Igrot Kodesh · Letter 3657 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

21 Tammuz* 5715

Brooklyn

To the great Rav*, distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem,

of broad knowledge, Rav* Sh. Y. (Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin of Jerusalem, author of the Talmudic Encyclopedia; see letter no. 3405 regarding him),

Blessings and greetings,

I am responding to your letter of 15 Tammuz*.

I thank you for sharing good news, since you tell me that the surgical operation undergone by your son was successful. I will mention his name, at a propitious time, at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe*, whose merit protects us, so that he have a speedy recovery and continue to improve.

I am surprised that you do not convey to me the content of the Chassidic farbrengen* of the day of the liberation (of the Frierdiker Rebbe*, the 12th and 13th of Tammuz*) and especially the concrete resolutions that were adopted on that occasion. As you know, words are considered futile not only when they are empty of meaning. They are equally so when what should change concrete action remains at the stage of speech and does not affect conduct at all.

I have duly received your book, the Sipurei Chassidim*, and I thank you for it. In keeping with my custom, and basing myself on the remark of our Sages* who say: "Do you think I am unaware that he spoke well?" (the fact of formulating remarks on a book does not call into question the quality of the work accomplished), I am enclosing a few remarks, for which you will kindly excuse me.

You have surely received my letter that responded to your previous correspondence. I await good news regarding what was said therein.

With my respects and my blessing,

M. Schneerson,

P.S. General remarks:

A) In this confused generation, the more one can clarify and provide precision, the more effective one is. In one's present location and immediately, this may not seem truly useful. It will become so, however, in another place or somewhat later. This is indeed the case for a collection of stories about the great ones of Israel, of all eras and all places (which is the purpose of the Sipurei Chassidim*).

It is necessary to mention, in the margins or at the end of the book, the source of each story (see also letters no. 3405 and 3732 on this subject) and especially its degree of reliability. If this applies to all the leaders of Israel, how much more so for the masters of Chassidus*. Indeed, imprecise information and sometimes even falsifications, made with the intention of causing harm, have caused much damage to the dissemination of the teaching of Chassidus*, its customs, and its practices among the broadest circles.

If one consults the final lines of your book and the two pages of references — knowing, moreover, how organized you are — I am sure you know the origin of every story you report. It would therefore be advisable to now publish the sources of all these stories on a separate sheet, which will at least partially remedy this gap.

To the extent possible, it would be good to add to this a few lines presenting the degree of reliability of the various collections of stories and of those who compiled them. As you know, there are two extremes here — on the one hand, those of impeccable reliability and, on the other, those in the opposite situation. But most authors fall between these two extremes.

Obviously, one can publish a collection of stories even if one is not certain of their accuracy, provided they reflect the way of life of the Chassidim* and their descendants. You know the saying: "Even if it is not true, it could have been." Nevertheless, given the position you occupy among the Chassidim*, it is almost certain that your stories will be regarded as perfectly trustworthy, especially since they are recorded in a book. It is therefore necessary to state a clear position on this matter.

B) Following what has just been said, certain Chassidic* stories provoke astonishment. Some people who hear them conclude that the person in question acted contrary to Halachah* or, in any case, did not adopt the best possible conduct. This alters the way they perceive the bearers of Chassidus* and Chassidus* itself, whereas a few adjustments to certain expressions in the story would have eliminated their astonishment. How much more so when it involves a translation (these stories are presented in Hebrew, whereas the original is sometimes in Yiddish*).

I will cite two examples here:

1. Story no. 301, starting from page 309: There is a fact there that contradicts the function of the Maggid* (the "preachers" who, in that era, visited communities and admonished them). Several people will conclude that by having recourse to the services of a Maggid*, one intended to dispense with the effort necessary to study Torah*, or at least to reduce it to a minimum.

To tell the truth, I myself had asked this question for a long time, when I learned of a story recounted by my father-in-law, the Rebbe*, in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek*. When the latter was young, the Alter Rebbe* offered to give him the gift of Torah* knowledge. As the story is told, the Tzemach Tzedek* replied that Torah* must be acquired through effort, that he wanted to study it by his own means, and that he therefore intended to make this effort.

But afterward, he regretted not having accepted this gift and explained the reason. After having acquired all his knowledge, he could still have introduced his own effort and deepened it. Indeed, the Torah* is "longer than the earth." In this way, the Tzemach Tzedek* would have accumulated both qualities at once — broader knowledge and greater effort.

2. Story no. 313: Rabbi Meshulam Zusha had a grave opened and asked that a search be conducted in it. According to the Shulchan Aruch*, it is difficult to justify such a practice. Now, a small modification would have sufficed. One could have said that it was not, strictly speaking, inside the grave, but that one was in its vicinity, within its four amos*. Then there would no longer have been cause for astonishment. In fact, in recounting this story, it was not necessarily specified that it took place inside the grave, as the reader of this book will assume.

On this subject, a clear reference in the Yerushalmi* is cited for this story. I would like to know if you are aware of it and, if so, I thank you in advance for communicating it to me.

* * *

Concerning the amount that was collected for the eldest daughter of this man, it seems to me advisable to place it in a reliable charitable fund whose purpose is to assist with marriages, in the Holy Land or here, until she marries and needs it.

Is there concern for publishing the manuscripts of Rav* E. Y. Rivlin (Rav Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin, Rav* of Drivin; see letter no. 3763 on this subject)?

Perhaps, without calling into question this publication, his descendants can immediately publish his book Ohalei Yosef (see letters no. 3026, 3215, and 3763 on this subject). It has been out of print for several decades. Now, an offset edition can be very quick. The ninetieth anniversary of his passing has just been observed. One could presumably add (to this book) a brief account of his biography, mention his parents, his descendants, the manuscripts he possessed in his collection, and his visits to Lubavitch*.