Igrot Kodesh · Letter 8691

With the help of Hashem,

Thursday of the week of "Your reward is exceedingly great," 5724,

Brooklyn, N.Y.

To the congregation of Israel, lovers and cherishers of Torah and mitzvos,

May Hashem be upon them so that they live,

Peace and blessing!

As in previous years, so too this year — and indeed this very evening — there took place a meeting of the activists of the Yeshiva as a beginning and preamble to the annual event planned in support of the Central Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch Yeshiva, on 22 Kislev coming upon us for good. On this occasion I dwelt upon the weekly parsha, in accordance with the saying of the Alter Rebbe, author of Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch — 150 years have been completed this year since his passing — that "a Jew must live with the times," meaning, according to the directives of the weekly parsha. One of the points that was emphasized, I wish to emphasize also here, and it is:

When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Avraham Avinu* "your reward is exceedingly great" — Avraham Avinu replied: how can he accept the reward if he is childless and his heir is Eliezer? In passing, Avraham Avinu greatly praised Eliezer as the one responsible for his household, who conducted his wars and spread his (Avraham's) Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory comment on the words "ben meshek beiti, etc."[1]

Seemingly it is not understood why Avraham Avinu, even as he expressed his dissatisfaction that his servant Eliezer should be his heir, nevertheless praised him so greatly. But the matter is understood thereby: that although Eliezer indeed had very great qualities, Avraham Avinu wanted that specifically his own son should be his heir; otherwise the continuation — the continuity and the perpetuation of all that Avraham Avinu represents — would not be assured.

Through this it is emphasized that the true reward of a person is when all his achievements and chiddushim in his lifetime are transmitted and continued through his children and grandchildren; only then do all the achievements become complete and have true and enduring value.

It is the holy duty of every Jew and every Jewish woman to ensure that the great spiritual inheritance from Avraham Avinu be transmitted and continued through the Jewish children. Every day, in the morning at the start of the day and at night at the end of the day, we say in Kerias Shema* — "and you shall teach them to your sons." That is, at the start of the day each Jew must remember the Divine command to care for the chinuch* al taharas hakodesh of the children and of the students (Sifrei, Va'eschanan), and after the conclusion of the day he must give himself an accounting of how this commandment was fulfilled.

Only a few weeks remain until the annual Dinner of the Central Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch Yeshiva. For very many years, thanks to Hashem, the Lubavitch yeshivos and Lubavitch students implement "and you shall teach them to your sons" with great mesirus nefesh* in all parts of the world. It is to be hoped that the yeshiva activists and lovers of Torah and mitzvos in general will also demonstrate mesirus nefesh, which in this case means only mesirus haratzon [devotion of the will], the good will to utilize these few weeks and strengthen their efforts toward the upcoming annual event, which is one of the most important pillars of support for the Central Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch Yeshiva.

In the merit of this, each and every one of the doers and supporters shall merit that the Divine promise be fulfilled — "your reward is exceedingly great" — and in the essential point of this: to draw true Jewish nachas* from their own children and grandchildren, may they live, for length of days and good years, both materially and spiritually.

With respect and with blessing for success and for good tidings,

Menachem Schneersohn

[Published in part in Likkutei Sichos Vol. 10 p. 201, and completed according to a photocopy of the letter. As our Sages comment: Yoma 28b. Mesirus nefesh… mesirus haratzon: see Torah Ohr Mikeitz 36b.]