I
Will Write It In Their Hearts
Volume 1
A
Treasury of Letters from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M.
Schneerson
Selections from Igros Kodesh
Translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger
Published by Sichos In English
I
Will Write It In Their Hearts
Volume 1
Published by Sichos In English at Smashwords
Copyright 1999 Sichos In English
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5759 - 1999
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Chapter 1: Publisher’s Foreword
B”H
In the file where we keep all the important family documents, there is a folder which we open from time to time. The papers in it are aging; some, indeed, are quite yellow, but we refer to it often.
There is a letter my wife received when she was a child, the response to the announcement of our engagement, some advice we received at turning points in our lives, and blessings for our children.
Our interest in the folder is more than sentimental. The answers which the Rebbe gave us in the past serve as guideposts for our present and our future. The advice that he gave us then helps us focus our energies and highlight our individual missions.
My friends have similar folders, and at times they have allowed me to read some of the letters which they received. Here, I did not have the same degree of personal interest. Nevertheless, the guidance the Rebbe gave them was always eye-opening. I enjoyed seeing how the Rebbe related to the issues they raised and the depth of insight in the answers he gave them.
On occasion, people with whom I share less close ties have shown me letters they received from the Rebbe. I remember a retailer in Manhattan where I purchased some computer equipment, an Israeli army major whom I met on a visit to the base he commanded, and a Jewish communal leader in Cleveland. It was with special feeling — something not unlike the reverence a chassid would display — that they took out the letter they had received from the Rebbe. And after reading it, I felt that I could sense why: There was a message that hit home, an insight that lifted the person above the vantage point from which he operated previously and gave him the perspective to find a solution to his difficulties.
In these situations, the setting was important. I wasn’t just reading a letter, I was seeing it in its context. That made it more alive. On the other hand, when the first volume of the Rebbe’s collected Igros Kodesh was published, the feelings I had when reading those letters was not very different. In most instances, I did not know the recipient personally. Nevertheless, the letters opened up windows through which I could observe their lives, and more significantly, see how the Rebbe’s insights enhanced their world view.
These feelings repeated themselves as each of the 24 volumes of Igros Kodesh was published. For these volumes tell us an ongoing story of the manner in which the Rebbe reaches out to people and gives them advice, compassion, and direction.
Together with these feelings came a strong desire to share these letters with people for whom English is their primary language. We had already published many translations and adaptations of the Rebbe’s sichos and maamarim. But the way the Rebbe relates in letters is different — and we wanted English readers to appreciate this dimension as well.
The Art or the Artist?
When contemplating the translation of these volumes, we were faced with the question of whether to collect letters on various subjects or to proceed through the volumes chronologically. There are advantages to each approach; we chose the latter.
Were we to highlight subjects, our readers would be given a chance to receive a comprehensive picture of every particular topic. By choosing the chronological option, we endeavored to allow our readers to gain a picture of the Rebbe.
Going through the letters one by one enables a reader to see how the Rebbe relates to the widest variety of people and situations. Scholars, communal leaders, children — the diverse range of people to whom he wrote is staggering. Equally striking is the individual manner in which he would address and relate to each person.
On one level, each letter is carefully tailored for the particular recipient, providing him with insights that relate to him personally. But while the Rebbe is speaking to the recipient, he is sharing a message that transcends the individual’s sphere, and is sweeping in its relevance.
Certainly, the letters contain profound lessons. But more exciting are the larger lessons – an insight into the Rebbe-chassid relationship, and a novel vantage point from which we can see the Rebbe. These are highlighted by the chronological approach.
We therefore began with Vol. I,1 which presents letters written by the Rebbe before the nesius, before he assumed the mantle of leadership. Nevertheless, despite our desire to present the fullest picture of the Rebbe, preparing this anthology required a certain degree of selectivity. For one thing, several letters may center on one theme; secondly, the unique scholarly content of certain letters, even in the original, can be understood only by experts in the field. These and similar reasons advocated selectivity.
The
Fading of the Past
and the Building Blocks for the Future
The letters in this volume range from the year 5692 (1932) to 5704 (1944), well before the beginning of the Rebbe’s nesius. At the beginning of this period — from which we have very few letters — the Rebbe lived in France and was primarily involved in his personal studies.
At the end of 5699 (1939), the Nazis invaded Poland. The Previous Rebbe was living in Warsaw at that time. As reflected in Letter No. 19, the Rebbe was involved in the rescue effort to bring him from Poland to America. In the following year the Germans began their conquest of France. The Rebbe fled from Paris to Vichy and from there to Nice, until ultimately he and his wife, Rebbitzin Chayah Mushka, were able to arrive in New York on Sivan 28, 5701 (1941).
