6651 —העמדת כפר חב"ד על יסודו בדרכו של מייסדו כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר

B"H, 18th of Teves, 5719
Brooklyn.

The Va'ad of Kfar Chabad^[1]
May G‑d be upon them, may they live

Shalom u'Vrachah!

My letter of some time ago has surely been received by now. In reply to your letter of the 11th of Teves, in which you write about organizing committees^[2], etc., I will repeat once more that may it be G‑d's will that "the desire of G‑d succeed in your hands"^[3] to establish Kfar Chabad — founded and led by my father-in-law, the Rebbe^[4] — "upon its foundation and its mound"^[5]. Fortunate is the portion of each and every one who takes part in the communal affairs of Kfar Chabad, for this is a bond and a union with our Nasi, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, who, just as in his lifetime in this world he "stood and served", so now too "stands and serves"^[6] and arouses abundant mercy^[7] upon all who take part in his activities and his affairs, to grant them added blessing and success in health of body and health of soul and in all that they need, which is included in the three lines of "children, life and sustenance"^[8] — and in all of them, specifically in abundance^[9].

And may it be G‑d's will that, although at times there was some mistake^[10] — and our Sages said, "A person does not master them unless..."^[11], and "The Torah was not given to the ministering angels"^[12] — from now on each and every one of them will "go on his way securely"^[13], on "the King's way"^[14] — the way of the King of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He — and "the righteous resemble their Creator"^[15]: "Who are kings? The Rabbis"^[16]; and "in the place of the Rav (Rebbe)"^[17] — that is my father-in-law, the Rebbe.

And amid joy and gladness of heart, and with proper health for each and every one and their households^[18], may they go from strength to strength in consolidating Kfar Chabad and developing it, in all its general matters and in all its individual matters, both materially and spiritually.

With blessings for good news^[19] in all the above.

P.S.^[20]

It is understood that you are entitled to publicize the above in a suitable manner.

Publisher's notes

Printed (נדפסה): Printed in Likkutei Sichos, vol. 16, p. 506, and completed according to the secretariat's copy.

Notes

1. The Va'ad of Kfar Chabad (ועד כפר חב"ד): The committee that ran the affairs of Kfar Chabad in the Holy Land, the village founded by the Previous Rebbe (in Teves 5719 the tenth anniversary of its founding was approaching; see below, letter 8172, 26 Teves 5719, in reply to the committee's question about it). The Rebbe corresponded with the committee constantly on all the village's affairs, material and spiritual; see, e.g., above, letter 6607 (a telegram for the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen of 5719), and below, letter 6793 (Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan 5719), in reply to their letter "about the elections to the Va'ad of Kfar Chabad".

2. Organizing committees (ארגון ועדים): That is, setting up various committees for the village's affairs. See below, letter 6793, in reply to their letter about the elections to the Va'ad of Kfar Chabad "and their dedication to working in the affairs of Kfar Chabad".

3. The desire of G‑d succeed in your hands (שחפץ ה' בידם יצליח): From the verse Yeshayahu 53:10: "and the desire of G‑d shall succeed in his hand".

4. Founded and led by my father-in-law, the Rebbe (מיסודו ובהנהלתו של כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר): כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת מורי וחמי אדונינו מורנו ורבנו, the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. Kfar Chabad was founded by the Previous Rebbe, and the Rebbe describes it as "founded and led" by him: even now, after his passing, he is the one who leads it (so too below, letter 6793: "my father-in-law, the Rebbe... the founder of the village and its leader").

5. Upon its foundation and its mound (על יסודו ותלו): From the verse Yirmiyahu 30:18: "and the city shall be built upon its mound". That is, that the village stand on the foundation its founder laid for it.

6. Stands and serves (עומד ומשמש): בעלמא דין = in this world. From the Gemara Sotah 13b, about Moshe Rabbeinu: "Here it is written 'and he died there', and there it is written (Shemos 34:28) 'and he was there with G‑d'. Just as there he stood and served, so here too he stands and serves." See also Iggeres HaKodesh, ch. 27: דצדיקא דאתפטר, אשתכח בכלהו עלמין יתיר מבחיוהי, "a tzaddik who has passed away is found in all the worlds more than in his lifetime". Just as in his lifetime he stood and served in the village's affairs, so he does now, after his passing.

7. Abundant mercy (ר"ר): ר"ר = רחמים רבים.

8. Children, life and sustenance (בני חיי ומזוני): Moed Katan 28a: "Rava said: life, children and sustenance do not depend on merit but on mazal." These are the three lines that include all a person's needs: children, life (health and length of days) and sustenance (livelihood).

9. In abundance (רוויחי): Aramaic, "ample", as in the prayer Yekum Purkan: חיי אריכי ומזוני רויחי, "long life and ample sustenance".

10. Some mistake (איזה שגיאה): That is, even if mistakes were made at times in the village's affairs. The Rebbe does not say what they were, but writes in general terms.

11. A person does not master them unless... (אין אדם עומד עליהם אא"כ וכו'): אא"כ = אלא אם כן. From the saying of our Sages, Gittin 43a: "A person does not master words of Torah unless he has stumbled in them." Stumbling is part of the way one comes to the truth of a matter; it is no reason for despair, but something to learn from for the future.

12. The Torah was not given to the ministering angels (לא נתנה תורה למלאכי השרת): Berachos 25b. The Torah was given to human beings, who are not perfect like angels, and one cannot demand of them that they never stumble.

13. Go on his way securely (ילך... לבטח דרכו): From the verse Mishlei 3:23: "Then you will go on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble."

14. The King's way (דרך המלך): From the verse Bamidbar 20:17: "We will go by the King's way; we will not turn to the right or to the left." A straight road, from which one does not turn aside; and the Rebbe explains: the way of the King of the world.

15. The righteous resemble their Creator (וצדיקים דומים לבוראם): From Bereishis Rabbah 67:8: אבל הצדיקים לבן ברשותן... דומין לבוראן, "but the righteous have their heart in their power... they resemble their Creator".

16. Who are kings? The Rabbis (מאן מלכי רבנן): Based on Gittin 62a: "He said to them: Peace upon you, kings! Peace upon you, kings! They said to him: From where do you know that the Rabbis are called kings? He said: As it is written (Mishlei 8:15), 'By me kings reign'." The Sages are called kings; hence "the King's way" is also the way of our Rebbeim.

17. In the place of the Rav (ובאתרא דרב): From the Gemara Shabbos 19b: "It was the place of the Rav; he should not have done so" — in a Rav's place one does not rule or act against his view. In Kfar Chabad, "the place of the Rav (Rebbe)" belongs to the Previous Rebbe, its founder; so the straight road is to follow his way and his directives.

18. Their households (וב"ב): וב"ב = ובני ביתם.

19. Good news (בשו"ט): בשו"ט = בשורות טובות.

20. P.S. (נ.ב.): נ.ב. = נכתב בצדו, a postscript added after the signature, in which the Rebbe allows the committee to publicize this letter in a suitable way.

Summary

Writing to the committee of Kfar Chabad, the Rebbe blesses their efforts to establish the village, founded and led by the Previous Rebbe, and explains that taking part in its communal affairs is a bond with the Nasi, who still "stands and serves" and arouses mercy for all involved. Whatever mistakes were made, from now on each should go securely in "the King's way", the way of the Previous Rebbe, the Rav of the place.