6776 —רפואת הרגלים ברוחניות: צדקה, ובעיקר אמונה הרואה השגחה פרטית בכל מאורע

B"H, 19 Adar II^[1], 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to your letter of 17 Adar I^[2], which has just reached me, with a request for a blessing, a pidyon nefesh^[3], in connection with the state of your health:

At an auspicious time you will be mentioned at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of saintly memory^[4], for whatever you need, in accordance with the content of your letter.

And since you have a share in the affairs of the synagogue – and in these generations of ours the synagogue is also a house of study, that is^[5], a matter of Torah study by the public – it is understood, and also simple, that the more you strive to improve matters of the fear of Heaven and the learning in the synagogue, the merit of the many will assist you^[6] toward an increase in the blessings of G‑d, may He be blessed, also in matters of your own health.

And since with Jewish men and women the physical and the spiritual go together, one can affect the health of the body by strengthening the health of the soul, especially through mitzvos. And according to the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, that the 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of a person^[7], it is understood that for an ailment of the legs, its remedy in the spiritual realm is in matters of tzedakah, for that is "the substance that is at his feet", as our Sages say^[8];

And further, and this is the main thing: in matters of faith, which is what makes the whole person stand, as in the ruling of our Sages: "Chavakuk came and based them all on one, as it is said, 'The righteous man shall live by his faith'"^[9], and "Your people are all righteous"^[10]. And although all Jews are "believers, the sons of believers"^[11], the faith of the Jewish people must be precisely such that it affects the course of one's thoughts throughout the entire day; that is, in every event and matter one should search and seek out the element of Divine Providence within it, despite the concealment and hiddenness of the garments of nature, and know clearly that as long as one has not found the point of Divine Providence, one does not yet know the matter and the event in its truth – to the point that one will feel a lack in one's satisfaction. This state of soul is proof that one's faith is complete, and not only in an encompassing manner or in a partial manner – although even then it is obvious that he is a believer, as said above, that all Jews are "believers, the sons of believers".

On the above, a clear instruction is found in the words of our Sages, as they say on the verse "And the faith of your times, etc.": "Faith – this is the Order of Zeraim (Seeds)", for one "believes in the Life of the worlds and sows" (the Jerusalem Talmud, cited in Tosafos, Shabbos 31a)^[12]. This means that even in sowing one does not rely on the laws of nature, but solely and exclusively on one's faith in the Life of the worlds; and only this spurs one to cast the seeds into the earth and to believe that in the end^[13] it will sprout.

And how true this faith is, is also understood from the days of Purim, which we have just come from: seemingly, the rescue of the Jewish people came about in the most natural way, through a daughter of Israel being the wife of the king who ruled under the whole vault of heaven^[14]; yet this is counted among the very greatest miracles, to the point that a festival of its own was established for it, the blessing "Who performed miracles" to this day, and even a tractate of its own – which the miracle of Chanukah did not merit^[15].

With respect and with blessing for good news^[16] in all the above.

Publisher's notes

An ailment of the legs… tzedakah… faith (שמיחוש ברגלים.. צדקה.. אמונה): See also above, vol. 15, letter 5621, and the references in the notes there.

Notes

1. 19 Adar II (י"ט אד"ש): אד"ש = אדר שני, Adar II. 19 Adar II 5719 was Sunday, 29 March 1959.

2. 17 Adar I, which has just reached me (מי"ז אד"ר שהגיע ז"ע לידי): אד"ר = אדר ראשון, Adar I; ז"ע = זה עתה, "just now". The letter was written on 17 Adar I, and only now, more than a month later, reached the Rebbe.

3. A pidyon nefesh (פ"נ): פ"נ = פדיון נפש, a written request for a blessing (literally, "redemption of the soul").

4. My father-in-law, the Rebbe… (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): 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, "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, "his soul is in the hidden treasuries on High"; זי"ע = זכותו יגן עלינו, "may his merit protect us".

5. The synagogue… that is (ביהכ"נ… ז.א.): ביהכ"נ = בית הכנסת, "the synagogue"; ז.א. = זאת אומרת, "that is".

6. The merit of the many will assist you (זכות הרבים מסייעתו): השי"ת = השם יתברך, "G‑d, may He be blessed". Compare Avos 2:2: וכל העמלים עם הצבור, יהיו עמלים עמהם לשם שמים, שזכות אבותם מסייעתן וצדקתם עומדת לעד, "And all who work with the community should work with them for the sake of Heaven, for the merit of their fathers assists them and their righteousness endures forever." One who works for the community – here, improving the fear of Heaven and the learning in the synagogue – is assisted by the merit of the many.

