Igrot Kodesh · Letter 8330 — Health

By the grace of Hashem,

13 Shevat* 5722,

Brooklyn,

To the distinguished Chassid* who fears Hashem, Rav Baruch (note 1: Rav B. Litvin, of Mount Clemens. See, regarding him, letter no. 8318),

I greet you and bless you,

I respond to your letter of this Wednesday, with what was enclosed therein. In conformity with your request, I address the present letter to you bypassing the queue. Jewish custom is to search for and discover, in all things, a connection with the Sidra* of the week. The same therefore applies to the content of your letter, with what was enclosed therein. My response, if its translation is ready (note 2: The present letter is in Yiddish and was presumably written by the Rebbe* in Hebrew, then translated by his secretariat), will reach you, I hope, at the beginning of next week, that of Parshas Yisro*, relating the giving of the Torah*, which provides a clear answer, a clarification of what a Jew is. According to the terms of the verse, "and now, if you heed My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasure among the nations... a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

During the giving of the Torah*, "Israel encamped there, facing the mountain," according to the terms of the verse and our Sages emphasize (note 3: In the Mechilta*, cited by the commentary of Rashi* on the verse Yisro* 19, 2) that the verb "encamped" is employed here in the singular. All the children of Israel then united in order to stand before this well-known mountain, which was definitively engraved in the heart of a Jew, as well as in the memory of all the nations, as the "mountain of Hashem," upon which the Torah* was given, an eternal Torah* for all eras and all countries.

May all of this even now penetrate not only the hearts, but also the memory of all the Jews of this generation! Then, the mind and the memory will influence concrete action, the effective practice of the Mitzvos* of Hashem, regarding which the holy Torah* says: "One shall live by them." With my blessing for a good Shabbos* and to give good news, in good health,