Igrot Kodesh · Letter 750 — Health

By the grace of Hashem,
18 Elul 5710,
Brooklyn, New York,

To our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of Israel,
in every place where they find themselves,
may Hashem grant them long life [1],

I greet and bless you,

At the threshold of the new year, which will bring good to all of Israel, each of us is awakened to take stock of what we have done during the year that has just passed. We then take the resolution that the new year will be better and more elevated, in all areas, and we pray to our Father, Who is in Heaven, to be inscribed and sealed, with all our own, for a good and sweet year, materially and spiritually.

Our Sages emphasize that by giving Tzedakah*, one can be answered, obtain health, abundance and happiness.

Man possesses a body and a soul. And just as one can be poor in body, in the satisfaction of one's needs, one can also be poor in soul and not be able to satisfy its needs.

It is the same for Tzedakah*, which can be material or spiritual. In Tana D'vei Eliyahu Rabba, in chapter 27, our Sages, commenting on the verse "when you see a man unclothed, you shall cover him," say [2]: "What does the Prophet mean? In fact, he emphasizes that if you see someone who does not know the words of the Torah, you must bring him into your house, teach him the Shema Yisrael and prayer, encourage him in the practice of the Mitzvot*."

In these days of moral reckoning, each man and each woman must therefore make an account of the Tzedakah* he has given to satisfy material needs and to fill spiritual lacks, and ask himself also whether he has done so according to the measure of his means, spiritual and material. For there is still time to rectify what is imperfect [3].

He who is materially poor can and must give material Tzedakah* to another poor person, according to the measure of his means. Likewise, every Jew, including he who is spiritually poor, must also come to the aid of him who is poor in spirit, by exerting a positive influence on his surroundings, by drawing him close to Torah and Mitzvot*.

Those who are materially rich and those who possess spiritual treasures, scholars of Torah, students of the Yeshivos*, must spend lavishly their money and their knowledge, to save, heal and strengthen the soul and body of their brothers and sisters.

I conclude by expressing a wish and a blessing [3]. May our merciful Father, Who is in Heaven, inscribe and seal each one of us for a good and sweet year, materially and spiritually. He will grant us, very soon and in our days, the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach*, Amen.

Wishing you and myself a good year,

Menachem Mendel ben Chana Schneerson, son-in-law of our leader and master, the Lubavitcher Rebbe,