* * *
Almost immediately upon the Rebbe’s arrival, the Previous Rebbe appointed him head of two newly-established institutions: Machne Israel and Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch. In HaYom Yom, published in 5703 (1943), the Rebbe outlines the purpose and scope of these two institutions:
Machne Israel
Its mission: Through the actions and conduct of its members, to strengthen the practice of Yiddishkeit, the observance of the Torah and [the performance of] mitzvos; to rouse the hearts of the Jewish people and draw them close to teshuvah, Torah, and good deeds.
To publicize the truth — that [through] LeAlter LiTeshuvah (“Immediately to teshuvah”), [we will proceed] LeAlter LiGeulah (“immediately to Redemption”) — the ultimate Redemption, led by Mashiach.
Membership: There are no monetary dues required of anyone who desires to be a member of Machne Israel. Every Jew who observes the Torah and its mitzvos can join as a member of Machne Israel. His actual deeds — both his individual conduct and his influence on others — are the only membership dues required of him.
Operation: The work of the members is performed in an unpublicized manner… Their objective is, through their exemplary conduct in the spirit of the Torah and its mitzvos, to influence their families, their business acquaintances and the members of their synagogues.
A special branch named Mazhirei Shabbos Machne Israel has been founded to spread the concept of Shabbos observance.
Mishnayos B’al Peh — A society has been founded to study Mishnayos by heart. All Six Orders of the Mishnah are divided among its members by lot… so that the entire Mishnah will be studied and reviewed [continually] throughout the year.
This project, initiated at the suggestion of the Rebbe [Rayatz], is intended to purify the air through the recitation and review of Mishnayos at home, and outside: in the street, in one’s store, in the subway, [indeed,] in any clean place. [It is] a great mystic process to “ease the birthpangs of Mashiach and brings Mashiach’s [approaching] footsteps closer with kindness and mercy....”
Chevros Tehillim: Machne Israel establishes new societies for the recitation of Tehillim and strengthens existing ones. All of these societies are united with the International Tehillim Society in Jerusalem, founded by the Rebbe [Rayatz]….
Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch
Mission: To act out of concern for the education of Jewish boys and girls in the spirit of our Patriarch Yisrael.
The activities of Merkos extend to all branches of education and encompass all matters connected to the field of education. These efforts include:
a) An endeavor to make Jewish parents recognize the vital necessity that their sons and daughters be educated in purity and holiness….
b) [The organization of] study sessions in the evening in the study of holy [texts] for those who are involved in business occupations throughout the day.
c) The establishment of schools to educate Jewish girls in the spirit of the Torah and its mitzvos. Such schools, named either Beis Rivkah or Beis Sarah, have been established in and outside New York….
d) The establishment of Shabbos parties for Jewish children, to come together on Shabbos under the supervision of expert educators….
e) Pedagogical instruction: [This program intends] to make it possible for religious teachers to augment their knowledge… and expertise in the professional instruction of holy subjects.
f) The design of curricula for educational institutions.
g) A statistical division.
h) An employment bureau for teachers.
i) A division for the financial support of religious institutions, teachers, and students.
j) A division for publishing books and magazines. Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch publishes books for youth in the Holy Tongue, in Yiddish and in English, as well as two monthly magazines.
A year later, the Previous Rebbe established Kehot, the Lubavitch publishing house, and entrusted the Rebbe with the directorship of this institution as well. These three institutions established the basis for Lubavitch activity in America: outreach efforts, schools and other educational activities, and publications.
As reflected in these letters, the Rebbe was involved in the minute details of all these institutions. At the beginning, there were no supporters, no workers, and there was no plan of action. The Previous Rebbe had outlined the mission, but it was the Rebbe’s responsibility to make that mission a reality, to make a functioning organization out of an abstract ideal.
The majority of the letters focus on the activities of these institutions. There are, however, many treatments of scholarly themes. Deserving of special mention are a treatise on the Resurrection of the Dead, an exposition of Hashgachah Peratis, and an explanation of the importance of studying Mishnayos from memory. In these three extensive works the Rebbe combines research, analysis, and his own insights.
Moreover, even the letters that focus on the functioning of the institutions are generally not restricted to the practical sphere alone. At the conclusion of many letters, the Rebbe includes a directive for Divine service or the explanation of a spiritual concept. Indeed, one of the unique characteristics of these letters is a free flow of thought. In one letter, guidelines for outreach grow into a discussion of a concept in nigleh, the revealed teachings of the Torah, and this in turn invites parallels in the mystic secrets of pnimiyus HaTorah.
For this reason, although we have prepared a detailed table of contents, listing the subjects mentioned in every letter, it is not complete. The sheer variety of topics contained in many letters would make such a listing awkwardly long.
