Igrot Kodesh · Letter 4162 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

16 Adar 5716

Brooklyn, New York

I greet you and bless you,

I am responding to your question regarding my opinion on the issue that has been placed on the agenda these past months concerning the organization of Rabbinical Day in the United States. The question is as follows:

"Is it permitted for those who observe the Torah* and the mitzvos* to belong to associations that count among their members Reform or Conservative rabbis, in their official capacity — whether it is individual participation, as in the Rabbinical Board of New York, or institutional participation, as in the Synagogue Council?

The reasons of those who permit and those who forbid are well known. They have been disseminated by their authors on various occasions and have been reported by the press."

My response is as follows. In recent years, the question has been posed in a much more acute manner and has therefore received a new formulation. The general public — in particular the young rabbis and, more broadly, the Jewish youth of the United States — pay particular attention to this question. All consider that the answer given to it and the halachic* ruling rendered concern not only participation in this or that organization, but also the way in which the Reform and Conservative movements are to be regarded as a whole.

The question actually posed is therefore the following: Are these rabbis, representatives of these movements, simply Rabbanim* who systematically adopt the most lenient position, in contrast to Orthodox rabbis, who for their part adopt a more stringent attitude?

Or must one apply here the ruling of the Rambam*, in his Laws of Teshuvah*, Chapter 3, paragraph 8, according to which one who claims that the Torah* does not come from Hashem* — even if he alludes to a single verse, a single word that Moshe allegedly introduced on his own initiative — is considered as rejecting the entire Torah*. The same applies to one who denies a commentary of the Oral Law or even a simple specification that it provides.

Consequently, whoever can exert an influence on the course of events and, all the more so, on the position to be taken, the final decision and the way to formulate it, must know the situation well and be aware of everything that can result from it.

What is at stake here is the way in which the principles of the faith will be regarded by thousands, tens of thousands of Jews. Some speak of alleged gains, or write about them. It is clear that these are negligible when measured against such a question.

Here, then, is what must be known. Those who wish to leave room for doubt, or at least opt for a refusal that is not imbued with all the necessary energy, do not answer the question of what relationship to adopt with the Conservative or Reform movements. Now, this has nothing to do with the question posed and the way to formulate it, for the general public and some of the rabbis are not interested in their explanations, their reasoning, and their justifications. They want to know what the final position is — approval or refusal.

May Hashem* grant, in keeping with the characteristic of our era — that of the redemption — that the greatest number of elements become clarified and united. Thus, one will distinguish between the Torah*, the Word of the Living Hashem*, and the stratagems of men.

With my blessing,

M. Schneerson,

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B"H

16 Adar 5716

Brooklyn

I greet you and bless you,

In accordance with your request, I will mention your name near the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe*, whose merit protects us, so that your state of health may improve. No doubt you will give me good tidings on this matter.

You write that you endeavor to give an education in accordance with the verse: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem*." And in our era, it is clear that the fear of Hashem* alone is not sufficient. At the beginning, nevertheless, it is necessary to awaken it, to renew it, to strengthen it from time to time — at least to the extent of the amplification of the undesirable winds that blow from the outside.

In any case, the merit of this education will protect you, and you will know success with your students, who will grow up in the spirit of the Tradition of Israel, study the Torah* and fulfill the mitzvos* in the best manner.

With my blessing to convey good tidings of all this,

ד'קסב*

ב"ה, ט"ז אדר, תשט"ז
ברוקלין.

שלום וברכה!

...כבקשתו אזכירו על הציון הק' של כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע להטבת הבריאות, ובטח יודיע בשו"ט בזה, וזכות מה שכותב שמשתדל בחינוך באופן המתאים למה שנאמר ראשית חכמה יראת ה' (ובימינו אלה פשיטא שאין מספיק שיהי' הענין דיראת שמים רק בראשית אלא מוכרח לעוררו ולחדשו ולהוסיף עליו מזמן לזמן עכ"פ במדה שמתוספת רוחות בלתי רצויות בחוץ), יעמוד לו להצליח במושפעיו שיגדלו ברוח ישראל סבא לומדי תורה ומקיימי מצותי' בהידור.

בברכה לבשו"ט בכל האמור.