Igrot Kodesh · Letter 3012 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

18 Marcheshvan* 5715,
Brooklyn.

To the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem and devotes himself to communal needs, the Rav Mordechai (Rav M. Ritch, of Melbourne, Australia),

Greetings and blessing,

I duly received your letter, which was not dated, and I learned from it, with satisfaction, that you are beginning to bring an energetic participation to the Yeshivah* Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch of Melbourne. I hope that this serious effort, in a domain where it is judicious, will bring you the blessings of Hashem and success.

At every era and in every place, it has been necessary to have a center of Torah, imbued with fear of Hashem. How much more so is this the case in the present period, in a place where the Jewish community is beginning to develop. One must therefore invest the greatest forces in this matter, engrave in one's mind and heart the teaching of our Sages according to which "whoever saves one Jewish soul is considered as if he had preserved the entire world."

Previously, the Cheder* or the Yeshivah* were, for a child, the means of not being an ignoramus, of having access to knowledge, and even, in very many cases, of becoming a Torah scholar. At the present time, there is additionally the necessity of saving this child, of maintaining him within Judaism. For this, one cannot rely on his surroundings, and one must create institutions — a Cheder*, a Yeshivah* — guaranteeing his Jewish practice. It is doubtless unnecessary to say more.

You ask me in what manner the financial committee, which has been formed to support and develop the Yeshivah*, should orient its action. This depends, in fact, on the character and capabilities of each of its members. It is therefore difficult to express an opinion having sufficiently general scope.

However, it is necessary to preserve the Yeshivah* from any political coloring and any affiliation. Indeed, the study of Torah is linked to no politics and no party. This principle has been at the origin of the success of Lubavitch institutions, which have always refused affiliation with a party.

If one meditates on all of this, if one tells oneself that the Torah was given, all at once, to all six hundred thousand children of Israel, who, from the greatest to the most humble, all heard the Commandments (which are part of the Ten Commandments), "I am Hashem your Elokim," "Remember the day of Shabbos*," "Do not covet," one can understand that the Torah truly addresses each person in particular.

Thus, the precept "I am Hashem your Elokim" necessarily leads to putting into practice "Remember the day of Shabbos*" and even "Do not covet." Likewise, one cannot observe the injunction "Do not covet" without having accepted that "I am Hashem your Elokim" or if one does not observe with all one's strength "Remember the day of Shabbos*."

No other element that might sometimes arouse fright should be brought into this matter, whether it emanates from a political position or a party. Indeed, in doing so, one would lose the possibility of binding oneself to the Torah of life and its mitzvos*.

You have surely preserved the memory of our discussion, and I think it is unnecessary to remind you and to ask you to act, in all these domains, for the benefit of the Yeshivah* Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak, to the full extent of your means. You will make the best use of your influence for this purpose.

In conformity with the affirmation of our Sages according to which "one counsels haste solely to those who naturally possess this quality," I wished to remind you of all this once more, so that your action may develop.

With my blessing of success in all that has been said, as well as in your personal concerns, in anticipation of your good news,