Igrot Kodesh · Letter 1323 — Teshuvah

By the grace of Hashem,
1 Teves 5712,
Brooklyn,

Greetings and blessings,

You must, as soon as possible, write to your son[1] and ask him to don tefillin* scrupulously every day — except, of course, on Shabbos and yamim tovim*. If it is impossible for him to do so in the morning, he may put them on throughout the rest of the day, from sunrise to sunset.

You will explain to him in your letter that tefillin are a mitzvah* in their own right. It therefore makes no difference, in this matter, in what manner he keeps the other mitzvos. Moreover, tefillin have the virtue of conferring long life and of allowing one to return home.

I also enclose a letter in English on this subject for your son, together with a message from my father-in-law, the Rebbe[2], which he addressed in its time to draftees in the army.

With my blessing,

Notes
(1) Who is in military service.
(2) See letter no. 101.