In the Shadow of Darkness
The letters in this volume were all composed in the specter of the Holocaust. In some, the Rebbe relates to that theme directly, outlining the Divine service necessary to turn the tide and humble the enemy. Others are directed to Jewish soldiers serving in the American army, encouraging them to maintain high spirits and continue Torah observance. And in many letters in which the Holocaust is not mentioned directly, allusions are certainly present.
Significantly, there is never a tone of despair. Instead, the Rebbe speaks with hope and determination, focusing on the Jewish future and the spiritual endeavors necessary to make that future present.
LeAlter LiTeshuvah: LeAlter LiGeulah
Less than a month before the Rebbe arrived in America, the Previous Rebbe issued this clarion call: “Immediately to teshuvah: immediately to Redemption.” This was not a slogan; it was — as emphasized by the Rebbe’s inclusion of it in the mission statement of Machne Israel quoted above — a declaration of purpose.
The Rebbe concludes the overwhelming proportion of letters with this expression. This highlights how he regarded the efforts to spread Yiddishkeit and establish the foundation for Lubavitch activity in America, not as endeavors of a limited scope, but as part of a greater — indeed, the greatest — picture: the preparation of the world for Mashiach’s coming. Anyone who thinks that “the Mashiach campaign” was a new dimension that surfaced in the Rebbe’s later years is shutting his eyes to the driving force which — as the Rebbe testifies in a later letter2 — motivated him from childhood and set the tone for his initial labors of leadership.
With Our Readers in Mind
The personal dimension of these letters enhances their universal relevance, rather than detracting from it. Every one of us can find points in which he feels that the Rebbe is speaking to him, and giving him personal direction.
We tried to structure our translation so that this tone characterizes the book. For example: According to the polite conventions of correspondence in the Torah world, the recipient is addressed indirectly, in the third person. Since this sounds foreign to English readers, we have employed the second person instead. Similarly, we have dispensed with certain formalities and titles that are frequently used in the Torah community. For example, the abbreviation kaf-taf-reish, kvod toraso, addressing an “honored Torah sage,” we have translated simply as “you.”
Also, to make the text more accessible to an English reader, we have added certain explanatory sentences and phrases. These are set off by square brackets. Squiggle brackets { } and parentheses ( ) are used as they appear in the original text.
Some of the references cited were included in the original letters; others were added when the letters were published in the series Igros Kodesh; and others, including certain explanatory footnotes, were added by our staff. Notes and explanations that were not authored by the Rebbe are enclosed in square brackets. At times we took the liberty of relocating references that were originally recorded in the body of the letters as footnotes.
A Shepherd and His Flock
The Rebbe would receive a prodigious amount of mail; hundreds of letters and faxes would arrive at “770” every day. And the Rebbe would respond. At all times — even after his heart attack in 5738 (1977) and during shivah for the Rebbitzin in 5748 (1988) — he would reply to letters. And even after the stroke of 5752 (1992), to the fullest extent possible, the Rebbe endeavored to respond to the many questions sent to him.
At present, we are unable to receive a written reply from the Rebbe. Nevertheless, chassidim — and indeed, many Jews and even non-Jews — continue to write to the Rebbe. For, as he assured us when speaking of the Previous Rebbe,3 he will find a way to answer.
May studying the Rebbe’s letters encourage us to shoulder the mission of spiritual responsibility with which he has charged us: to prepare the world for the coming of Mashiach. May our efforts draw down abundant blessings, including the ultimate blessings: the coming of the Redemption and the Resurrection of the Dead, when “those who repose in the dust will arise and sing.”4
Then we will no longer have to content ourselves with reading letters written years ago, but will hear new teachings from the Rebbe. May this take place in the immediate future.
Rabbi
Eli Touger
Sichos In English
Purim, 5759 (1999)
* * *
Credits
Rochel Chana Schilder for editing; Rabbi Aharon Leib Raskin for checking the authenticity of the text and supplying additional references and source material; Yosef Yitzchok Turner for designing the layout and typography; Rabbi Yonah Avtzon for preparing the text for publication; Avrohom Weg for designing the cover; and Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levine, whose notes and background information to Igros Kodesh were an invaluable resource.
Chapter 2: A Letter Sent by the Rebbe to His Father-In-Law, the Previous Rebbe.
B”H, Motzaei Shabbos, 2 Shvat, 5692
To my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita,
The Rebbe’s letter — the memorandum — of the 24th of last month arrived, and from the depths of my heart, I thank you for this precious gift. At this time of favor, I will be bold enough, for my hope will strengthen me, to place a double request — if such a request is necessary, and if such a request will avail — before the Rebbe, to honor me and grant me pleasure with such letters from time to time.
I am lacking much of the informal background information concerning Chassidus, in particular with regard to its history and the explanation [of that history]. Thus, like a person who has found great booty, I am happy for every new concept and piece of information which I gain.
