Igrot Kodesh · Letter 82 — Resume the Testimonies: On the Principle of Spiritual Abandonment and Forgetfulness

By the grace of Hashem,

Monday, 2 Tammuz 5703,

To our friend, the Rav Y. Weinberg [1], Montreal,

I greet you and bless you,

I respond to the letters in which you ask me to verify for what reason my father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita, has not responded to your letters in which you gave him an account of your actions to strengthen Shabbos* observance [2].

I spoke to him about it before the holiday of Shavuos and again this week. Just before and just after Shavuos, the Rebbe could only respond to the most pressing questions. My father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita will therefore most likely respond to you next week.

I seize this occasion to ask you to continue the transcription of the testimonies dating from the years 5699-5700 [3], which you interrupted from its beginning [4].

It is said, indeed, that "if you abandon Me for one day, I will abandon you for two days" and one can ask whether this principle is valid only for the Torah, as the Zohar* seems to indicate, or whether it extends also to other domains of holiness, which seems to be the opinion of Rashi*. Or perhaps it is a natural principle, which applies in any domain for which forgetfulness is possible. The Talmud* mentions several situations illustrating all this.

With my blessing of immediate Teshuvah, immediate redemption,

Rav Menachem Schneerson,

Director of the executive committee [5]