6702 —סיוע לבנין בית כנסת ולפרנסת תושבי מושב גמזו, שומרי השביעית

B"H, 27 Shevat, 5719
Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Rav and Gaon, the veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, a man of many deeds and great energy^[1], etc., our teacher the Rav, Reb Avraham Baruch, may he live long^[2]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

It was pleasant for me to learn, in the course of our conversation, of the life of meticulous observance, in keeping with the directives of our Torah, the Torah of life^[3], in the holy community of which your honor is the Mara d'Asra^[4], Moshav Gimzo in our Holy Land, may it be built and established speedily in our days through our righteous Moshiach; and that, to make possible the building of a synagogue suited to the needs of the residents, and generally to secure their standing in matters of livelihood and economy, your honor is working for this in the United States.

Surely our brethren, the Children of Israel, compassionate and doers of kindness^[5], not only by virtue of the G‑dly soul within them but also by their inborn nature, by virtue of the animal soul (see the Iggeres HaKodesh of the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch, end of section 12, and the Tanya, end of chapter 1)^[6], will surely respond to this matter and extend you help and support; especially as our fellow Jews^[7] in the United States have always been distinguished in the attribute of charity and kindness, "with superior dignity and superior power"^[8].

May it be G‑d's will that all the affairs of Yisrael Sava, the Jewish people, wherever they are, be strengthened, in a manner of "adding ever more," adding in light^[9]; among them also your holy community, especially as they keep the Sabbatical year according to halachah, "mighty in strength, who do His word," etc.^[10]

And very soon indeed may we merit the fulfillment of the promise, as our Sages explain (Midrash Tehillim) the verse "You have favored Your land, O L‑rd; You have returned the captivity of Yaakov"^[11]: that when the Sabbatical years and all the mitzvos commanded concerning it are kept, they are redeemed; and in a manuscript of Midrash Tehillim: "therefore Israel is redeemed immediately."

With respect and with blessing.

Publisher's notes

Our teacher the Rav, Reb Avraham Baruch (מוה"ר אברהם ברוך): Rosenberger, Moshav Gimzo.

From the side of the animal soul (מצד נפש הבהמית): See also above, vol. 11, letter 3406, and the sources noted there.

Notes

1. The Rav and Gaon… a man of many deeds and great energy (הרה"ג וו"ח אי"א נו"נ רב פעלים ורב מרץ): הרה"ג = הרב הגאון, "the Rav and Gaon"; וו"ח = ותיק וחסיד, "veteran and Chassid"; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים, "a G‑d-fearing man"; נו"נ = נעלה ונכבד, "distinguished and honored". "A man of many deeds" echoes the verse Shmuel II 23:20: ובניהו בן יהוידע בן איש חי רב פעלים מקבצאל, "And Benayahu son of Yehoyada, the son of a living man, of many deeds, from Kavtze'el." מוה"ר = מורנו הרב רבי, "our teacher the Rav, Reb".

2. Reb Avraham Baruch (מוה"ר אברהם ברוך שי'): Rosenberger, Moshav Gimzo. R. Avraham Baruch Rosenberger, rav of Moshav Gimzo in Eretz Yisrael, a moshav of Poalei Agudat Yisrael founded on 11 Adar 5710 (1950) by the "Etz Chaim" group of immigrants from Hungary and Morocco. As the letter shows, he met with the Rebbe ("in the course of our conversation") when he came to the United States to raise means for building a synagogue in the moshav and for the residents' livelihood; and in this year, a Sabbatical year, the people of the moshav kept the shemitah according to halachah.

3. The Torah of life (תורת חיים): In the words of the Shemoneh Esrei, in the blessing Sim Shalom: כי באור פניך נתת לנו ה' אלקינו תורת חיים ואהבת חסד, "for by the light of Your countenance You gave us, L‑rd our G‑d, the Torah of life and the love of kindness."

4. Your honor is the Mara d'Asra (כת"ר הוא המרא דאתרא): כת"ר = כבוד תורתו, "your honor" (literally "the honor of your Torah"). Mara d'Asra: the rav of the place, who holds the authority to rule there.

5. Compassionate and doers of kindness (רחמנים וגומלי חסדים): Following Yevamos 79a: שלשה סימנים יש באומה זו הרחמנים והביישנין וגומלי חסדים, "This nation has three signs: they are compassionate, modest and doers of kindness."

