Igrot Kodesh · Letter 9536

By the grace of Hashem,

The fifteenth of Av* 5728,
eve of Shabbat Nachamu*,
Brooklyn, New York,

To Mr. Tzvi Yaakov Rasler, Montreal,

I greet and bless you,

I have duly received your letter of 19 Tammuz*. This reply is composed on an auspicious day which was once among the most joyous, as our Sages(1), of blessed memory, relate: "There were no festivals in Israel comparable to the fifteenth of Av." I therefore wish you, your wife, and all your family, success in all that concerns you — in particular, that you earn a better livelihood, and above all, that you educate each of your children, and all of them together, to Torah*, to the wedding canopy, and to good deeds, with joy and enthusiasm.

May the promise be fulfilled in you: "the result is commensurate with the effort"(2). Since you have encountered difficulties in these two respects, may Hashem develop them broadly, and may you have good news to share with me on this matter.

And may we all merit, within the whole people of Israel, the fulfillment of the prophecy(3) proclaimed in the Haftarah* of this Shabbat Nachamu*: "Comfort, comfort My people, says the Eternal" — may these days, "between the afflictions"(4), be transformed into joy, rejoicing, and festivals(5). With my blessing for success, and to give me good news,

P.S.: I return herewith the bank letter you enclosed with your letter. I also enclose a check drawn on a fund of my father-in-law, the Rebbe*, whose merit will protect us. You will deposit it in the same account as last time, and you will know success.

Notes

(1) In tractate Taanit 26b.
(2) According to tractate Avot*, chapter 5, Mishna 21.
(3) Isaiah 40:1.
(4) Between the fasts of the 17th of Tammuz* and the 9th of Av*, commemorating the destruction of the Temple.
(5) See the verse Zechariah 8:19 and Rambam*, at the end of the laws of fasting.