Igrot Kodesh · Letter 1994 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

26 Teves 5713,

Brooklyn, New York,

Greetings and blessings,

I received news of you with pleasure, thanks to the telephone conversation which you had with the rav, distinguished chassid* who fears Hashem and devotes himself to communal needs, of multiple accomplishments, Rav Ch. M. A. Hodakov[1]. You spoke with him about your meeting with the rav, chassid* who fears Hashem and devotes himself faithfully to communal needs, Rav Eliyahu Simpson.

You took a good resolution, at a propitious and fruitful moment, that of consecrating, with the help of Hashem, a portion of the revenues that the wells of the Be'er Sheva company[2] will procure for you to various tzedakah* causes founded and directed by me, in the spirit of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, the leader of Israel.

You know the saying we heard from my father-in-law, the Rebbe[3], according to which a Jew, when he takes here below the good resolution to give tzedakah* and to dedicate a substantial sum to it, can sometimes, at the moment of his commitment, not have the means to fulfill it. In such a case, Hashem immediately grants him material abundance, so that he is in a position to keep his commitment.

I am convinced that it will be the same for you, even if such has not been the case until now. Indeed, you and your associate took this resolution with all your heart. Hashem has therefore surely already decreed that you must know abundance and success. Thus, you will have the means to keep your commitment, with a joyful heart and a generous hand.

One of the explanations given for the formation of petroleum is the following. The bodies of dead animals, when they undergo strong pressure, transform, little by little, into petroleum, which is used to heat and to give light.

You know the saying of the holy Baal Shem Tov*, according to which everything a Jew sees or hears is a sign that Hashem sends him, so that he may draw a teaching from it for his service of Hashem and for the mission that has been entrusted to him here below. How much more so when it is a matter of a situation with which one is frequently confronted. The latter must deliver a lesson to each one of us, applying to the mission that we must undertake in this world.

One must meditate on all this, understand that matter is devoid of any intrinsic existence. Man can perceive this by his own means, verify that he draws his vitality from his neshamah*. Hashem attaches it to a body. Consequently, it must exert pressure on its desires and its material attractions.

When the neshamah* exerts upon the body the pressure that befits, the latter, possessing no intrinsic vitality, then acquires the capacity to warm and to illuminate all of its surroundings. The meaning of all this is quite clear and requires no further development.

I reiterate to you my wish and my blessing that Hashem grant you success and abundance, in all that has just been said. In this way, you will be able to put your good resolution into practice, far beyond what you can imagine at the present hour.

With my blessing,