6577 —עידוד להמשך צמיחה ולהפצת חסידות

B"H, 1st of Kislev, 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

With pleasure and delight I read your letter of the 23rd of Cheshvan with its enclosure, and many thanks^[1] for the good news in all the areas you write about. May it be G‑d's will that you merit to bring good news always, all the days^[2], in true goodness: good to Heaven and good to people, the good that bears fruit (Kiddushin 40a)^[3]. Fortunate is the portion of all those who strive in this. And may it be G‑d's will that, as it is said, "One who loves money will not be sated with money"^[4], they will add to these activities and "go from strength to strength"^[5], in the manner that one who has a hundred wants two hundred (an addition of a hundred), but one who has two hundred wants four hundred, an addition of two hundred^[6]; and this is easy to understand^[7]...

As for what you write about traveling here for a short period: seemingly this question concerns travel at the time of the festivals and holidays, as opposed to the middle of the year; you will surely give more details in your coming letters.

It is somewhat surprising, and also somewhat worrying, that you do not write about what I wrote you some time ago: that you must be a living example of diligence and assiduousness, in keeping with the study schedule of your yeshivah; and about the conduct in the time of the early Chassidim^[8], that those whose task was spreading the wellsprings in certain circles were chosen from among the learned and the diligent, for the success of this spreading was bound up with their approach beginning with matters of study in the revealed Torah, etc. You will surely fill this in too at the next opportunity; and may it be G‑d's will that the good news^[9] be that you are rising from strength to strength in this as well, for apart from the greatness of the matter in itself, it is also bound up with your work mentioned above, as said.

You are surely preparing a suitable, detailed plan for making use of the days of the month of Kislev in general, and the auspicious days of Yud and Yud-Tes^[10] in particular, and of Chanukah that follows, for spreading the wellsprings until they reach outward as well^[11].

With blessing for good tidings in all the above, and in the manner of "you shall spread out, etc."^[12]

Notes

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

2. Always, all the days (תכה"י): תמיד כל הימים.

3. Good to Heaven and good to people, the good that bears fruit (טוב לשמים וטוב לבריות, טוב העושה פירות): Kiddushin 40a: "'Say of the righteous that he is good, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds' (Yeshayahu 3:10). Is there a righteous man who is good and one who is not good? Rather, one who is good to Heaven and to people is a good righteous man"; and Rashi there: of him it is written "they shall eat the fruit of their deeds" — he eats their fruits in this world. Hence "the good that bears fruit".

4. "One who loves money will not be sated with money" (אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף): Koheles 5:9. Applied here for the good: just as in the desire for wealth a person is never sated, so the longing to add to holy activities should be without satiety.

5. "Go from strength to strength" (ילכו מחיל אל חיל): The words of the pasuk, Tehillim 84:8: "They go from strength to strength; each one appears before G‑d in Zion."

6. One who has a hundred wants two hundred (מי שיש לו מנה רוצה מאתים): Based on the saying of Chazal (Koheles Rabbah, parshah 1): "No person leaves the world with half his desire in his hand; rather, if he has a hundred he wants to make them two hundred." The new point in the letter: not only does he want to add, but the measure of the addition itself keeps growing — one who has a hundred adds a hundred, one who has two hundred adds two hundred; so too in matters of holiness, the more one adds, the greater the addition itself becomes.

7. This is easy to understand (וק"ל): וקל להבין.

8. The conduct in the time of the early Chassidim (הנהגה בזמן חסידים הראשונים): In the first generations of Chassidus, those sent to spread the wellsprings among circles of scholars were chosen specifically from among the learned and the diligent, because drawing people close usually began with give-and-take in the revealed Torah, and only afterward did they come to the teachings of Chassidus. Therefore the one who spreads them in our time, too, must be a living example of diligence and assiduousness in study.

9. The good news (הבשו"ט): הבשורות טובות.

10. Yud and Yud-Tes (יו"ד י"ט): Yud Kislev — the day of the Mitteler Rebbe's release from imprisonment in Vitebsk (Hayom Yom, 10 Kislev); Yud-Tes Kislev — the day of the Alter Rebbe's release, "the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus" (Hayom Yom, 19 Kislev).

11. Until they reach outward as well (עד שיגיעו גם חוצה): After the pasuk, Mishlei 5:16: "Let your wellsprings spread outward", and the letter of the Baal Shem Tov (printed at the beginning of Kesser Shem Tov): Mashiach will come "when your teaching becomes known and revealed in the world, and your wellsprings spread outward."

12. "You shall spread out, etc." (ופרצת גו'): Bereishis 28:14: "and you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south"; Rashi there: "u'faratzta — and you shall grow strong." That is: spreading in every direction, without limit.

Summary

The Rebbe thanks the writer for good news of his activities and blesses him to keep adding, in ever-growing measure, like one who has a hundred and wants two hundred. He reminds him to be a living example of diligence in his yeshivah studies, as the early Chassidim who spread Chassidus among scholars were chosen from the learned, and asks that they prepare a detailed plan for Kislev, Yud and Yud-Tes Kislev and Chanukah.