I cannot restrain myself from asking for additional explanation concerning a matter that has perplexed me for some time, a point which I have repeatedly heard: “In Lubavitch we do not hold miracles in esteem.” I also found parallels to this concept in the Rebbe’s letter. [Chassidim] refrain from speaking about these matters, and silence others who speak of them.
Certainly, the chassidim of the early generations had no need for such matters, for their hearts and minds were refined. But in the present age, when due to the distress of the times, people’s emotional potential have dwindled, and they are sunk in material affairs, their entire concern is for material matters to the extent that refinement and an elevation of the soul are not felt at all. On the surface, this is difficult to correct [only] by intellectual means, for these will not affect a person. They are too refined to use as a first step. Miracles and the stories of tzaddikim and the wonders they perform, by contrast, generate lofty feelings within the soul, taking one out and shaking oneself free, at least partially, from material concerns. This moves even souls which are on a lowly level, or which are found in a low spiritual state.
I again express my warm and deep thanks for the Rebbe’s letter; I remain,
Your
son-in-law who continuously seeks your welfare,
and who hopes for
the Rebbe’s blessings,
Chapter 3: Treasury of Letters
No. 11
This letter was addressed to Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson, a distinguished Rabbi from London. Reference to it is found in Marbitzei Torah U’Mussar, Vol. III, p. 66.
B”H, 19 Shvat, 5699, Paris
Greetings and blessings,
The letter with the enclosed $28 arrived on time.
With regard to your comments concerning the tzimtzum, [the initial contraction of G-dly light,] and the statement of your acquaintance that all the different approaches [to the concept] flow in a single direction:
I was amazed to hear such a proposition, particularly insomuch as in your letter, you describe that person as one who has studied Kabbalistic texts. Obviously, he does not fit that description at all. Even in the first generation after the AriZal — the one who revealed the secret of the tzimtzum — there were radical differences in opinion among his disciples with regard to the tzimtzum. These are obvious from the texts they composed, and these differences were perpetuated [in the subsequent generations].
The crux of the differences centers around two issues:
a) Should the concept of tzimtzum be understood literally or not, i.e., are we speaking about a withdrawal of the light, or merely its concealment?
b) Did the tzimtzum affect merely G-d’s light, or did it affect also the Source of light, [i.e., that He Himself has withdrawn or is hidden from our world]?
[In dealing with these questions,] it is possible to outline four different approaches:
a) the tzimtzum should be interpreted literally, and moreover, that it affected G-d’s essence. The proof offered in defense of this theory is that it is impossible for the King to be found in a place of filth, Heaven forbid;
b) the tzimtzum should be interpreted literally, but that it affected only His light;
c) the tzimtzum should not be interpreted literally, but it affected the Source of light as well; and
d) the tzimtzum should not be interpreted literally, and it affected only His light.
As is well known, the misnagdim at the time of the Alter Rebbe followed the first approach mentioned. They explained the expression,5 “There is no place apart from Him,” meaning — apart from His providence.6 They said, moreover, that the approach which states that G-d’s essence is found everywhere contradicts the laws applying to [the restrictions against prayer and Torah study] in places of filth,7 as reflected in the notices and proclamations which were circulated at the time of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe.
See also the references to the issue in Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 7, and Iggeres HaKodesh, the conclusion of Epistle 25. It appears to me that Beis Rebbe also includes a letter from the Alter Rebbe concerning this subject.8
[Reb Chayim of Volozin,] the author of Nefesh HaChayim which you mentioned in your letter, follows the third approach mentioned above. In this, he differs from his master, the Gaon, Rav Eliyahu [of Vilna]. In general, it appears that Reb Chayim of Volozin had seen Chabad texts, in particular, the Tanya, and had been influenced by them. I do not, however, have definite proof of this.
[As chassidim,] we follow solely the fourth approach mentioned which explains that the concept of tzimtzum should not be interpreted literally, and that it affects only [G-d’s] light, but not the Source of light. [Indeed, within the light,] it affects only the lowest level of the light which existed before the tzimtzum, as explained in the texts and manuscripts of Chabad [teachings].
In our time, we have merited the revelation [of Chassidic teachings], and the concept of the tzimtzum has been explained at length — at least relatively so — and in many of its particulars, in the texts of the Chabad Chassidic teachings in print and in manuscript. As such, one who desires to understand the concept of the tzimtzum has no alternative except to study these texts. To corroborate this, it is sufficient to compare the discussion of this issue in other texts — where it appears that for various reasons, these texts shied away from speaking in detail about the matter — to its discussion in the texts of Chabad.
