6641 —דיוק והגהה בעלון הסברה המופץ באלפים, ומעבר מ"חרישה וזריעה" ל"קצירה" בפעולות

B"H, 12th of Teves, 5719
Brooklyn.

The Board of A.T.H.^[1],
G‑d be upon them; may they live.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

We acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of Teves, with its enclosure. Also received in these days were several copies of the maamar "R. Shmuel bar Nachmani said"^[2], and an explanatory leaflet.

It is somewhat surprising that the explanatory leaflet was not proofread as it should have been: for example, the year of the Tzemach Tzedek's^[3] birth is given as 5548, and it should read^[4] 5549; and there are other things. And although it seems to be a small matter, nevertheless^[5], in something of four pages that is distributed in thousands of copies, it is understood that one must strive to correct and improve it to the greatest possible degree, as is easily understood^[6].

I have already written in my letter to Tzeirei Agudas Chabad^[7] that the time came long ago that the activities of Anash^[8] in general, and of the students of Tomchei Temimim^[9] in particular, should not be only of the kind of plowing, sowing and planting, but^[10] also in the category of harvest and seeing good fruit of their labor, in matters and things of Torah and mitzvos^[11]. I will not repeat the words here, since they are understood; I have come only to stress that they apply to you (not also to you, for you are among the activists working in this, as is easily understood)^[12]. And nothing stands in the way of the will^[13]. All the more so according to the well-known ruling of the Heavenly Court, that because of this self-sacrifice (of the Alter Rebbe) for the teachings of Chassidus, the Court^[14] Above ruled that in every matter of Torah, fear of Heaven and good character traits, the hand of those bound to him and following in his footsteps shall prevail^[15].

With blessings for success in your holy work, and for good news^[16] in all the above,

M. Schneerson

Publisher's notes

A.T.H. (את"ה): Igud Talmidei HaYeshivos (the Association of Yeshivah Students).

It should read 5549 (וצ"ל תקמ"ט): See what is written in Haaros UBiurim (Ohalei Torah), issues 511 (pp. 28–35) and 512 (pp. 26–31).

I have already written (כבר כתבתי): Above, vol. 17, letter 6265.

Notes

1. The Board of A.T.H. (הנהלת את"ה): את"ה = איגוד תלמידי הישיבות, Igud Talmidei HaYeshivos, "the Association of Yeshivah Students" (as in the publisher's note), an organization of yeshivah students that worked to spread Torah and Chassidus. See letters 1419 (15 Shevat 5712), 2439 (28 Shevat 5714: the custom of the members of A.T.H. to say some chapters of Tehillim after prayer and to give a few coins to tzedakah before prayer), 4661 (28 Menachem Av 5716, to the board of Igud Talmidei HaYeshivos, in connection with the gathering of yeshivah students in the Holy Land), 7215 (5 Adar 5720: spreading the wellsprings outward). See also letter 8167 (22 Kislev 5719, some three weeks before this letter) "to the board of A.T.H. in the Holy Land", where the Rebbe writes: "It has been a very long time since any news was received from them." ה' עליהם יחיו is a blessing: "G‑d be upon them; may they live."

2. The maamar "Amar R. Shmuel bar Nachmani" (המאמר אמר רשב"נ): רשב"נ = רבי שמואל בר נחמני, R. Shmuel bar Nachmani. That is, a maamar opening with the words "R. Shmuel bar Nachmani said", of which several copies were received, together with an explanatory leaflet that they put out (as is clear from the rest of the letter, where the Rebbe comments on its proofreading).

3. The Tzemach Tzedek (הצ"צ): הצ"צ = הצמח צדק, the Tzemach Tzedek, R. Menachem Mendel, the third Rebbe of Chabad. See Hayom Yom, 29 Elul: יום הולדת את הצ"צ שנת תקמ"ט, "the birthday of the Tzemach Tzedek, in the year 5549".

4. It should read (וצ"ל): וצ"ל = וצריך לומר, "it should read".

5. Nevertheless (עכ"ז): עכ"ז = עם כל זה, "nevertheless".

6. As is easily understood (וק"ל): וק"ל = וקל להבין, "and it is easily understood". That is, in something published in thousands of copies, every error reaches thousands of readers; so even a small detail such as the year of the Tzemach Tzedek's birth must be exact and carefully proofread.

7. In my letter to Tzeirei Agudas Chabad (במכתבי לצעירי אגו"ח): אגו"ח = אגודת חב"ד. This is the letter above, vol. 17, letter 6265 (22 Iyar 5718, as in the publisher's note), to the board of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in Tel Aviv. There the Rebbe writes of their reports that "in the phrase of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, it is גאר א פיינע חרישה און גאר א פיינע זריעה", "a very fine plowing and a very fine sowing", and asks them to learn from the past for the future, "the central point being that from the plowing and sowing they should come to the growing of the fruit and the grain, and to the gathering and harvesting of the fruit and the grain": that a farbrengen and the like should leave a lasting impression on those who take part, and that contact be kept with them afterwards.

8. Anash (אנ"ש): אנ"ש = אנשי שלומנו, "the men of our fellowship", the Chassidim.

9. Tomchei Temimim (תו"ת): תו"ת = תומכי תמימים, the Chabad yeshivah.

10. But (כ"א): כ"א = כי אם, "but rather".

11. Torah and mitzvos (תומ"צ): תומ"צ = תורה ומצוות.

12. Not "also" to you (לא גם אליהם): That is, the Rebbe does not mean that what he wrote to Tzeirei Agudas Chabad applies "also" to Igud Talmidei HaYeshivos, as something additional and secondary, but that it applies to them directly and primarily, since they themselves are among the activists doing this work. Hence the emphasis on the word "also".

13. Nothing stands in the way of the will (ואין לך דבר העומד בפני הרצון): See Zohar II, 162b. That is, when the will is strong and true, nothing can stand in its way, and they will come to an actual "harvest" and fruit.

14. In the court (בבי"ד): בבי"ד = בבית דין.

15. The ruling of the Heavenly Court (פסק בית דין של מעלה): From the account of the Mitteler Rebbe, quoted in a letter of the Previous Rebbe and printed in Kitzurim VeHaaros LeSefer Likkutei Amarim, p. 122, as the Rebbe notes in letters 2019 and 5034. That is, in the merit of the Alter Rebbe's self-sacrifice for the teachings of Chassidus, it is assured that those bound to him and following in his way will succeed in every matter of Torah and fear of Heaven; they can therefore be sure of success in their activities too.

16. Good news (לבשו"ט): לבשו"ט = לבשורות טובות.

Summary

The Rebbe acknowledges copies of a maamar and an explanatory leaflet received from Igud Talmidei HaYeshivos, and points out that the leaflet was not properly proofread (it gives the Tzemach Tzedek's birth year as 5548 instead of 5549): a four-page leaflet distributed in thousands must be as exact as possible. He applies to them directly what he wrote to Tzeirei Agudas Chabad: the time has come to move from plowing and sowing to harvest, assured by the Heavenly ruling that the followers of the Alter Rebbe will prevail.