5824 —הדרכה בסדר לימוד החסידות ובניצול ההתפעלות, וזירוז בעניני שידוך

B"H, 5th of Marcheshvan, 5718

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After a very long interruption, your letter of the 26th of Tishrei was received. It is surprising that you do not mention in it how you made use of the days of Divine favor of the month of Tishrei. Understandably, I mean not only with regard to yourself as a private individual but, and this is the main thing, with regard to your influence on the public, for you have been graced with this power of influence by Divine Providence, and you must bring it out into the open and into action. Surely you will make up for this at the next opportunity.

As to your question which chapters of Tanya and of other books of Chassidus to include in the program:

You surely have, or will find among Anash (the members of our community) in the Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and established, the latest editions of Tanya, Torah Or, Derech Mitzvosecha and Shaarei Orah. These books contain an index of subjects, in which you will find the answer to the above with regard to the topics you write about, and likewise with regard to new topics, should you wish to include them in the program.

As to what you write about the method of study: understandably, this depends on the nature of the soul and the abilities of each and every one, and also on how much of his time is devoted to study. Therefore one should consult specifically with those in his surroundings who know him, and he should set out all the above details before them.

A general point that applies equally to every soul is that, both in Nigleh, the revealed part of Torah, and in Nistar, its inner part, there must be study למיגרס, "to cover ground," and study לעיונא, "in depth" (see Avodah Zarah 19a: לעולם ליגריס איניש, ואע"ג דמשכח "A person should always go over his learning, even though he forgets"), for the first is also very important, in order to acquire sufficiently broad knowledge in both Nigleh and Nistar, at least in a general way.

As to what you write, that you become stirred and moved, and after a short while this passes, and so it disturbs you in your avodah: on the contrary, the excitement and the being moved, in themselves, are to be harnessed for holiness. And as to what you write, that this disturbs contemplation: understandably, one can rein in the excitement and the being moved when studying from the text or in a group, for then the letters of the text, or the friends, hold one back and do not let one discharge one's obligation merely superficially. The main thing in all the above, as in other matters of holiness, is that it be done in the manner of יגעת "you have toiled," for then we are assured of מצאת "you have found" (Megillah 6b: יגעתי ומצאתי, תאמן "'I have toiled and I have found' — believe him").

It is also understood that your excuse for the delay until now in the matter of a shidduch is not at all "satisfactory," since it is a great mitzvah according to the Shulchan Aruch (Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 1:1), and it affects the whole state of a person's activity, as is known from the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, כל השרוי בלא אשה וכו' "whoever dwells without a wife..." (paraphrasing Yevamos 62b: כל אדם שאין לו אשה שרוי בלא שמחה בלא ברכה בלא טובה "Any man who has no wife dwells without joy, without blessing, without goodness"), and many matters are listed there. And the reasons you write, in the vast majority of cases, come to justify the lack of the energy that such matters require; in the language of our Sages, of blessed memory, it must be כאדם המחזר אחר אבדתו "like a man seeking his lost object" (Kiddushin 2b: בעל אבידה מחזר על אבידתו "the one who lost the object seeks out what he lost"). It goes without saying that these lines of mine are not meant as moralizing, but to remark and to shed light: in this most sublime matter one must act with the greatest energy, and be particular about the essential and not about the secondary; then G‑d, blessed be He, grants success, so that the secondary is there too.

Enclosed is a copy of my general letter for last Rosh Hashanah (the general letter of the days of Selichos 5717, Igros Kodesh vol. 15, letter 5771). I hope you will be able to make use of its content in your activities in general, and it is especially suited to the points above.

Awaiting good news.

Summary

This letter asks the recipient to put his G‑d-given power of influence to use, directs him to the subject indexes of the Chabad seforim for his study program, advises combining broad and in-depth learning and channeling emotional excitement through study from the text or with friends, and insists that a shidduch be pursued with full energy, for when the essential comes first, G‑d grants success in the secondary as well.