7. The 248 positive commandments correspond to the 248 limbs of a person (רמ"ח מ"ע כנגד רמ"ח אבריו של אדם): רז"ל = רבותינו זכרונם לברכה, "our Sages, of blessed memory"; מ"ע = מצוות עשה, "positive commandments". Makkos 23b: ומאתים וארבעים ושמונה עשה – כנגד איבריו של אדם, "and 248 positive commandments, corresponding to the limbs of a person", and Rashi: דכל אבר ואבר אומר לו עשה מצוה, "for each and every limb says to him: do a mitzvah". Every limb of the body belongs to the mitzvah that corresponds to it, so the remedy for a limb of the body is to strengthen its mitzvah in the spiritual realm.

8. "The substance that is at his feet" (היקום אשר ברגלו): From the verse about Dasan and Aviram, Devarim 11:6: ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם, "and all the substance that was at their feet"; and our Sages expounded, Pesachim 119a: ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם – א"ר אלעזר: זה ממונו של אדם, שמעמידו על רגליו, "R. Elazar said: this is a person's money, which stands him on his feet." Money is what stands a person on his feet, so the spiritual remedy for the feet is tzedakah from one's money. The Rebbe wrote likewise several times to people with ailments of the legs: "It is known that the leg, in spirituality, is the matter of tzedakah and the matter of faith" (vol. 6, letter 1688); "tzedakah is the aspect of the leg in a person's spiritual stature" (vol. 9, letter 2705); and see vol. 12, letter 3842; vol. 15, letter 5621.

9. "Chavakuk came and based them all on one" (בא חבקוק והעמידן על אחת): Our Sages, Makkos 24a: בא חבקוק והעמידן על אחת, שנאמר וצדיק באמונתו יחיה, "Chavakuk came and based them on one, as it is said, 'The righteous man shall live by his faith'" (Chavakuk 2:4). All the mitzvos stand on one foundation – faith. As the Rebbe wrote in vol. 15, letter 5621: "the leg, in spirituality, is the matter of faith, for 613 mitzvos were told to Moshe at Sinai, and Chavakuk came and based them on one, as it is said, 'The righteous man shall live by his faith'".

10. "Your people are all righteous" (ועמך כולם צדיקים): Yeshayahu 60:21: ועמך כולם צדיקים. Every Jew is called "righteous", so of each and every one it is said, "The righteous man shall live by his faith".

11. "Believers, the sons of believers" (מאמינים בני מאמינים): Shabbos 97a: אמר לו: הן מאמינים בני מאמינים, "He said to him: they are believers, the sons of believers" (G‑d to Moshe, about the Jewish people). בנ"י = בני ישראל, "the Jewish people".

12. "Faith – this is the Order of Zeraim" (אמונה זה סדר זרעים): From the verse Yeshayahu 33:6: והיה אמונת עתיך חסן ישועות חכמת ודעת, "And the faith of your times shall be the strength of salvations, wisdom and knowledge"; and the Sages expounded, Shabbos 31a: אמונת – זה סדר זרעים, "Faith – this is the Order of Zeraim". Tosafos there: מפרש בירושלמי שמאמין בחי העולמים וזורע, "the Jerusalem Talmud explains: for he believes in the Life of the worlds and sows."

13. In the end (סו"ס): סו"ס = סוף סוף.

14. The king who ruled under the whole vault of heaven (המלך המולך בכפה): ג"כ = גם כן, "also". The king is Achashverosh, after Megillah 11a: תנו רבנן: שלשה מלכו בכיפה, ואלו הן: אחאב ואחשורוש ונבוכדנצר, "Our Rabbis taught: three ruled over the globe, and these are they: Achav, Achashverosh and Nevuchadnetzar", and Rashi: "under the whole vault of heaven". The rescue came about because Esther was the wife of the king who ruled the whole world – in the most natural way.

15. Which the miracle of Chanukah did not merit (אף שלא זכה לזה נס חנוכה): בכ"ז = בכל זאת, "yet"; יו"ט בפ"ע = יום טוב בפני עצמו, "a festival of its own". For the miracle of Purim a festival was established, the blessing "Who performed miracles" over the reading of the Megillah, and a whole tractate of the Talmud – Tractate Megillah; whereas no tractate was established for Chanukah, and its laws are discussed in the Gemara in the course of the laws of the Shabbos lamp, Shabbos 21b: "What is Chanukah?", and Rashi: "for which miracle did they establish it?" This shows how true is the faith that sees Divine Providence even in a miracle clothed in the ways of nature.

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

Summary

Answering a request for a blessing for his health, the Rebbe tells the recipient that improving the fear of Heaven and the learning in his synagogue brings him the merit of the many. Since every limb corresponds to a mitzvah, the spiritual remedy for an ailment of the legs is tzedakah, and above all a faith that seeks out Divine Providence in every event – as Purim, a miracle clothed in nature, shows.