I do not know which texts and manuscripts are available to you to make recommendations. The subject of the tzimtzum is mentioned in Torah Or, in the maamar Pasach Eliyahu (and there are notes on this from the Rebbe Rashab which were printed in lithograph in Otvotzk); Likkutei Torah, in the additions to Sefer Vayikra, the maamar Lehavin Mashekasuv beSefer Otzeros Chayim; Shaar HaYichud; Sefer HaMitzvos, [the maamarim entitled] Mitzvas Haamanas Elokus, and Shoresh Mitzvas HaTefillah (beginning ch. 34); in the Siddur, [the maamar] on the verse Zecher Rav Tovecho. In the maamarim of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, that have been printed, [the subject is discussed] in [the maamarim entitled:] Al Yipater Adam [56]89, Dirshu Havayah [5]691, Al Kein Yomru [5]691, [Sichos] Shavuos [5]693, p. 8, and Tov Li [5]697.
I am sure that you have the series of maamarim [beginning in the year 5]666. There the subject is also explained in the maamarim entitled VaYolech Havayah es HaYam and Anochi Havayah Elokecha.
The subject of the tzimtzum also relates to the concepts under discussion in Tanya, chs. 48 and 49, as explained in greater length in the maamarim entitled Yavi’u Levush Malchus in Torah Or and in Shaarei Orah.
I have also mentioned sources of which I am certain you are aware so that a complete list would be included.
With respectful and warm regards,
M. Schneerson
No. 12
This letter was addressed to Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson who was one of the primary leaders of the Chabad community in the U.S. before — and after — the arrival of the Previous Rebbe.
B”H, 20 Shvat, 5699, Paris
Greetings and blessings,
Your letter written in the end of Teves arrived. As you requested, I sent a telegram to you on the day that I submitted the check for $1000 for collection. You no doubt received it at that time.
[I complied with your wishes,] although it involved an extra expense that served no purpose. By and large, all checks are submitted for collection on the day after they are received (unless it is Shabbos or the like). As such, in the future, it is easy to estimate the day on which checks have been submitted for collection. And the Torah takes into consideration the financial concerns of the Jewish people:9 of individuals, of the community, and of the Beis HaMikdash. As such, we also take such concerns into consideration....
M. Schneerson
No. 19
This is a translation of one of a series of four letters centering on the rescue of the Previous Rebbe from Warsaw in the midst of the Nazi invasion of Poland. While living in Paris, the Rebbe relayed information from Reb Chayim Lieberman, the Previous Rebbe’s secretary, who was in Riga where contact with the Previous Rebbe in Poland was possible, to Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson in New York who headed the rescue efforts in the U.S. Because of the constraints of communication in wartime, the letter was originally composed in French.
Paris,
17/11/1939
[5 Kislev, 5700]
Dear Rabbi,
Today, I received a letter from Mr. Lieberman, and with immediate dispatch, I am informing you of its contents.
The Shmotkin house in Warsaw where my father10 and his family were living was totally destroyed by a large fire. Thank G-d, [the family] are all safe and sound.
In the fire, all their belongings were destroyed. It would appear that they do not have any clothing to shield them from the cold.
(They had the courage to save all the manuscripts. The library remained in Otvotzk.)
From this time onward, they are living with Mr. Hirsh Gurary.
I am certain that you, dear Rabbi, are doing all you can to help them, and are trying — and in light of their situation, this is of primary importance — to enable them to be extricated [from that country] in the most immediate future.
With the deepest wishes of friendship,
M. Schneerson
No. 22
This letter was sent to Rabbi Menachem Zev Greenglass, one of the prominent leaders of the Lubavitch community of Montreal.
B”H, 13 Elul, 5702
Greetings and blessings,
I was grateful to receive the two letters [you sent]. Surely, you have received the maamarim and the pamphlets which were sent to you.
Together with this letter, I am sending a clipping from the Morgen Journal which includes a write-up on the activities of Machne Israel.
Since the days of Elul and the upcoming High Holidays are most appropriate for a campaign concerning the spiritual matters in which Machne Israel is involved, [I ask that] you make an effort that the enclosed write-up, or a similar one, be printed in the paper The Canadian Eagle.
It is my strong hope that you and your colleagues will immediately begin vibrant activity in all the concerns of Machne Israel, for this is of immediate urgency, and G-d will assist you. Let me suggest certain fundamental points with regard to these efforts:
a) To hang up the digest of the farbrengen of Acharon Shel Pesach on the walls of shuls. If possible, it is desirable that this digest be printed in the newspaper in part or in its entirety before Rosh HaShanah.
b) To send out the letter concerning the Society for [the Recitation of] Tehillim (Psalms) to all the synagogues in your country. To synagogues in which you have acquaintances, it would be helpful if you would also include a personal letter of your own.
c) To spread the concept of purifying the air [by refining its spiritual content] through the review of the words of the Torah by heart everywhere. In particular, this applies with regard to reviewing mishnayos by heart.
d) To utilize the days of Selichos and the Ten Days of Repentance for a campaign in synagogues and the like to arouse people to teshuvah, making it known that this era is “the birth pangs of Mashiach” [described by our Sages],11 and that we have the promise “Immediately to Redemption” through [our efforts of] “Immediately to teshuvah.”
