Chinuch
the land shall rest a Shabbos
for Hashem" 5710,
On this same day last year — or, in the words of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, "Friday, eve of the holy Shabbos, in the afternoon, of the Parshah: When you come into the Land, it shall rest a Shabbos for Hashem" — my father-in-law, the Rebbe, wrote to the and the students of the settling in Eretz . He told them that "I have asked the directorate of the Merkaz LeInyanei Chinuch to send you a Sefer Torah," and then specified that they would receive it
"so that you should always be conscious, in your mind and in your heart, that your personal and public life must be based on the Torah, as our holy masters have taught us. You shall educate your children to observe it without compromise, and you shall transmit its spirit — the spirit of the ancient Tradition of Israel — to your brothers, the Children of Israel, those who are near and those who, for the moment, are still distant.
"You shall show them the path of elevation: that of the study of the Torah penetrated by yiras , and of the fulfillment of the Mitzvos in the best manner, with a sincere feeling of brotherhood resulting from love of one's fellow (ahavas ) — Chassidic conduct based on the teaching of .
"Each man and woman among you will be a light who illuminates the darkness of the exile in which you find yourselves and we find ourselves. Hashem's light will introduce clarity into it, and Hashem will fulfill His promise — formulated by His holy prophets — that He will let us hear the voice announcing the redemption. Then Hashem will console His people. He will walk before us to gather our exiles and to redeem us for eternity."
Every day, we receive the Torah. Every day, we bless Hashem "Who gives the Torah," because, indeed, He gives it to us daily, and with even greater force during the festival of , the time of the giving of our Torah for the entire year.
During this festival, the days that precede it and those that follow, we must meditate deeply on the words of our master that have just been quoted. From this reflection will flow good actions throughout the year, in all the areas mentioned in the Rebbe's letter.
We constantly hear in our ears, have in our minds and in our hearts the call of my father-in-law, the Rebbe: "But what is one waiting for? One is delaying the redemption! It is already the afternoon of the eve of Shabbos!"
Menachem Schneerson
Sources & References