6746 —הוספה בלימוד תורת החסידות כצינור לברכת רפואה

B"H, 3 Adar II^[1], 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to your letter [and] pidyon nefesh^[2] of 28 Adar I.

At an auspicious time your mother, may she live^[3], will be mentioned at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory^[4], for whatever she needs, in keeping with the content of your letter.

It is understood and obvious that since you are the one making the request, and you are a yeshivah student, you must add in diligence and assiduousness in the study of the revealed Torah and the teachings of Chassidus, and in carrying out the mitzvos in the finest manner [and however good the situation may be in this respect, in matters of goodness and holiness there is always room to add more, for they are bound up with the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is without limit and without end^[5]]; through this there will be an increase in the blessings of G‑d, blessed be He^[6], in whatever you need and in the fulfillment of your request concerning the above.

I hope it is superfluous to point out how vital is the study of the inner dimension of the Torah, which in our generation has been revealed in the teachings of Chassidus – especially in these days, and above all in the Holy Land, may it be built and established^[7], of which it is said, "the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year"^[8]; and above all for a yeshivah student, who must be found all day within the "four cubits" of Torah and prayer^[9]; and in particular in the matter mentioned above, which needs a special blessing in matters of healing and health: this is connected in a special way with the study of this [part of the] Torah, as in the words of Moshe Rabbeinu, the "Faithful Shepherd", in the Zohar, Parshas Naso: "there is nothing there from the other side"^[10] – and the lack of health is included in them. Note also the explanation of our Sages, of blessed memory, on "illness": "illness – this is the evil inclination" (Yerushalmi Shabbos, chapter 14, halachah 3)^[11], and the consequences of this, down to the very lowest level, may the Merciful One save us^[12]. These matters are explained in a number of places, among them in Kuntres Etz HaChaim of the Rebbe, R. Shalom DovBer^[13], and in the discourse נ' שע"ב (printed in Kuntres Chai Elul 5703)^[14] of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory.

May it be G‑d's will that there be fixity in this, as in the directive of our master the Alter Rebbe: fixity not only in time but – and this is the main thing – fixity in the soul^[15]. I look forward to good news^[16].

With blessing.

P.S.

Surely you know and keep the three well-known daily lessons of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya^[17].

Notes

1. 3 Adar II (ג' אד"ש): אד"ש = אדר שני, Adar II. 3 Adar II 5719 was a Friday, the eve of Shabbos Parshas Pekudei (13 March 1959).

2. Pidyon nefesh (פ"נ): פ"נ = פדיון נפש, a note asking for a blessing and to be mentioned at the resting place.

3. May she live (תחי'): תחי' = תחיה.

4. My father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): הק' = הקדוש, "holy". כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת מורי וחמי אדונינו מורנו ורבנו, the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn; זצוקללה"ה = זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה לחיי העולם הבא; נבג"מ = נשמתו בגנזי מרומים; זי"ע = זכותו יגן עלינו.

5. Without limit and without end (אין גבולי ואין סופי): הקב"ה = הקדוש ברוך הוא. Since matters of Torah and mitzvos are bound up with G‑d, Who has no limit, one can never say "enough" in them; there is always room to add.

6. Through this… G‑d, blessed be He (עי"ז… השי"ת): עי"ז = על ידי זה, "through this"; השי"ת = השם יתברך, "G‑d, blessed be He".

7. The Holy Land, may it be built and established (אה"ק ת"ו): באה"ק ת"ו = בארץ הקודש תבנה ותכונן.

8. "The eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are upon it…" (עיני ה' אלקיך בה…): From Devarim 11:12: ארץ אשר ה' אלהיך דרש אתה תמיד עיני ה' אלהיך בה מרשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה, "a land which the L‑rd your G‑d looks after; the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (The verse reads מרשית השנה.)

