Igrot Kodesh · Letter 780 — Chinuch

By the grace of Hashem,
Day after Yom Kippur 5711,
Brooklyn, New York,

The Mitzvah* of the Sukkah* presents a particular aspect [1]. It implies awareness, as it is said: "so that your generations may know." Thus, he who does not know the meaning of the Mitzvah*, who does not know that we are commanded to dwell in the Sukkah* in order to remember the going out of Egypt, has not fulfilled this Mitzvah* in the best way [2].

Various texts [3] establish that awareness is not only knowledge obtained from scholars and books. It consists above all in concentrating, meditating strongly, with all one's heart and all one's brain, to the point of solidly attaching one's thought to this idea.

One must, in this case, be strongly aware that "I made you dwell in Sukkos*," that this happened "when I brought you out of Egypt" [4].

Each day, morning and evening, a Jew must consider that the moment has come for him to leave Egypt. The divine soul is thus delivered from its imprisonment in the physical body, by means of the study of Torah and the practice of the Mitzvah*, particularly submission to Hashem [5].

Here are the words of my father-in-law, the Rebbe [6]:

"One must, first of all, free oneself from the obstacles and barriers, which are, in general, the ways of the world. Man plans what his existence is to be, with the contingencies inherent to his situation — that is, to his conception of life.

"It is therefore fitting, before anything else, to leave Egypt, to depart from one's limits. Whatever the plans one has fixed, one must study Torah every day, pray to Hashem with all one's heart and not only to discharge one's obligation.

"After leaving Egypt, one must still cross the Red Sea, for he who engages on the path of the service of Hashem must immediately confront various obstacles, all considerable and formidable. This was the case of the children of Israel when they left Egypt. They had their enemies behind them and the sea before them. When one finds oneself in such a situation, one is in the desert.

"The crossing of the Red Sea was a heavenly revelation. The Almighty split it and made a path for the children of Israel as on dry land. But for this, it was first necessary that someone throw himself into the water. A man gave himself, and it was then that Hashem changed the sea into dry land."

Then, the Holy One, blessed be He, made them dwell in Sukkos*, "like the child whom one washes, from his birth, to rinse him of the impurities that cover his body. He is then dressed in clean linen. Hence, he is not only protected from the negative elements coming from outside, but, much more, his limbs are strengthened and reinforced. Certainly, this intervention has only a momentary effect. It is, nevertheless, in this manner that he can be strong during his growth and into adulthood.

"And it is the same for the service of Hashem. He who frees himself from his limits and his barriers, who undoes the plans he has formed to guide his life, succeeds in refining the negative aspect of his natural soul, as well as his material and physical needs. Hence, he must put into practice the words of the verse 'they directed themselves toward Sukkos.'

"The Sukkah* surrounds him who is in it. For all that, it exerts on him a profound influence — just as the manner of clothing the newborn in linen can influence the course of his life.

"It is in this sense that: I made the children of Israel dwell in Sukkos when I made them leave Egypt."

The strength to accomplish this throughout the year is obtained during the festival of Sukkos*, in general, and through the Mitzvah* of dwelling in the Sukkah*, in particular.

Making mention of the name of our masters, of their accomplishments and their teachings, allows one to realize all this. My father-in-law, the Rebbe, says, indeed: "There are chassidic guests [7]: the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, the Rebbe Maharash, and the Rebbe Rashab."

To this list, we add my father-in-law, the Rebbe.

Menachem Schneerson,

ב״ה ,כ״ז סיון ,ה׳תיש״א

ברוקלין.

שלום וברכה!

. . .תקותי שכאשר אינו יכול ח״ו ללכת לבית הכנסת ,שומר הוא בכל

זאת את שיעוריו בלימוד בהיותו בבית ,שזה עצמו עצה וסגולה שבקרוב

מאוד יוכל ללכת לבית הכנסת ללמוד את השיעורים ברבים,

בטח יודע מהמנהג החסידי שהבעל שם טוב הנהיג ,שיעבדו את השם

יתברך בשמחה ,שעל ידי זה אפשר לפעול יותר מאשר ע״י העבודה בצד ההפכי,

כי שמחה פורץ גדר ,וכאשר השמחה היא כפי רצון השם יתברך ,באהבת השם,

אהבת התורה ואהבת ישראל ,אזי נותן הקב״ה מ Tו המלאה הפתוחה

הקדושה והרחבה ,שיהי׳ ממה לשמוח ללא חשבונות מיותרים.

הנני מצפה לבשורה טובה ממנו שבריאותו השתפרה והוא ממשיך

ללכת לבית הכנסת ,כמנהגו הטוב.

ואחתום בברכה לאריכות ימים ושנים טובות ,שהפירוש כפול:

כפשוטו ,שנים ארוכות ובריאות ,ובנוסף לכך ,שהשנים באמת טובות

ומלאות בטוב ,ואין טוב אלא תורה ומצוה.

בברכה.