Igrot Kodesh · Letter 7119 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

16 Kislev* 5720,

Brooklyn, New York,

To the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem,

Rav Eliezer Yechyel (note 1: Rav E. Y. Mandigorski),

I greet you and bless you,

I received news of you, with pleasure, through the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem and devotes himself to communal needs, Rav Zalman Jaffe. Your request for a blessing will be read, at a propitious moment, near the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, so that you obtain a complete recovery and the satisfaction of your material and spiritual needs. May Hashem grant that you have good tidings to communicate to me, especially since we are in the propitious days of this month of Kislev*, the date of the liberation of the Alter Rebbe*, author of the Tanya* and the Shulchan Aruch* (note 2: 19 Kislev*), and the period of Chanukah*, when we recite: "And for the miracles..." (note 3: In the prayer, to celebrate the miracle of Chanukah*). Likewise, this year is intrinsically propitious, since it marks the bicentennial of the Hilloula* of the Baal Shem Tov*. As our holy books state, during a Hilloula*, the light of the one who departed this world is revealed in a much stronger manner.

Of course, remembrance and memory, among Jews, correspond to what the verse says: "These days are commemorated and relived," emphasizing that a concrete action must result from it, carried out under its influence. It is known that the Baal Shem Tov* introduced his work by being the assistant of a teacher. He carried the small children in his arms to school. He taught them the blessings, the Shema Yisrael*, Amen, Yehei Shemei Rabba*. Simultaneously, he revealed and taught the most profound and abstract concepts of the Torah* and its inner dimension, as they must be expressed in daily existence, based on the love of Hashem, the love of the Torah*, and the love of one's fellow. May Hashem grant that each of us introduces all that has just been said into his daily life, in the most complete manner. Indeed, this is how one forges the channels and receptacles revealing the blessings of Hashem in the broadest measure, both materially and spiritually. With my blessing,