9. The "four cubits" of Torah and prayer (ד' אמות של תורה ותפלה): After the words of the Sages, Berachos 8a: מיום שחרב בית המקדש, אין לו להקב"ה בעולמו, אלא ארבע אמות של הלכה בלבד, "From the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has in His world only the four cubits of halachah." The Rebbe writes "the four cubits of Torah and prayer".

10. "There is nothing there from the other side" (דלית תמן מסטרא דלעו"ז): "The Faithful Shepherd" (רעיא מהימנא) is Moshe Rabbeinu, as the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya, ch. 42: "Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, comprises them all, and is called Raaya Mehemna." לעו"ז = לעומת זה, "the opposite side", the side opposed to holiness. The Zohar, Parshas Naso (Raaya Mehemna): ובגין דעתידין ישראל למטעם מאילנא דחיי, דאיהו האי ספר הזהר, יפקון ביה מן גלותא ברחמי, "because Israel will taste of the Tree of Life, which is this Book of the Zohar, they will go out of exile through it with mercy"; and there: אלא מסטרא דאילנא דחיי, דלית תמן לא קשיא מסטרא דרע, ולא מחלוקת מרוח הטומאה, "but from the side of the Tree of Life, where there is no difficulty from the side of evil and no dispute from the spirit of impurity". In the "Tree of Life", the inner dimension of the Torah, evil has no hold; the Rebbe adds that the lack of health is included in this.

11. "Illness – this is the evil inclination" (חולי זה יצה"ר): רז"ל = רבותינו זכרונם לברכה; יצה"ר = יצר הרע. The Yerushalmi there: אמר רבי אבון. והסיר יי ממך כל חולי. זה יצר הרע שראשו מתוק וסופו מר, "R. Avun said: 'And the L‑rd will remove from you all illness' – this is the evil inclination, which is sweet at the beginning and bitter at the end." The verse is Devarim 7:15.

12. Down to the very lowest level, may the Merciful One save us (עד למטה מטה ר"ל): ר"ל = רחמנא ליצלן. By this explanation "illness" includes the evil inclination, and its consequences reach all the way down, to illness of the body; this is why study of the part of the Torah in which evil has no hold (above) is connected with healing.

13. Kuntres Etz HaChaim of the Rebbe, R. Shalom DovBer (קונטרס עץ החיים לכ"ק אדמו"ר מוהרש"ב): בכ"מ = בכמה מקומות, "in a number of places". מוהרש"ב = מורנו הרב שלום דובער, the Rebbe Rashab. In Kuntres Etz HaChaim the Rebbe Rashab wrote of the purpose of the Tomchei Temimim yeshivos (see vol. 7, letter 2192), and there also of the war of the evil inclination (see vol. 8, letter 2574).

14. Kuntres Chai Elul 5703 (קונטרס ח"י אלול תש"ג): A booklet in which talks of the Previous Rebbe were printed (see vol. 19, letter 7084).

15. Fixity not only in time but… fixity in the soul (קביעות לא רק בזמן… קביעות בנפש): See the Rebbe's notes to Likkutei Sichos, vol. 39, letter of Chai Elul 5749, note 41: "and not only fixity in time, but also fixity in the soul – see Likkutei Dibburim, vol. 1, 7a (in the name of the Alter Rebbe): according to the way of Chassidus the fixity must be not in time alone, but there must be fixity in the soul."

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

17. The three well-known daily lessons of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya (שלשת השיעורים דחומש תהלים ותניא): The daily lessons in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya instituted by the Previous Rebbe. As the Rebbe wrote in vol. 4, letter 1199, in a letter concerning a person's health: "to add strength in keeping the lessons in general, and the lessons in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya, as instituted by my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory, in particular, for this will be the channel for drawing down and receiving proper health."

Summary

Promising to mention the recipient's mother at the Previous Rebbe's resting place, the Rebbe tells the young yeshivah student that, as the one asking, he should add in Torah study and mitzvos, and above all in the study of Chassidus, the inner Torah, in which evil has no hold and which is therefore bound up with healing. He asks for fixed study that is fixed in the soul, and for keeping the daily Chitas.