Igrot Kodesh · Letter 8765 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

20 Shevat* 5724,

Brooklyn,

I greet you and bless you,

I read, with much astonishment, your letter of this Tuesday. Thus, it seems to you that one did not give you the correct information, deliberately or not. In any event, the content of your letter has been transmitted to the administration of the Yeshivah*, which possesses full competence in the matter. I must however express to you my surprise: how can a Jew who has observed the kindnesses of Hashem, who was saved from foreign hands by His miracles and who, moreover, has a good son, possessing broad capacities, seek to persuade himself and to convince himself that this son must give a portion of his young years, which should be reserved for the study of our holy Torah*, Torah* of life, to devote it to...? For, all the "reasonings" intended to justify such an attitude do not concern those who have observed and lived through such a period, may Hashem cause that it never recur. Those should not allow themselves to be deceived by their evil inclination.

I do not wish to say more, since competence, as I said, belongs to the administration of the Yeshivah* and to the parents. However, you yourself raised this question and you wished to establish a connection with the Ten Commandments, "honor your father and your mother." I therefore cannot keep silent about all this and not express my feeling, as I have done above. May Hashem cause that every Jew, man or woman, finally perceive the "true truth," that of our holy Torah*, Torah* of truth, that he put into practice its Mitzvos*, of which it is said: "One shall live by them," that he endeavor to disseminate them around him to the full extent of his means, above all among children, toward whom one must feel a profound moral responsibility and a personal commitment, that is quite evident. With my blessing to give me good news of all that has just been said,