Igrot Kodesh · Letter 1636 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

12 Sivan 5712,

Brooklyn, New York,

Greetings and blessings,

I have indeed received your express letter, by which you describe to me your consultation with the doctor, with your daughter. He proposed to carry out various examinations, in order to determine to which category she belongs. You also enclose for me the list of these categories.

The tone of your letter reflects your pain. You ask me my feeling about these examinations.

In my opinion, these will change nothing in the education of your daughter, whatever their result. They are therefore not useful. Even if they are harmless, they are nevertheless carried out, notably, with electric wires that are placed near the head. It is therefore difficult to affirm that nothing bad will result from them, chas veshalom*.

One has recourse to such practices only when one cannot do otherwise. Moreover, all these examinations do not enable one to arrive at an incontestable conclusion. First of all, they have existed only for a few years and do not yet present a character of absolute certainty. Furthermore, you must take into account the fact that you have been able to verify personally the errors that the doctors have made regarding your daughter. Now, she is doing better than one might have thought, and, without any doubt, she will go on doing better and better.

In consequence, I do not understand why you must waste your money and your energy on these examinations, which are without utility, and the most one can hope for is that they do not harm her.

As for the request for treatment formulated by the doctor, I think that in the matter, one may rely on this decision, if it is shared by two doctors. May Hashem inspire in them the right idea, the one that will be best for your daughter, to whom Hashem will grant long life.

The doctors must make use of the strength that the Torah grants them to heal. They do not have the right to use it in another manner. When one of them pronounces a hard word, no attention should be paid to it, and it should be considered only as a trial sent by Hashem, to measure the faith and the trust that you and your husband, the Rav, place in Him.

The more you reinforce your trust in Hashem, the more quickly you will see, with your eyes of flesh, that the state of health of your daughter will improve. May Hashem come to the aid of you yourself and your husband, the Rav, so that this may be so very soon.

It is no doubt unnecessary to repeat to you what I have already written you. To the fullest extent possible, you must take part in the preparation of a Chassidic gathering that will take place in your city. This will show that you count on the help of Hashem, which will gladden your heart and that of your husband, the Rav.

With my blessing that you may derive much satisfaction from your daughter, with your husband, the Rav,