour, and that your home should be a truly Jewish home, permeated with Ahavas Yisroel, as explained in the teachings of Chassidus.

I was pleased to read in Abraham’s letter about your sermons in the new Shul, although I do not quite understand why they should be confined to five minutes. True, the important thing about a sermon is not the length of time, but the spirit and message. Nevertheless, a longer sermon, requiring longer preparation, is good both for the audience as well as for the preacher, provided the content is good.

I have spoken to your father that I am not interested in the official formalities of such sermons, and I certainly do not wish to imply that they should be for remuneration, except perhaps a symbolic one. The important thing is that you should consider your position in Shul, whether official or not, in such a way as to bring it up to the standards of the Shul here in 770, as you wished upon yourself. I trust that Mrs. Jaffe will also do everything on her part to encourage you in this etc.

As for the idea of Mrs. Jaffe to reorganize a group of girls, and also make use of her capacities as a teacher for half a day or a few hours daily, this would be very commendable and very useful to both herself and the girls.

May G‑d grant that your activities along the lines mentioned above should strengthen the foundations of the Binyan Adei Ad which were laid on the day of your marriage, that it should indeed be a truly happy and everlasting edifice, materially and spiritually.