6. Iggeres HaKodesh… section 12, and the Tanya, end of chapter 1 (אגה"ק... סוף סי' י"ב ובתניא סוף פ' א'): In Iggeres HaKodesh, section 12: והנה מודעת זאת, שישראל בטבעם, הם רחמנים וגומ"ח. מפני היות נפשותיהם נמשכות ממדותיו ית'... הרי מדת החסד והרחמנות הוטבעה בנפשות כל בית ישראל מכבר, מעת בריאותן והשתלשלותן ממדותיו ית', "It is well known that Jews by their nature are compassionate and doers of kindness, because their souls derive from His attributes… the attribute of kindness and compassion was implanted in the souls of all the House of Israel from the outset, from the time of their creation and descent from His attributes." In the Tanya, end of chapter 1: וגם מדות טובות שבטבע כל ישראל בתולדותם: כמו רחמנות, וג"ח - באות ממנה. כי בישראל, נפש זו דקליפה - היא מקליפת נוגה, שיש בה ג"כ טוב, "Also the good traits found in the nature of all Jews from birth, such as compassion and kindness, come from it [the animal soul]; for in Jews this soul of kelipah is of kelipas nogah, which also contains good." The compassion and kindness of Jews thus come both from the G‑dly soul and from the nature of the animal soul.

7. Our fellow Jews (אחב"י): אחב"י = אחינו בני ישראל, "our brethren, the Children of Israel".

8. "With superior dignity and superior power" (ביתר שאת וביתר עז): In the words of the verse Bereishis 49:3: ראובן בכרי אתה כחי וראשית אוני יתר שאת ויתר עז, "Reuven, you are my firstborn, my strength and the first of my vigor, superior in dignity and superior in power."

9. "Adding ever more," adding in light (מוסיף והולך מוסיף ואור): Following Shabbos 21b, on 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 adds progressively." The strengthening is to keep growing, adding in light, like the Chanukah lights.

10. "Mighty in strength, who do His word," etc. (גבורי כח עושי דברו גו'): Shevi'is is the Sabbatical year, and 5719 was a Sabbatical year. Tehillim 103:20: ברכו ה' מלאכיו גברי כח עשי דברו לשמע בקול דברו, "Bless the L‑rd, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, hearkening to the voice of His word." Vayikra Rabbah (1:1): גבורי כח עושי דברו, במה הכתוב מדבר, אמר רבי יצחק בשומרי שביעית הכתוב מדבר, בנוהג שבעולם אדם עושה מצוה ליום אחד, לשבת אחת, לחדש אחד, שמא לשאר ימות השנה, ודין חמי חקליה בירה כרמיה בירה ויהב ארנונא ושתיק, יש לך גבור גדול מזה, "'Mighty in strength, who do His word': of whom does the verse speak? Rabbi Yitzchak said: of those who keep the Sabbatical year. Ordinarily a person does a mitzvah for a day, a week, a month; but for the rest of the year? Yet this one sees his field lying fallow, his vineyard lying fallow, pays the land tax and keeps silent. Is there a greater hero than this?"

11. "You have favored Your land, O L‑rd; You have returned the captivity of Yaakov" (רצית הוי' ארצך שבת שבות יעקב): Tehillim 85:2. Midrash Tehillim on this verse (85:1), in the version before us: הקב"ה הופך ומהפך ומסתכל ונותן עיניו בה עד שתרצה מעשיה להקב"ה והמצוות שנצטוו ישראל עליהן אם הוציאו את המעשרות ועשו את השמיטים וכל המצוות שנצטוו בהן אותה שעה היא מרצה מעשיה להקב"ה... לכך רצית ה' ארצך, "The Holy One, blessed be He, turns it over and over, looks and sets His eyes upon it, until its deeds find favor with Him, and the mitzvos Israel were commanded concerning it: if they have separated the tithes and kept the Sabbatical years and all the mitzvos commanded concerning it, at that time its deeds find favor with the Holy One, blessed be He… therefore: 'You have favored Your land, O L‑rd.'" The verse continues, "You have returned the captivity of Yaakov," which is the redemption. The Rebbe also brings the manuscript reading, that for this Israel is redeemed "immediately," and stresses that word; hence the blessing "very soon indeed may we merit," above all for this community, which keeps the Sabbatical year.

Summary

The Rebbe writes to the rav of Moshav Gimzo, who came to the United States to raise funds for a synagogue and for the residents' livelihood: American Jews, compassionate by both their G‑dly and their animal soul, will surely help; and since the moshav keeps the Sabbatical year, "mighty in strength, who do His word," may they soon see the redemption that, the Midrash says, comes through keeping shemitah.