Igrot Kodesh · Letter 1256 — Faith & Bitachon

B'ezras Hashem,

23 Marcheshvan 5712,

Brooklyn,

Greetings and blessings,

I received your detailed letter of 9 Cheshvan, concerning the wanderings that have led you to the Holy Land and the situation of your family life. You solicit my opinion, regarding your wife[1].

It seems to me that you must not worry yourself for what concerns her, chas v'shalom*. You must strengthen your bitachon* in Hashem and be certain that He shall send her healing. She shall return home in good health, so that you shall be able, together, to raise your children to Torah, to chuppah*, and to ma'asim tovim*.

It is good that she has been hospitalized. She shall thus receive the care that is necessary.

You speak to me also of your in-laws[2]. It is difficult to pronounce on recriminations, when one finds oneself at a distance. In my view, you should gather three rabbanim, who shall be elderly Chassidim or, at least, go, with your father-in-law, before one of them. He or they[3] shall hear the arguments of the one and of the other and shall surely find a solution. You shall ask them to write me their opinion, after having heard the two parties.

I took note with pleasure of the daily organization of your study of Torah[4]. I would like to remind you that you must know certain texts of it by heart, for example the first chapters of the Tanya*, a Chassidic discourse of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, and some chapters of Mishnah. When you go to your work or elsewhere, and, likewise, when you return from it, you shall recite them. Moreover, when bad thoughts present themselves to you, you shall push them away thanks to these words of Torah. Our Sages remark that "a little light pushes away much darkness"[5].

With my brachah* of refuah shleimah* for your wife, with whom you shall raise your children to Torah, to chuppah, and to ma'asim tovim,

[1] Concerning her state of health.
[2] With whom a dispute has arisen.
[3] The Rav or the three rabbanim.
[4] Adding to the professional activity of the recipient of this letter.
[5] A small effort, in this domain, is therefore sufficient to push away all bad thoughts.