Igrot Kodesh · Letter 595 — Hashgachah Pratis & Emotional Stability

By the grace of Hashem,

8 Iyar 5710,

To the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem...

I greet you and bless you.

It has been brought to my attention that you are at present very emotional, on edge. You have surely heard from my father-in-law, the Rebbe, and studied in his sichos*, his maamarim* and his letters, that there is no such thing as chance and that everything is the effect of divine Providence (Hashgachah Pratis*). For our part, we must strive to conform our actions to the Will of Hashem. Who am I to know exactly what divine Providence expects? Nevertheless, I have learned of this matter and my intervention may, perhaps, be positive — at least in part. That is the reason I take the initiative of writing this letter to you.

The reason for your nervousness has not been told to me, but there is every reason to think it comes from the dissatisfaction your own situation inspires in you. Your divine soul (nefesh ha-elokis*) is not pleased with your moral state, and your animal soul (nefesh ha-bahamis*) is not pleased with your material state. The body and the nervous system feel it.

It is difficult for me to enter into detail concerning the way you describe your situation as you analyze it, because I have not heard your arguments from your own mouth.

I shall therefore content myself with a general response — that is, describing your state as I perceive it. According to the Torah, you are concerned in this more than I am, and so my opinion is more objective than yours. It is the following.

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, placed you in a ray of light — that of the Torah. More than that: he was not satisfied with this and gave you also the luminary of the Torah. You yourself, and the teachers who work for you, are Chassidim who study Chassidus* — abundantly, moderately, or at the very least to some degree. You instill into your students the fear of Hashem, which is the purpose of Torah and Mitzvos*.

But my father-in-law, the Rebbe, did not stop there either, and from then on he holds you by the hand and guides you in everything that concerns you. You established a home based on Torah and Mitzvah. Thank Hashem, you have had and still have what is needed to ensure your livelihood and that of the members of your family. You received from my father-in-law, the Rebbe, blessings that it should be so in the future. More than that: you even have the possibility of giving generously to Tzedakah*.

Here then, broadly, is your moral and physical situation. So how do we explain your emotional state? Because everything is granted and one still has to make efforts? What is this bitterness? Is it because you have to be in contact with simple people?

Without doubt, the Rebbe's strength and time were precious. He, more than any other, had the right to demand. Despite this, he bore everything to the very end.

From this, who can permit himself to complain, to declare that he does not want such a situation, to conclude from it that he is not capable of taking it on, that he is withdrawing, that he is on edge?

Rav ..., is all this justified?

You will give my regards to all the members of your family, to whom I wish all the best.

You will find enclosed a booklet that has just appeared.

ב״ה ,כ״א אייר ,ה׳תש״י

הוו״ח אי״א נו״מ עוסק בצ״צ וכו׳ . . .שי׳

שלום וברכה!

במענה על מכתבו מח׳ אייר .התפילין וכן דברי הדפוס שמבקש,

נשתדל לשלוח לו ככל האפשר.

בנוגע להגירתו ,מכיון שכ״ק מו״ח אדמו״ר הכ״מ הסכים לנסיעה

לארץ הקדושה ת״ו ,לאחר שיעבור את הבדיקות בלב ,זה בודאי יהי׳

להצלחה בגשמיות וברוחניות ובטח יעשה זאת רק לאחר שתעבור התקופה

החמה של השנה.

לפי בקשתו קראתי את הפדיון הנשלח על הציון וגם הזכרתי אותו

שם.

מצורף קונטרס ומכתב.

בברכת כ״ט

חרב מנחם שניאורטאהן

תרט

מהעתק המזכירות.

אגרו ת -קוד ש

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