6760 —סירוב לתואר נשיא כבוד, והצעה להקדיש את הכספים לחינוך ולמקוואות באה"ק

B"H, 12 Adar II, 5719^[1]
Brooklyn, N.Y.

To the honorable Rabbi, the Gaon and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man^[2], נו"מ, a man of all-embracing learning and of knowledge^[3], engaged in communal needs, a man of energy, etc., Rabbi Shlomo, may he live long, known as Dr. Schonfeld^[4]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to your letter of 29 Adar I^[5], in which you write about the organization you have founded, called "Kehillos Kodesh for Israel", whose task is to establish synagogues in our Holy Land – may it be built and established by our righteous Moshiach, speedily in our days, Amen^[6] – and in which you conclude with the proposal that I be called the honorary president of this organization:

Thanking you first for your good thought in this, I must decline to accept such a title of honor, in keeping with the customs of the house of the Rebbeim^[7], for two reasons. a) In general, an honorary presidency is not practiced in the house of the Rebbeim. For as you correctly describe the content of this title – that it carries "no obligation or actual work", etc. – that is not the way of the house of the Rebbeim. On the contrary: where they are known by name, it is^[8] because they take an active part; or they take an active part without being known by name. But to accept a title of honor without actual work is against our way.

A further reason, and this is the main one: for our many sins, the situation in the Holy Land^[9] is such that every undertaking becomes attached to a party circle, and in my opinion it is impossible that the undertaking you write about should be non-partisan in practice, or at least free of the negative aspects from which no party matter escapes. Therefore, as for the rabbis who are on the spot: the very fact that their names will be called upon the undertaking will certainly add to it in the desired direction and prevent a number of disturbances; and this is the duty of a rabbi in his place and country, from which he must not exempt himself. This is not so with regard to my own plan of work and field of activity, as they were laid down by my father-in-law, the Rebbe, and higher in holiness, by the Rebbe his father^[10], etc.

I do not know whether your plan of activity has already been decided and fixed in its form, as being specifically for the building of synagogues. If there is still room to discuss it, I will permit myself to suggest that it would be worthwhile to deliberate^[11] about using the money that is already on hand, as you write, and that which is to be collected, for strengthening the institutions of education in holiness and purity and mikvaos – particularly in connection with the immigration that has been renewed in recent months^[12], for the situation regarding education in holiness and purity and its institutions, and also regarding mikvaos and family purity, cries out, and with additional financial means much can be set right in these areas. I ask forgiveness for having been "sought by those who did not ask"^[13]; but the letters and reports received from the Holy Land on these points pierce the heart and the very innards. It is hard to elaborate on this appalling situation, especially as you are surely aware of all this, at least in general.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge your letter acknowledging receipt of my letter for the jubilee day. May it be G‑d's will^[14] that for many years you increase in strength in support of traditional Judaism and matters of Torah and its mitzvos, and of "the light within the Torah"^[15].

With respect and with blessing.

Notes

1. 12 Adar II (י"ב אדר ב'): Sunday, 22 March 1959.

2. The Gaon and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man (הרה"ג והרה"ח אי"א): הרה"ג = הרב הגאון; הרה"ח = הרב החסיד; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים.

3. A man of all-embracing learning and of knowledge (איש אשכולות ומדעים): From the language of the Mishnah (Sotah 9:9): משמת יוסי בן יועזר איש צרידה ויוסי בן יוחנן איש ירושלים בטלו האשכלות – "When Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzereidah and Yosi ben Yochanan of Jerusalem died, the eshkolos ceased"; the Bartenura explains: איש שהכל בו – "a man in whom there is everything". ומדעים: learned also in the sciences.

4. Rabbi Shlomo… Dr. Schonfeld (מוה"ר שלמה שי' המכונה ד"ר שונפלד): Rabbi Dr. Solomon Schonfeld (1912–1984) of London, son of R. Victor (Avigdor) Schonfeld; from 1933 rabbi of the Adath Yisroel congregation in North London after his father, Presiding Rabbi of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, and founder of Hasmonean and the other schools of the Jewish Secondary Schools Movement; in the years before the Second World War he worked to bring Jewish children from Europe to England.

5. 29 Adar I (כ"ט אדר א'): Monday, 9 March 1959.

6. Speedily in our days, Amen (בב"א): בב"א = במהרה בימינו אמן.

7. The house of the Rebbeim (בית הרב): The house of our Rebbeim, the Chabad Rebbes.

8. It is (הר"ז): הר"ז = הרי זה.

9. For our many sins… the Holy Land (בעוה"ר… באה"ק): בעוה"ר = בעוונותינו הרבים; באה"ק = בארץ הקודש.

10. My father-in-law, the Rebbe… the Rebbe his father (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר… כ"ק אדמו"ר אביו): The Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and his father, the Rebbe Rashab, R. Shalom DovBer Schneersohn. For the rabbis in the Holy Land itself, their names on the undertaking will add to it and prevent disturbances, so it is their duty; but the Rebbe's own plan of work and field of activity were laid down by his predecessors, and this is not part of them.

11. Deliberate (שקו"ט): שקו"ט = שקלא וטריא, discussion and deliberation.

12. The immigration that has been renewed in recent months (העלי' שנתחדשה בחדשים האחרונים): On the new immigrants of this period, see letter 6773 below (17 Adar II 5719, to Mr. Yitzchak Koren, chairman of the immigrants from Bessarabia in Eretz Yisrael): "the immigrants from Romania and Bessarabia set up a yeshivah in Kiryat Gat", and there: "to fill the needs of these new immigrants".

13. Sought by those who did not ask (נדרשתי לאשר לא שאלוני): From the language of the verse (Yeshayahu 65:1): נדרשתי ללוא שאלו נמצאתי ללא בקשני – "I was sought by those who did not ask, I was found by those who did not seek Me." The Rebbe apologizes for commenting on a matter about which he was not asked.

14. May it be G‑d's will (ויה"ר): ויה"ר = ויהי רצון.

15. The light within the Torah (המאור שבתורה): From the saying of our Sages (Eichah Rabbah, Pesichta 2): הלואי אותי עזבו ותורתי שמרו, מתוך שהיו מתעסקין בה המאור שבה היה מחזירן למוטב – "Would that they had forsaken Me but kept My Torah, for through occupying themselves with it, the light within it would have brought them back to the good."

Summary

The Rebbe declines the offer to be honorary president of a new organization for building synagogues in Eretz Yisrael: the house of the Rebbeim does not accept titles without active work, and every undertaking there is drawn into party politics, so local rabbis should lend it their names. He suggests directing the funds to Torah education and mikvaos, urgently needed with the new wave of immigration.