6581 —ברכות גשמיות, צמיחה רוחנית, ונתינת מעשר מכספי השילומים

B"H, 6th of Kislev, 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After a long interruption, your letter of Wednesday was received, with the good news of receiving the sum from the reparations money^[1].

May it be G‑d's will that, just as you bring good news in matters that are in themselves^[2] material, you will bring good tidings^[3] in matters that are in themselves spiritual; and in addition to the above, also in the purpose of the soul's descent^[4]: that material matters become vessels for spiritual matters, until there is seen something of the reward of the Time to Come^[5], when the soul will receive its vitality from the body^[6]; and likewise in general, the spiritual from the material.

In keeping with the above, I must remark on the unsuitable style of the beginning of your letter: that you come to announce that you received such-and-such a sum, and bought yourself machines, etc., and gave a down payment on a house, etc., and that you hope to take a further loan on the house — and nothing more at all^[7] on this subject.

May it be G‑d's will that in your next letter the style will be: since you received such-and-such^[8] a sum, it goes without saying that you immediately^[9] set aside maaser for tzedakah; only that, according to what is explained in Iggeres HaKodesh^[10], founded on a ruling of Chazal^[11], you added to this separation such-and-such a sum, "and his hand is still outstretched"^[12]; only that, according to what is explained on "and four parts shall be yours" (see Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim^[13] 6:4)^[14], with part of this money you bought a machine and also gave a down payment, etc.

It was pleasant for me to read in your letter about spreading the takanah of reciting Tehillim on Shabbos Mevarchim, before the prayers^[15]. May it be G‑d's will that soon there will be a full minyan for this as well, as explained in Iggeres HaKodesh, section 23, that in every matter of holiness it is a lofty thing that it be with ten^[16].

With blessing for good tidings in all the above.

Notes

1. The reparations money (כספי השילומים): The compensation paid by the German government to those persecuted by the Nazis. See letter 6498, on the question whether to accept this money.

2. In themselves (מצ"ע): מצד עצמם.

3. Good tidings (בשו"ט): בשורות טובות.

4. The purpose of the soul's descent (בתכלית דירידת הנשמה): The purpose of the soul's descent into the body and this world is to refine and purify the material and make it a vessel for G‑dliness, and thereby a "dwelling in the lower realms" is made for Him. See Tanya, chapter 36: "the purpose of the creation of this world is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling in the lower realms."

5. The Time to Come (דלע"ל): דלעתיד לבוא.

6. The soul will receive its vitality from the body (שהנשמה תקבל חיותה מהגוף): As explained in Chassidus: in the Time to Come, once the body has been refined through the soul's service within it, its lofty root will be revealed, and the order will be the reverse of now — not the body receiving its vitality from the soul, but the soul from the body. In the letter: "something of" this already now — that the spiritual receives added vitality from the material when it is used for holy matters.

7. Nothing more at all (ותו לא מידי): A Talmudic expression. That is: he made no mention at all of setting aside maaser from the sum.

8. Such-and-such (כו"כ): כך וכך.

9. Immediately (תומ"י): תיכף ומיד.

10. Iggeres HaKodesh (אגה"ק): אגרת הקודש.

11. A ruling of Chazal (פסק חז"ל): Kesubos 50a: "In Usha they enacted: one who spends lavishly [on tzedakah] should not spend more than a fifth." And in Iggeres HaKodesh, section 10, it is explained: "What is said, 'one who spends lavishly should not spend more than a fifth', applies only to one who has not sinned, or who has rectified his sins... but one who still needs to rectify his soul — surely the healing of the soul is no less than the healing of the body, for which money is not counted." Therefore it is fitting to add to the maaser, up to a fifth and more.

12. "And his hand is still outstretched" (ועוד ידו נטוי'): The words of the pasuk, Yeshayahu 5:25: "and His hand is still outstretched"; borrowed here for the good — his hand is still open to give tzedakah.

13. Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim (לקו"ת שה"ש): לקוטי תורה, שיר השירים.

14. "And four parts shall be yours" (ארבע הידות יהי' לכם): After Bereishis 47:24: "You shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be yours." In Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim (maamar beginning "Shechorah ani v'navah") it is explained: "through the tzedakah, in which he gives a fifth of his toil, there is made the aspect of Pharaoh — the aspect of revelation... and from this it follows: and four parts shall be yours." That is: through giving a fifth to tzedakah, the rest of the money (the four parts) also becomes a vessel for holiness.

15. Reciting Tehillim on Shabbos Mevarchim, before the prayers (אמירת תהלים בשבת מברכין החדש, קודם התפלה): The takanah of the Previous Rebbe to recite the entire book of Tehillim early in the morning of Shabbos Mevarchim, before the prayers. See Hayom Yom, 25 Teves: "Blessing of Rosh Chodesh Shevat; the whole of Tehillim is recited early in the morning; a day of farbrengen."

16. That it be with ten (שיהי' בי עשרה): See Iggeres HaKodesh, section 23: "ten who sit and occupy themselves with Torah, the Shechinah rests among them"... "and there is no matter of holiness with fewer than ten." See also Sanhedrin 39a: "In every gathering of ten the Shechinah rests." בי עשרה — a quorum of ten.

Summary

On receiving German reparations money, the writer reported only the machines and house he bought with it. The Rebbe remarks on the style: material blessing should become a vessel for spiritual matters, and his next letter should say that maaser was set aside immediately, with more added as Iggeres HaKodesh explains, and only then, as "four parts shall be yours", what he bought with the rest. He welcomes the spreading of Tehillim on Shabbos Mevarchim and hopes for a full minyan.