Igrot Kodesh · Letter 1989 — Community

By the grace of Hashem,

26 Teves 5713,

Brooklyn,

To the distinguished chassid* who fears Hashem

and devotes himself to communal needs,

Rav Menachem Man[1],

Greetings and blessings,

I received with pleasure your letter in which you inform me of a joyous piece of news, the fact that the chassidim* gathered, at the conclusion of Shabbos* Parshas* Vayishlach, in order to celebrate the festival of liberation of Yud-Tes Kislev*. On that occasion, the niggun* of the Alter Rebbe* was sung and the account of his imprisonment and liberation was read.

Our Sages say that joy breaks all bounds. May Hashem therefore grant that this joy cause all the difficulties and barriers to vanish, in the place where you find yourself. Thus, those who appear to be opponents will discover the incontestable truth, the fact that every Jew is a chassid*.

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, was accustomed to say that the Jewish people are compared to "a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters," and also to "a coveted land." In truth, in any place where one digs, one discovers, sooner or later, a spring or a well of living waters. The difference is only the following: in one place, it suffices to remove a thin layer of sand and mud or stones, while in another, it will be wider and thicker. But, in any event, water can be found everywhere.

It is the same regarding the deep point of Yiddishkeit* that each one possesses, which expresses itself through ahavas Yisrael*, ahavas haTorah*, and ahavas Hashem*. All of this constitutes only one and the same entity, found in each person. The difference, as has been said, is the fact that these traits appear evidently in one, while in another, a greater effort will be necessary to bring them to light.

You write in your letter that the rav of the shul* asked you why Tachanun* is not said on Yud-Tes Kislev*. Indeed:

1. The Shulchan Aruch* of the Alter Rebbe* does not specify that Tachanun* should be omitted on this date.

2. Moreover, why not allow those who wish to say this Tachanun*?

You yourself bring the answer to the first question in your letter. The Alter Rebbe* wrote the Shulchan Aruch* before the episode of Yud-Tes Kislev*, after Mezeritch[2]. You will consult, on this subject, the introduction of his son to the Shulchan Aruch*.

As for the second question, that of allowing those who desire to say Tachanun*, two answers can be formulated:

A) Those who omit saying Tachanun* on Yud-Tes Kislev* proclaim, in this way, that the Alter Rebbe* was not guilty and that Chassidus*, whether they study it or not, is indeed the Torah of Hashem. When a Jew has been arrested because he was disseminating the Torah, the Torah rejoices in his liberation.

Indeed, why would not the opponents of Chassidus*, those who wish to say Tachanun* on this day of Yud-Tes Kislev*, have the following reflection? What will those who observe say about the extent to which the liberation of the Alter Rebbe* and of Chassidus*, a part of the Torah of Hashem which he revealed, leaves them indifferent? How can they agree with the accusations brought against him, by being uninterested in his liberation, by refusing to consider it a festival?

B) Hundreds of thousands of Jews who fear Hashem accepted Yud-Tes Kislev* and made it a day of festival. Now, everything is the effect of Divine Providence, and one can conclude from this that Hashem gave His consent that it be so.

It must be deduced from this that Hashem grants, on this day, an additional light, "the light emanating from the countenance of the King of life." Therefore, severity and accusation are weakened. Certainly, this revelation cannot be compared to that of Shabbos*, which causes every trace of severity to disappear. Nevertheless, this attribute of severity is considerably diminished on Yud-Tes Kislev*. This day is therefore propitious for taking good resolutions concerning Torah, mitzvos*, and good conduct.

In contrast, saying Tachanun*[3] is a means of arousing the attribute of severity, as the Levush*, Orach Chaim*, chapter 131, and the Ateres Zekeinim*, in the same chapter, paragraph 3, state. The Mishnah Berurah* also cites this in this same chapter, paragraph 20.

Consequently, if someone wishes to arouse severity on a day when hundreds of thousands of people do not do so, he causes harm not only to his own person but also to the entire community within which he prays. It is surely unnecessary to say more.

By separate mailing, two copies of the Beis Rebbi*, recently published in Yiddish, have been sent to you. I ask you to transmit the second to Mr. Aharon HaKohen, Harry Katz, with the enclosed receipt corresponding to the amount he sent through your intermediary.

I ask you also to transmit to Mr. Aharon HaKohen Katz my greetings and my wishes for all good and material prosperity.

With my blessing,