6679 —הצעת משרה קבועה – הוכחה מן ההשגחה הפרטית לקבלה, ונתינת כחות למלא את התפקיד

B"H, 12 Shevat, 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After a very long interruption your letter of 8 Shevat was received, with the pidyon nefesh at its end^[1], which will be read at an auspicious time at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of saintly and blessed memory, whose soul is in the hidden treasuries on High, may his merit protect us^[2].

You ask my opinion: if they propose that you take on your work at the agency permanently, should you continue in it, since there is responsibility involved, etc.

In my opinion, the point you mention will itself serve as proof of how you should act. That is^[3]: if on their part they decide to take you on permanently – and all things are by individual Divine Providence – this is proof that you should accept the post. And since the holy Torah has said, "I sent you to improve [matters]"^[4], you are given the powers and the possibilities to fulfill your task in this post completely; the greatness of the merit cannot be adequately described, and it is superfluous to elaborate on it. And although at times one must show firmness and the like in this, so that what is required is carried out – when you recall the past, the situation in your country in former times, when an altogether different firmness was needed, and nevertheless they stood firm against concealments and obscurings, and "ours prevailed"^[5], the proof of this being the sons and daughters – then certainly in your present situation you have firmness enough, as much as is needed to fulfill the above task, as is easily understood^[6].

With blessings for good news^[7] in all the above.

P.S.

You surely know of the three well-known lessons of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya^[8]; at any rate, keep them from now on.

Notes

1. The pidyon nefesh at its end (הפ"נ, שבסיומו): הפ"נ = הפדיון נפש, a note with names and requests for blessing, read at the resting place of the Previous Rebbe; here it was attached at the end of the letter.

2. My father-in-law, the Rebbe… (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): הציון הק' = the holy resting place. כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת מורי וחמי אדונינו מורנו ורבנו, the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn; זצוקללה"ה = "may the memory of the righteous and holy one be for a blessing, for the life of the World to Come"; נבג"מ = נשמתו בגנזי מרומים, "whose soul is in the hidden treasuries on High"; זי"ע = זכותו יגן עלינו, "may his merit protect us".

3. That is (ז.א.): ז.א. = זאת אומרת; ה"ה = הרי הם.

4. "I sent you to improve [matters]" (לתקוני שדרתיך): תוה"ק = תורה הקדושה. From the Gemara (Kesubos 85a), on an agent who caused his sender a loss: the sender says to him, לתקוני שדרתיך ולא לעוותי, "I sent you to improve matters, not to spoil them"; Rashi: "you should have taken care to benefit me". That is, a mission is given in order to improve; so when Divine Providence sends a person to a post, he is also given the powers to fulfill his task in it completely.

5. "Ours prevailed" (דידן נצח): בכ"ז = בכל זה. "Ours has won", in the words of the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 24:3): the townspeople struck with iron tools and cried דידן נצח דידן נצח, "Ours has won! Ours has won!", "and they did not leave there until they saw something like a clot of blood on the surface of the water" – until the harmful spirit was defeated. That is, although in his country in former times there were concealments and obscurings, they stood up to them and prevailed, and the proof of it is the sons and daughters.

6. As is easily understood (וק"ל): הנ"ל = הנזכר לעיל; וק"ל = וקל להבין. That is: if at that time, when an altogether different firmness was needed, they withstood the test, then surely now he has firmness enough to fulfill his task in this post.

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

8. The three well-known lessons of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya (שלשת השיעורים דחומש תהלים ותניא הידועים): נ.ב. = נכתב בצדו, "P.S."; עכ"פ = על כל פנים. The three daily lessons instituted by the Previous Rebbe (Chitas): Chumash, the weekly portion with Rashi, one section each day; Tehillim, as divided over the days of the month; and Tanya, as divided over the days of the year. The Rebbe wrote in almost these words to several people; see vol. 15, letter 5474: "Surely you have heard of the three lessons, equal for every soul, instituted by my father-in-law, the Rebbe, in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya, the well-known ones; at any rate, keep them from now on"; and vol. 17, letter 6474.

Summary

Asked whether to stay on if his agency work were made permanent, the Rebbe answers that such an offer is Providence's proof that he should accept, and that one sent on a mission is given the strength to fulfill it, as the firmness shown in his country in the past attests. In a postscript he urges him to keep the daily lessons of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya.