5885 —התועדות י"ט כסלו בכפר חב"ד בפומבי ובתכנית מראש, סדרי הסעודה, וספסלים וצל לאורחים

B"H, 28 Marcheshvan, 5718

Brooklyn.

The Committee of Kfar Chabad, ה' עליהם יחיו "may G‑d be upon them, may they live" (after Yeshayahu 38:16)

Shalom u'Vrachah!

...Now, it is obvious that the farbrengen of Kfar Chabad on Yud-Tes Kislev is a matter of Anash in the Holy Land, may it be built and established, and certainly of the whole village, and it touches all its affairs; especially since among the participants are a number of people of influence in the various government offices, and through the acquaintance made at the farbrengen their activity increases. Therefore not only must this farbrengen be held publicly, but a plan made in advance is also essential...

From this it is also understood that even if there are seemingly excess expenses for this farbrengen, it is close to say that they are worthwhile for the hoped-for benefit, material and still more spiritual (obviously "excess" does not mean without limit, but excess in due measure, in keeping with reason and good judgment). And in view of the great value of this farbrengen, I will, without making a vow, urge Anash to take part in it from a special appeal, to the extent of a third of the expenses.

As to what you write about the meal: in general it is fitting that it consist mainly of mezonos foods, except that more than a minyan should wash their hands for a bread meal, so that they can say Birkas HaMazon with ten; and likewise, if the residents of the village wash, there is no concern in this. Not so the guests, who do not always remain until the end of the farbrengen, and there are a number of details in this regarding Birkas HaMazon, etc., in addition to the difficulty of washing the hands properly. Therefore for such people a farbrengen with mezonos foods and fruit, and drink of course, is worthwhile, and this is easy to understand. The custom here is that close to the end of the farbrengen it is announced that all who have eaten the required amount will surely say the blessing they have become obligated in, etc.; and I believe it is brought in seforim that the Rema and other great sages of Israel used to announce this in such a case...

I take this opportunity to raise one more point, which people from several quarters have pointed out to me, and which also follows from the above: in the village there are no benches near the station, nor midway along the road from the station to the village, for arriving guests or visitors to rest. They also write that there are no trees or other shade there, even though this is sorely lacking in the hot summer days; and at the same time they write that the expense would be very small, only that in the nine years the village has existed no one has seen to such a thing...

With blessing for good news in all of the above, and thereby also regarding outstanding success in your holy work, the establishment and development of Kfar Chabad in every direction.

Summary

This letter tells the Kfar Chabad committee that the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen concerns all Anash in the Holy Land and the whole village, so it must be held publicly and planned in advance; reasonable extra costs are worthwhile, and Anash will be urged to cover a third. It advises a mezonos-and-fruit farbrengen for guests, with only a minyan washing for bread, and asks for benches and shade along the road from the station for visitors.