6672 —הליכה בדרכי שלום עם ראשי הקהילה, והכנות ליום ההילולא יו"ד שבט

B"H, 2 Shevat, 5719
Brooklyn.

The Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, of many deeds^[1],
Reb Gershon Mendel, may he live long^[2], and his wife the Rebbetzin, may she live

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter of 19 Teves, which arrived after a long delay; surely in the meantime you have received my letter answering your previous letters^[3].

It is understood, and even obvious, that you are doing well in proceeding in ways of peace and pleasantness^[4], and also in taking care that there should be no impression of going "over the head"^[5] of anyone; especially since it is all but certain that this conduct of yours will affect those who are apprehensive of you, so that they will become helpers and partners in your work. It is understood that what has been said applies to the men, and likewise to the women activists in your holy community^[6]; and this is easy to understand^[7].

Surely you are making preparations for the day of the hillula that is coming upon us for good^[8]. Enclosed herewith is a copy of an excerpt from my letter to the annual celebration of the yeshivah Tomchei Temimim here^[9], whose content you will surely be able to use in your holy work. It is understood that the intention of the excerpt is only its content – but appeals^[10] and the like are not to be mixed in; and this is obvious.

With blessing for good news^[11] in all the above, and in a manner of steadily increasing^[12],

M. Schneerson

Publisher's notes

Printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 23, p. 504, and completed from a photocopy of the letter.

Reb Gershon Mendel (מו"ה גרשון מענדל שי'): Gerlik, Milan. Further letters to him: above, 6614, and the references in the notes there.

Proceeding in ways of peace and pleasantness (הולכים בדרכי שלום ונועם): See also above, vol. 18, letter 6632 (to Rabbi and Mrs. Gerlik, 7 Teves 5719, in which the Rebbe asks about their discussions with the community's lay leaders and how they are working in their community).

Notes

1. The Chassid… of many deeds (הרה"ח אי"א נו"נ רב פעלים): הרה"ח = הרב החסיד, "the Chassid"; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים, "a G‑d-fearing man"; נו"נ = נעלה ונכבד, "distinguished and honored". "Of many deeds" (rav pe'alim) – from Shmuel II 23:20: ובניהו בן יהוידע בן איש חי [חיל] רב פעלים מקבצאל, "And Benayahu son of Yehoyada, son of a valiant man of many deeds, from Kavtze'el".

2. Reb Gershon Mendel (מו"ה גרשון מענדל שי'): Gerlik, Milan (per the publisher's note). R. Gershon Mendel Gerlik and his wife, Mrs. Basya (née Posner), the Rebbe's emissaries to Milan, Italy; he headed Chabad in Italy until his passing on Shabbos, 1 Adar 5781 (13 February 2021). On their way to Milan they stayed in Paris to obtain the Italian visa there, and the Rebbe asked R. Binyomin Eliyahu Gorodetzky to give him detailed instructions there for his work in Milan and, if possible, to travel with him to Milan and present him to the community (letter 6584 above). On 26 Kislev the Rebbe answered their report of their activities in Paris and on the journey, wondering that they wrote nothing about how they were settling in Milan (letter 6614); on 7 Teves, answering their next report, he wrote that surely in their next letter they would describe their discussions with the community's lay leaders and how they were working in their community (letter 6632). In this letter he answers the letter of 19 Teves and guides them on how to conduct themselves with the community's leaders. For what followed, see below, vol. 19, letters 7314 and 7407*.

3. My letter answering your previous letters (מכתבי מענה על מכתביו הקודמים): That is, the Rebbe's letter of 7 Teves (letter 6632 above), answering their report; there he asked about their discussions with the community's lay leaders, to which he responds here.

4. Ways of peace and pleasantness (בדרכי שלום ונועם): From the verse about the Torah, Mishlei 3:17: דרכיה דרכי נעם וכל נתיבותיה שלום, "Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace." The recipient wrote that they were taking care to act peacefully and pleasantly with the community's leaders, and the Rebbe affirms their approach.

5. "Over the head" ("מעל לראש"): That is, so that it should not appear that they are bypassing the community's leaders and office-holders and acting without their knowledge and consent.

6. Your holy community (מחנם הט'): מחנם הט' = מחנם הטהור, "their pure camp", i.e. the Milan community.

7. This is easy to understand (וק"ל): וק"ל = וקל להבין. The same care is needed toward the women activists of the community, not only toward the lay leaders; they too, seeing that no one is going "over their heads", will become helpers and partners in the work.

8. The day of the hillula that is coming upon us for good (יום ההילולא הבע"ל): הבע"ל = הבא עלינו לטובה. The hillula is Yud Shevat, the day of the passing of the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, in 5710; in 5719 it was the ninth yahrzeit, falling on Monday.

9. My letter to the annual celebration of the yeshivah Tomchei Temimim here (מכתבי לחגיגה השנתית של הישיבה תו"ת דכאן): תו"ת = תומכי תמימים; דכאן = "here", in New York. This is the Rebbe's letter to the participants in the nineteenth annual dinner of the Central Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch, held on 2 Shevat, the day this letter was written (letter 6669 above). There the Rebbe explains that the main task of the yeshivos is to prepare "plain" Jews who, when they go out into the world, will raise up all their surroundings, and he connects this with Yud Shevat, the yahrzeit of the Previous Rebbe, founder of the Central Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim in America. That same day the Rebbe sent a copy of the letter also to his emissary in San Francisco, R. Yosef Chaim HaKohen Rosenfeld (letter 6671), "of course only in order to make use of the idea".

10. Appeals (אפילס): The English word "appeals": calls for fundraising and financial support. At the end of the letter to the yeshivah's dinner (letter 6669) the Rebbe wrote that "in view of the day of the hillula, Yud Shevat… everyone, man and woman, will surely awaken their inner powers to support the Central Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in the greatest measure". The content of the letter is to be used in their work toward the day of the hillula, but no fundraising is to be mixed in.

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

12. Steadily increasing (דמוסיף והולך): From Shabbos 21b, on lighting the Chanukah lights: וב"ה אומרים: יום ראשון מדליק אחת, מכאן ואילך מוסיף והולך, "Beis Hillel say: on the first day one lights one, from then on one keeps adding." That is, may their activities increase from day to day; as the Rebbe wrote to them during Chanukah (letter 6614): "to add in lights and light from day to day".

Summary

Acknowledging a delayed report from his emissaries in Milan, the Rebbe affirms that they do well to proceed in ways of peace with the community's leaders, taking care not to appear to go "over the head" of anyone, both with the men and with the women activists. For the coming Yud Shevat he encloses an excerpt of his letter to the Tomchei Temimim dinner, to use its content without mixing in fundraising.