Needless to say, [the manner in which the above is communicated] must be appropriate to the conditions of your country and locale. [In this,] rely on your own understanding.
If it will assist your work, you may announce that a branch of Machne Israel has been opened in your country and is located at the following address — preferably, the address should not be that of the yeshivah, so that this will emphasize that [these efforts] are not at all the initiative of any particular camp — and that you have been appointed as the director of the executive committee of Machne Israel in your country.
It is, however, desirable that everyone should have a direct connection here, [i.e., to the Rebbe,] so that any difficult matters can be clarified immediately with my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita.
We are preparing a collection of letters from the Rebbe shlita on the above matters, and will send it to you when it is printed. Please advise how many copies should be sent.
With blessings that you be inscribed for a good year. May we merit the fulfillment of the promise “Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to Redemption. With most warm regards and wishes for an inscription for a good year to all of your colleagues.
M. Schneerson
Chairman of the Executive Committee
No. 23
This letter served as the Publisher’s Foreword to a collection of letters and talks of the Previous Rebbe mentioned in the previous letter.
[the conclusion of 5702]
B”H
Immediately upon his arrival in America two-and-a-half years ago, my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, began his untiring efforts to arouse American Jewry to teshuvah, Torah study, and good deeds. He made a clear statement that the harsh [heavenly] decrees being visited upon the Jews are “the birth pangs of Mashiach” [spoken about by our Sages],12 and there is only one response which is:
Immediately to teshuvah. This path will lead immediately to redemption, the ultimate Redemption led by our righteous Mashiach, with kindness and mercy.
The words of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, had an effect. In many different circles of the Jewish community, we saw a turn to teshuvah. Many different Jewish organizations included programs on teshuvah in their schedules.
To give everyone the opportunity to become familiar with the talks and letters of my master and father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, concerning the call: “Immediately to repentance, immediately to Redemption,” we are publishing a sample of a selection from one of his talks, and one of his recent letters.
It is our hope and intent to rouse the Rabbis, the students of Torah, and indeed, anyone in a position of influence to respond to the call of my master and father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, and utilize the days of Selichos and the coming Ten Days of Repentance for:
a) clarifying that the harsh [heavenly] decrees being visited upon the Jews are “the birth pangs of Mashiach” [spoken about by our Sages]Error: Reference source not found
b) encouraging [our people] to turn to G-d in true teshuvah, and strengthening their observance of the Torah and its mitzvos,
c) explaining the concept of purifying the air [by refining its spiritual content] through the recitation of the words of the Torah, in particular mishnayos, wherever it is permitted to do so according to Torah law,
d) seeing to it that everyone joins one of the Societies for [the Recitation of] Tehillim (Psalms) which is, in turn, registered in the International Society for Tehillim in Jerusalem (may it be speedily rebuilt). In this manner, their prayers will include the entire Jewish people.
With wishes for an inscription for a good year, [a year in which we will merit the fulfillment of the promise:] “Immediately to teshuvah; immediately to Redemption.”
Menachem Schneerson
Chairman of the Executive Committee
No. 25
This letter was written in response to holiday greetings sent by the students of the Lubavitcher Yeshivah in Montreal, and the members of the community which gathered around that yeshivah. That yeshivah, like the Central Lubavitcher Yeshivah, carries the name Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim. Hence the elaboration on the name Tamim.
B”H, 8 Tishrei, 5703
Greetings and blessings,
In response to your blessings for the new year: [Our Sages teach:] “Whoever gives blessings will be blessed”13 with blessings... whose accruement exceeds the principal.
The name Tamim refers to someone who is perfect in the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos. As our Sages taught,14 the 248 positive commandments parallel the 248 limbs of the body, and the 365 negative commandments parallel the 365 sinews.
Chassidus, which reveals the inner meaning contained in every matter, explains15 that to be perfect in [the observance of] the Torah, one’s observance should reflect how Havayah is Elokecha.16 Havayah [refers to the Torah], because all of the mitzvos of the Torah are dependent on one of the letters of the name Havayah. [This spiritual potential] should become Elokecha, your strength and your vitality. [The intent is that] a person’s study should unite him with the Torah, [as implied by the expression,] “with his Torah in his hand.”17 This is accomplished through preparing [oneself through] the Divine service of prayer.18
When a person sins and transgresses, he creates a blemish, crippling himself, as it were. The way to correct this blemish is through teshuvah, for teshuvah brings healing to this world.19
Healing, however, has an effect only from the present on, for a trace of the blemish the person created remains;20 the person does not become perfect as he was before.
This can be accomplished only by a higher degree of teshuvah, the teshuvah emanating from a powerful love from the depths of the heart which transforms sins into merits.21 This extracts the very roots of the sin.
