Igrot Kodesh · Letter 5798 — Faith & Bitachon

B"H

27 Tishrei 5718

Brooklyn

Greetings and blessings,

I am responding to your letter of 10/17, in which you tell me that although you have been in this country for fifty years already, and even in a small town, you have maintained your Jewish values and have educated your children accordingly. Indeed, you come from a Lubavitch family, and one of your brothers bears the name of the Rebbe Maharash*, of Lubavitch.

The conclusion of all this gives me the hope that the maintenance of Jewish practice, as you conceive it, does not consist solely — as many people erroneously believe — in supporting (note: financially) Jewish institutions and going a few times a year to the Temple (note: Reform) or the synagogue (note: the term "synagogue" in the text refers to one affiliated with the Conservative movement). Moreover, some think that while they themselves must go beyond these practices, these are quite sufficient for their children. One has been able to observe the dramas that have resulted, in hundreds of families, from such conceptions.

A Jew who puts forward his Chassidic* ancestry surely knows what the expression "Jewish values" truly contains. It designates a daily existence in conformity with the teachings of our holy Torah*, the one that Moshe* received from the Holy One, blessed be He, on Mount Sinai. Hashem directed all parts of the world thousands of years ago. He still does so at the present time, and He will always do so afterward. It is therefore quite evident that in the Torah* He gave, He takes into account the conditions of contemporary America. Nevertheless, He indeed asks that all the mitzvos* be put into practice, and that this be done "at the end of days" as well, in the expression of the verse. Happily, one can observe that those who truly desire it not only succeed themselves, but moreover transmit to their children true Jewish values, without falsification.

I consider it useful to emphasize, in accordance with a teaching of my father-in-law, the Rebbe*, whose merit will protect us, that it is never too late. If, for whatever reason, yesterday's day was not what it should have been, teshuvah* will be effective and it will enable one, in the future, to have the way of life that is fitting. I will be happy to receive, from you, good news of everything that has just been said.

With my blessing,

For the Rebbe shlita*,

the secretary,

P.S.: You also share with me your ideas about the reincarnation of souls! You tell me that you have been a jeweler for fifty years, and I deduce from this that you learned this trade for many years. I would like to know how many years you studied the concept of reincarnation, about which you express your opinion with such certainty — whereas the greatest Sages* of Israel, the Arizal*, Rabbi Chaim Vital*, the Alter Rebbe*, and also the Gaon of Vilna*, advance the conceptions that I myself put forward and which do not suit you.