Igrot Kodesh · Letter 2593 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

13 Nissan 5714,
Brooklyn.

To the Rav, the distinguished Chassid who fears Hashem and devotes himself to communal needs, Rav Yaakov Yosef Hurkov, the shochet*,

Greetings and blessing,

I am responding to your letter of the day of the hilula* of 2 Nissan (the hilula* of the Rebbe Rashab*). Concerning your daughter, I have heard that there is, in London itself or in Gateshead, a school for girls whose level of yiras Hashem* is satisfactory. Being on the spot, it must be possible for you to verify whether this is indeed the case.

If so, it would be good for your daughter to attend that school. When the time comes, she will surely be able, in addition to the knowledge and the development she will have acquired, to also exert a positive influence on her surroundings there.

Concerning the means of earning your livelihood, Hashem will come to your aid, beyond doubt. In a general way, Chazal* say that one should not fear narrowness and passing difficulty. How much more so is this the case for those who have lived in the country in which we previously found ourselves (Soviet Russia) and have witnessed evident miracles. They have seen to what extent money and material possessions are vain. One should therefore not be affected by all this.

Indeed, material difficulties are an obstacle in various domains, and in particular for avodas Hashem*. One must therefore daven* specifically for it, and when "min hameitzar karasi K-ah*" — "from the straits I called upon Hashem" — it is said that "anani vamerchav K-ah*" — "Hashem answered me with expanse." This expanse is first marked spiritually, and it diminishes the physical obstacles. Then it becomes also material.

The days of Pesach* are particularly propitious for all this, since it is the festival of the exodus from Mitzrayim*, of liberation from the barriers raised by the forces of evil, or even those that belong to the realm of kedushah*, as various texts establish.

Referring to your activity in chinuch*, you say that "one works the entire day and obtains practically nothing." It is surprising to observe to what extent those who know the sayings of our masters and reflect upon their content nevertheless think that they apply to other persons and not to themselves.

You doubtless know the saying of the Baal Shem Tov*, cited many times, that a soul descends here below into a body for seventy or eighty years solely to render, even just once, a service, spiritual or material, to someone. Thus, Hashem brings down a "chelek Eloka mima'al mamash*" — "a portion of Hashem above, truly" — into the turmoil — or in the expression of the RaShBaTz (Rabbi Shmuel Betzalel Sheftel, one of the early teachers of the Frierdiker Rebbe), "into a sack of flesh and bones" — for seventy or eighty years, in order to accomplish a single action, to render a single service.

How much more so must this be the case for each one of us. He who has the merit and the success of accomplishing such actions several times a day, every week, must therefore rejoice in his lot. This idea is also explained in my letter addressed to all (no. 2292), on the occasion of 19 Kislev (the liberation of the Alter Rebbe* from the tsarist prisons) this year.

A few other Chassidim are also in doubt, and you will kindly disseminate the content of these few lines, which will bring them an answer.

As you ask of me, when I find myself at the holy tziyun* of my father-in-law the Rebbe, whose merit shall protect us, I shall mention the names of all those whom you cite, for the satisfaction of each one's needs. May Hashem grant that you give me good tidings of all this.

With my blessing for a kosher and freilichen* Pesach*,

M. Schneerson

ב״ה ,כ״ז ניסן ,תשי״ד

ברוקלין.

הוו״ח אי״א נו״נ כו׳ מוה״ר בנימין שי׳

שלום וברכה!

במענה למכתבו -ללא תאריך הכתיבה ״ שמחתי לקרוא בו שיש לו

פגישות עם הרה״ח הוו״ח אי״א נו״נ עוסק בצ״צ מוהרש״ז שי׳ הכט,

ויש לו גם קביעות בלימוד ספרי חסידות ,ובתקוה שמשתתף גם

בהתועדויות החסידיות המתקיימות מזמן לזמן בשיקגו.

מה שכותב אודות סדר-היום ,מרחוק קשה לקבוע ,אך נחוץ

ב׳תרכא

מוה״ר בנימין :גרשמן.

שבנוסף לשלושת השיעורים השרים לכל נפש מתקנת כ׳׳ק מו״ח אדמו״ר

זצוקללה״ה נבג״מ זי׳׳ע בחומש תהלים ותניא ,אודותם בטח שמע

מהרה״ח הכט שיי ,יהיו לו שיעורים קבועים בלימוד הלכות שו״ב

ולעבור עליהם כל שנה .ודבר ראוי הוא שיהי׳ אחד מהמשתתפים

בחלוקת הש״ס וילמד את המסכת במשך השנה.

וכיצד לחלק את היום ,זה תלוי בזמן הפנוי שיש לו בימי העבודה

ובימים שבהם פנוי מעבודה . . .

בברכה,

בשם כ״ק אדמו״ר שליט׳יא

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