Igrot Kodesh · Letter 6798 — Faith & Bitachon

By the grace of Hashem,

5 Nissan* 5719,

Brooklyn,

I greet you and bless you,

I am responding to your letter of 29/3, which reached me with delay. You write to me that you find yourself among your friends who are not religious, that this has an influence on you, that it is difficult to struggle against the people one encounters at work. You ask me what to do in such a case. You also tell me that you have university degrees, but you do not specify in what field.

It is surely unnecessary to emphasize to you that the behavior of the individual is deduced, very often, from that of the collective — which is, in this case, that of the Jewish people. If one adopts the conception you present, according to which one must conform to the attitude of one's environment, one may ask whether, from the outset, the children of Yisrael* would have constituted themselves as a people at all. And even if, against all expectation, it had been so, they would have had to, according to what you write, disappear entirely upon leaving the desert and settling in the land of Canaan. For they have always been the minority among the nations. And during the three millennia that have elapsed since then, they preserved themselves only through their distinctiveness.

If they had adopted the attitude you describe and imitated the seven peoples upon entering the land of Canaan, they would have suffered the same fate as them and joined those nations that have, in our day, completely disappeared. The same was true for the exile of Bavel*, which followed the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash*, and likewise for the exile of Rome. Of Bavel* and Rome, only vestiges remain. The same would have been true for them had they claimed the right to live in resemblance to them. In fact, with the help of Hashem, they remained on the straight path, were conscious that they had to maintain a true conduct and a Jewish life, which is the deep and inner self of every Jew. This is what ensured their continuity and their permanence. Certainly, the peoples among whom Jews live have adopted another behavior. But by imitating them, one is discredited in their eyes, for ultimately, such an attitude can in no way inspire honor and respect, neither from others nor from oneself.

The Jewish attitude, collective and individual, has survived Bavel*, Rome, and other civilizations still. All the peoples that were more numerous and demonstrated it through the issuance of various decrees have disappeared, while the Jews are still present, as it is said: "You all stand this day..." As has been said, of these peoples only vestiges remain, filling museums and nothing more. What has just been said applies also in a context of persecutions and pogroms, which Hashem should spare us, as is the case, for example, for our brothers found in countries under Bolshevik influence. In contrast, one can understand how negative is the approach of those who have not been confronted with such a trial and find themselves in a country where each person can do as he pleases, yet who wish, nonetheless, to imitate the majority, without any rational motivation.

Of course, it is not always easy to be different from the majority, but it is not easy either to have an attitude based on justice and righteousness, not to transgress the prohibitions: "You shall not covet," "You shall not steal." Sometimes, one does not steal out of fear of the police. But in any case, no one will claim that one must systematically choose the easiest path. One can cite as proof the years of childhood. Indeed, every child prefers to play rather than devote himself to his studies for many years. Then, subsequently, he will begin to perceive the difference — what has resulted from choosing the easiest path, that of play.

The principle previously stated, according to which it is always right to follow the majority, led the virtuous Germans, during the Hitlerian period, to say: "Tens of millions of Germans are burning Jews in Auschwitz. Why should I distinguish myself from them? Is it not fitting to conform to the majority?" I do not wish to say more, for I suppose that for a young man, it is unnecessary to multiply the proofs that such is not the purpose of existence, that one cannot limit oneself to what reduces effort and blend as quickly as possible into one's surroundings.

You also know this other comparison. Minerals are more numerous than plants, and the latter more than animals. Animals are themselves more numerous than human beings. Among these, the other peoples are more numerous than the Jews, and even among the Jews... For all that, no one will say that the mission and purpose of a plant consist of becoming a mineral, and that a man should feel the desire to be an animal. May Hashem give you the strength to have straight reasoning and not to be a victim of your own will, seeking what is easiest and least costly. With my blessing to give good tidings, as well as for a kosher and joyous festival of Pesach*,

For the Rebbe Shlita*,

the secretary,