Igrot Kodesh · Letter 6764 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

13 Adar Sheni* 5719,

Brooklyn,

To the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem and devotes himself to

communal needs, Rav* Baruch (note 1: Rav* B. Litwin, of Mount Clemens. See, concerning him, letters nos. 5521 and 6890),

I greet you and bless you,

After a long interruption, I have just received your letter from Motzaei Shabbos*, in which you explain why you did not write to me. But you know the explanation of our Torah*, Torah* of life, according to which one who does not perform a certain action due to circumstances beyond his control cannot be considered as if he had performed it. In other words, however justified the explanations may be, they cannot be compared to the act of writing. Nevertheless, I am glad that you are writing to me this time with good spirits. You tell me what has resulted from your work, and there are surely, in addition to that, other outcomes of which you are not aware but which are nonetheless the result of your effort.

You ask me to write an article intended to be published in a book you are preparing (note 2: Titled "The Sanctity of the Synagogue." See, on this subject, letter no. 4476). In general, it is not my practice to write articles. Furthermore, I have many responsibilities from most of which I cannot free myself. Moreover, these do not diminish. Such is my work, but it takes more time than one might have thought. It is for this reason that I cannot make a commitment within a time frame. Furthermore, you tell me that you have a text ready — the beginning of Pirkei* de-Rabbi Eliezer*. There is therefore no reason to delay the printing. My article will therefore not appear in it.

I hope that upon receiving this letter, your wife will be feeling better, that you will no longer have to worry about health, and that you will therefore be able to devote your activity to strengthening Yiddishkeit*. It is in this way that Hashem promises a Jew the satisfaction of all his needs, those of the members of his family, and — the essential point — a true satisfaction, that is, a Jewish satisfaction from your children and all of yours. With my blessing to give good and joyful tidings of all this,