Igrot Kodesh · Letter 7311 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

Eve of the holy Shabbos* that blesses the month of Sivan* 5720,

Brooklyn, New York,

To the directors and friends of the Beis Rivkah* schools, in general, and to those who take part in the eighteenth annual banquet of the Beis Rivkah* schools, in particular, whom Hashem will grant long life,

I greet you and bless you,

This year, the annual banquet of Beis Rivkah* takes place on the morrow of the Shabbos* that blesses the month of Sivan*, the month of the receiving of the Torah*, and a few days before the bicentennial of the Hilloula* of the Baal Shem Tov*, which will be on the first day of Shavuos*, the time of the giving of our Torah*. These two moments — the giving of the Torah* and the passing of the Baal Shem Tov* — bear a particular significance for the Beis Rivkah* schools, as well as for their directors, men and women, and their friends, taking into account the fact that the Torah* in general and Chassidus* in particular accord a particularly important role to the Jewish woman.

At the giving of the Torah*, Hashem commanded Moshe* our master to address himself first to the women and only afterward to the men, as it is said: "Thus shall you say to the House of Yaakov" — that is, to the women — "and tell the children of Israel" — the men. The Jewish woman and mother, as mistress of the house, has the immense responsibility and the great merit of strengthening and ensuring the foundations of the Torah* and Mitzvos* within the Jewish home. Likewise, the Jewish woman and mother occupy a particular role in the unveiling and revelation of Chassidus* and the Chassidic* way of life, as all who are familiar with the life and work of the founders of general Chassidus* and Chabad* Chassidus* know. To be convinced of this, it suffices to recall the story of Rochel, grandmother of the Alter Rebbe*, the founder of Chabad*, author of the Tanya* and the Shulchan Aruch*, as related in the second volume of the memoirs of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, founder of the Beis Rivkah* schools — a work that has just appeared on the occasion of this bicentennial.

The Chabad* conception and the guarantee of the perpetuity of Israel require that Jewish girls receive a profound Jewish and Chassidic* education. Now, the Beis Rivkah* schools are the institutions that can provide it. All who lend their support to strengthening and developing the Beis Rivkah* schools therefore take a large part in the dissemination of the wellsprings of the Torah* and Mitzvos*, illuminated by the profound clarity and warmth of Chassidus*. And it is in this way that one prepares for the complete and true redemption, through our righteous Moshiach*. Every new effort in this direction opens new wellsprings, conveying the blessings of Hashem in all needs, material and spiritual alike. With my blessing to give good tidings, as well as to receive the Torah* with joy and in a profound manner,

M. Schneerson,