Igrot Kodesh · Letter 4197 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

2 Nissan 5716

Brooklyn, New York

To our brethren, the children of Yisrael*, and in particular,

to educators everywhere,

may Hashem* grant you long life,

I greet you and bless you,

Pesach*, the first festival given to us, concerns both the people of Yisrael* as a whole and each individual Jew. Its celebration is specifically linked to education.

For all of Yisrael*, the Exodus from Egypt marked their birth as a nation and the beginning of the preparation to receive the Torah*, which delivers teachings and constitutes the guide of life.

To each individual Jew, the Torah* emphasizes the importance of educating a child, as it is said: "And you shall tell your son." Education is precisely one of the defining aspects of this festival.

Pesach* is therefore a propitious time to reflect on the framework and qualities of education, on the way to dispense it concretely, particularly during the festivals.

The festivals in general, and Pesach* in particular, have many laws and customs that are then put into practice. Moreover, they leave their influence on daily life throughout the entire year.

This influence, which is important for every Jew, becomes fundamental for young people and children.

Such influence should therefore have been strengthened and increased during the festivals. But in practice, for various reasons, children and students — boys and girls — are removed from the influence of the Yeshivah* Gedolah, the Yeshivah* Ketanah, or the Talmud Torah*, not only during the festival itself, but also during the days preceding it.

In the places where we previously lived, the students' vacations between school terms were not detrimental to their education. The street, and all the more so the home, provided the child and the young person with a living and warm atmosphere of Jewish values, of daily observance of mitzvos* in the best manner. The goal of the schools was then essentially to give the students knowledge of the Torah*.

In our time, however — particularly in this country — the educational institutions do not merely give students knowledge of Torah* and Yiddishkeit*. They must, above all, implant in them the fear of Hashem*, the most scrupulous observance of mitzvos*, and, more generally, the Jewish way of life.

In this context, being removed from the influence of the schools during vacations, and especially during the festivals, deprives students of an impetus they vitally need, precisely at the time when they should receive it most broadly.

I therefore address all those who are involved in the educational domain, or could be, to ask them to take the necessary measures to rectify this situation. These are essentially the following:

A) On the eve of the festival, or at least at the closest possible date, one should once again teach the children, in the appropriate manner, the laws and customs of the festival, as well as its content and explanations.

B) It is furthermore indispensable, during the festival — particularly during Chol HaMoed* — that the teachers gather the children in a suitable manner, in order to take advantage of these propitious days to strengthen the influence on the children of everything related to this festival in general and what should affect their conduct in particular.

One will surely find a way to overcome the difficulties and problems that arise from the children's distance or dispersal. Indeed, the gathering during the festival days need not necessarily take place on the school premises. Likewise, the division into classes and teachers is of little importance in this context, since this is not formal instruction. Several classes can therefore be grouped together.

C) Furthermore, parents should not rely entirely on the schools. For their part, they should be aware, on one hand, that the influence of the street is harmful, and on the other, that increased responsibility falls upon them when their children have much more free time during festivals and vacations. Nevertheless, they should know that the strengths at their disposal are also increased.

May Hashem* grant that the boys and girls, the children belonging to the four categories defined by the Haggadah*, gather around the same table, in order to fulfill "the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that Hashem* our Elokim* has commanded us," that they ask the questions well, so as to know the true answer of the Torah* and put it into practice.

This beginning of the ingathering of the exiles — reuniting the dispersed children around the same Seder* table — will hasten the beginning of the redemption, and then the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach*, when the wish with which the Seder* is introduced will be fulfilled: "This year we are slaves. Next year we will be free."

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

M. Schneerson,