The attainment of this level of teshuvah, turning to G-d “with all your might,”22 comes about through the influence of a Rebbe. For “a wise man removes [the vow] as if it never was.”23 For he searches for and finds an opening through which the sinner himself will seek regret.
It is possible to draw a connection to the possibility of creating an opening [for the sinner to regret his] transgression and for the fact that it is a wise man who can [assist him to] find it from our Sages’ statement (Sukkah 52b) that there are four entities which the Holy One created and regrets having made.
May we soon merit the coming of Mashiach who will motivate the righteous — whose Divine service reflects a commitment “with all your soul”24 to turn [to G-d] in teshuvah,25 [thus reaching the unbounded commitment of] “with all your might.”26
With blessings for an inscription for a good year, and the fulfillment of the promise “Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to life, and immediately to Redemption.”
Menachem Schneerson
Chairman of the Executive Committee
No. 26
This letter was addressed to Rabbi Avraham Eliyahu Axelrod, an active Rabbi within the Baltimore Jewish community.
B”H, Erev Sukkos, 5703
Greetings and blessings,
In response to your blessings for the new year: [Our Sages teach:]27 “Whoever gives blessings will be blessed” with blessings... whose accruement exceeds the principal, in material as well as spiritual matters....
Anyone who gives blessings certainly endeavors, that those blessings be brought to fruition. Included in this are certainly the blessings for Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Machne Israel.
You are no doubt doing everything within your power to advance the goals of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and Machne Israel, as expressed by the Rebbe shlita, transforming your potential into an active force through efforts in the spirit of which you outlined.
To take a little verbal license: your name Avraham Eliyahu can be interpreted homiletically. For “a name is significant,”28 and “Rabbi Meir would analyze names.”29 [Your name] alludes to the full span of the spiritual cosmos and the Divine service required of man.
With regard to the spiritual cosmos: Avram — Avraham — refers to “knowledge hidden from all eyes,”30 i.e., “secret wisdom,” to the extent that he had to be told: “I will show you,”31 which is interpreted to mean: “I will cause you to be revealed.”
Eliyahu is “the angel of the covenant,”32 relating to the attribute of “yesod, the end of the torso,”33 serving as an agent to reach the lowest levels.34
With regard to our Divine service: Avraham is one of the seven “shepherds,”35 [whose initiative parallels that of] water which descends from above, and Eliyahu is one of the eight “princes of man”36 [whose thrust is] ascent from below.37
This reflects the totality of our Divine service. For after the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, our Divine service is to purify the world and illuminate the darkness [which ensued] after the seven generations which caused the Divine Presence to withdraw upward.38 [The efforts] to draw the Divine Presence downward were initiated by Avraham who began to illuminate39 [the world]. Therefore, he was granted the mitzvah of circumcision, so that his endeavor to draw down Divine influence through the Torah and its mitzvos [would affect] our material plane.40
And yet the [mitzvah] of priyah, removing the thin membrane covering the male organ was not granted to him.41 For at the outset, it was not [yet] possible [for the world to receive] the Divine influence that [today would be] prevented from expression by the membrane that must be removed through priyah.42
Afterwards, however, we were also granted the mitzvah of priyah, so that this higher light could also be revealed through the Divine service of the subsequent generations. This requires the removal of this thin covering, and the refinement of the material dimension of existence. The ultimate expression of this motif was accomplished by Eliyahu, whose physical body ascended in a storm [to the heavens].43
(See the maamar Sameach TeSamach which mentions that Chanoch also [manifested the same quality]. But as explained in Torah Or, in the maamar Mi Sam Peh, Chanoch was not as connected to [the material dimensions] of our existence.)
With regard to our Divine service, the concepts of circumcision and priyah refer respectively to the revelation of the external dimensions and the internal dimensions of our hearts. [To refer to the Torah’s wording:]44 “And you shall circumcise [the foreskin of your heart,” refers to the efforts of man which reveal the external dimensions of our emotional potential]. “And G-d, your L-rd, shall circumcise45 [your hearts]”46 [refers to the revelation from above which brings out our deeper, inner spiritual potential].
In the present era, we are able only to perform the service implied by the command: “And you shall circumcise.” [The revelation implied by] “And G-d, your L-rd, shall circumcise” in the world at large will be manifest only in the Era of the Redemption. (As an individual, however, Avraham attained that level. Similarly, this is possible for the spark [of G-d] present in every individual even in the present era.)47
[The revelation in the world at large] will be accomplished by Eliyahu who will come “to prepare the hearts of the Jews”48 as it is written,49 “And he shall turn the hearts....”
May G-d cause us to merit complete teshuvah immediately, and may this in turn lead to the complete Redemption immediately. With blessings for a happy holiday.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Chairman of the Executive Committee
No. 27
The text to follow is a continuation of a private letter to a Torah scholar whose identity has not been divulged.
