5944 —סיפורי צדיקים כספר בראשית, הקדמה והכנה; ופעולת י"ט כסלו, ה"ראש", על כל השנה

B"H, 23 Kislev, 5718
Brooklyn.

The veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, etc., Reb Yisrael Noach, may he live long^[1]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter, which bears no date of writing, and many thanks^[2] for the stories about our Rebbeim, of blessed memory^[3]. The talk of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, is already well known and famous: that Sefer Bereishis comes first, as a preface and preparation for the books that follow it^[4]. And precedence in the Torah, whose very order is Torah, is not only precedence in place and in time, but also precedence as explained in Tanya, ch. 36^[5].

In connection with this, it is somewhat surprising that although you finish your letter after the auspicious day of Yud-Tes Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah for the study of Chassidus and the ways of Chassidus, you nevertheless mention nothing of the farbrengen; for words of inspiration, words of Torah and words of Chassidus^[6] were surely spoken there. You will surely fill this in at the next opportunity. And may it be G‑d's will that the impression act upon the entire year, in keeping with the precise word "head" (Rosh), which contains within it, and draws life into, all the limbs, which are the days of the coming year, may it come to us for good^[7].

With blessing for good news^[8].

Notes

1. Reb Yisrael Noach (מו"ה ישראל נח): Publisher's note: "Blinitzky, Paris. Further letters to him: above, letter 5801, and the references in the notes there." R. Yisrael Noach Blinitzky, a Chabad Chassid in Paris, who would send the Rebbe stories he had heard about our Rebbeim (see above, vol. 12, letter 3824, on stories of the Rebbe Maharash; letter 5801). In the address: הוו"ח אי"א נו"נ = הוותיק וחסיד איש ירא אלקים נעלה ונכבד.

2. Many thanks (ת"ח ת"ח): תשואות חן, תשואות חן.

3. Of blessed memory (זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה לחיי העולם הבא, נשמתם בגנזי מרומים, זכותם יגן עלינו.

4. Sefer Bereishis comes first, as a preface and preparation (שספר בראשית בא מקודם וכהקדמה והכנה): That is, Sefer Bereishis, most of which is the story of the Patriarchs and the Tribes, comes before the books that follow it, in which are the Giving of the Torah and the mitzvos, and it is a preface and preparation for them. Hence stories of tzaddikim, too, are a preface and preparation for the Torah and the mitzvos. See also Likkutei Dibburim vol. 1, likkut 1, part 2, §9: Sefer Bereishis, "the Book of the Upright", straightens the heart and mind and prepares them to receive Torah and avodah.

5. Tanya, ch. 36 (תניא פרק ל"ו): Apparently precedence in rank and level, not only in time and place; see Tanya, ch. 36, which explains "higher" and "lower" among the worlds in terms of level and the revelation of G‑dliness.

6. Words of Chassidus (דברי דא"ח): דא"ח = דברי אלקים חיים, "the words of the living G‑d", i.e., the teachings of Chassidus.

7. The precise word "head" (דיוק הלשון ראש): Yud-Tes Kislev is called the "head" (Rosh) of the year, not merely its "beginning"; just as the head contains all the limbs and draws life into them, so the inspiration of Yud-Tes Kislev must draw life into all the days of the year. הבע"ל = הבאה עלינו לטובה.

8. Good news (בשו"ט): בשורות טובות.

Summary

Stories of tzaddikim are like Sefer Bereishis, which comes first as the preface and preparation for the rest of the Torah. Yud-Tes Kislev is the "head" of the year, and as the head gives life to every limb, the inspiration of its farbrengen should act upon every day of the year.