[25 Tishrei, 5703]
...Although the above concerns itself with the observance of the mitzvos, I would like [to continue,] mentioning a subject in brief in order not to send a letter devoid of any quote from our Sages. Surely, for you, there is no need for lengthy explanation.
With regard to ritual slaughter:50 All opinions agree that Scriptural law requires an animal to be ritually slaughtered [for its meat to be permitted]. With regard to fowl, there is a difference of opinion among the Sages, and the halachah is that ritual slaughter is required. With regard to fish, there is no need for ritual slaughter; gathering them is sufficient.51
[The spiritual significance of] these concepts is explained in several sources in Chassidus, and is also alluded to in Nigleh, the teachings of Torah law. Our Sages52 state that the Hebrew word which communicates the commandment for ritual slaughter v’shachat means u’mashach, “and he drew [it] after him,” i.e., [the slaughterer takes the life force of the animal and draws it after him,] transferring it to a totally different [spiritual] place.
[This concept is also reflected in another term for slaughter used by our Sages]53 netilas neshamah, “taking the soul,” i.e., [the animal’s] life energy is taken from the [spiritual] place it was previously, [and transplanted to a higher spiritual plane. On this new level,] it can be transformed into flesh and blood for a human being and can provide him with energy for his Divine service, instead of leading to a [spiritual] decline, heaven forbid.
Animals were created from dust. They cannot lift themselves from the ground at all independently; they must be lifted up by others. Using this as an analogy to our Divine service, [the analog would be] the body and the animal soul,54 to which can be applied the verses:55 “A man is born like a wild ass,” and “The inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”56 Our Sages57 explain that the word min’urav, translated as “from his youth,” can also be interpreted as “from the moment he stirs,” [i.e., from the moment a fetus stirs and] goes out into the world, [it is confronted by the yetzer hara].
Therefore, according to all opinions, [an animal] requires ritual slaughter, i.e., the process [of transplanting its spiritual energy] described above. This task [— refining the body and the animal soul —] is the mission of the soul [and the purpose for] its descent into this world. For [the soul] itself requires no improvement; the sole [purpose of its descent] is to improve [and elevate] the body.58
Fowl were created from mud [on the waters], i.e., water and earth. They also have the potential to fly, but must return to the earth, because they become tired after flying.59
The parallel in our Divine service is the intellectual soul, which serves as an intermediary between the animal soul and the G-dly soul.60 [The intellectual soul] can conceive of G-dliness. Nevertheless, its essence is mortal intellect [as prompted] by the G-dly soul which is enclothed within it. As such, there is a difference of opinion as to whether [the spiritual service associated with] ritual slaughter is necessary. The final ruling is that slaughter is required.
Fish are always found in their source of nurture; as soon as they depart, they die.61 The spiritual parallel is the G-dly soul, [which at all times,] even when a person sins, remains faithful to Him. It remains [connected] to its source of life, the ultimate Life.
[This enables us to appreciate the severity of a sin. Since a person is connected to his G-dly source at all times, sinning] can be compared to a person who takes [the head of] the king [and submerges it in a latrine].62
[Because of this ongoing connection, with regard to fish,] there is no need for [the spiritual service associated with] ritual slaughter. There is, however, a need for fish to be gathered. For the enclothement in the body and [the involvement with] the task of refinement may lead to fragmentation of the [G-dly] soul’s energies in its worldly tasks. Therefore, they must be gathered together and collected.
On a deeper level, it can be explained that the fowl refer to the levels of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, and the fish to the levels chayah and yechidah, the soul’s encompassing powers. This is not the place for elaboration [of this matter].
Grasshoppers do not require ritual slaughter.63 Taamei HaMitzvos explains that the rationale for this mitzvah is that they [and fish] are both from the level of Yesod. In contrast, domesticated animals, wild beasts, and ritual slaughter all relate to the level of Malchus.
Perhaps this is [the mystic explanation why] they do not possess blood,64 [an analogy for] material desires, at all. And they are characterized by selflessness — as reflected in the verse,65 “And we were like grasshoppers in their eyes” — and oneness — as reflected in the verse,66 “Locusts have no king, and yet they go forth in bands.”
Negative dimensions may, however, also arise from selflessness, as reflected in the verse:67 “Ephraim is joined to idols.” And therefore, there are also non-kosher grasshoppers. But even then, because “peace is great...,”68 [even though they are non-kosher,] the brine which is produced from them is permitted.69
May it be G-d’s will that through the slaughter of the evil inclination in the present era,70 we merit the fulfillment of the prophecy:71 “In the Era of the Redemption, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring out the evil inclination and slaughter it.”
May He grant us life, maintain us, and cause Mashiach to gather our dispersed remnants together in the near future.