1162 —תרופה לשנאת חנם, אהבה ללא גבול

B"H, 1 Elul, 5711.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vaharaha"ch iy"a nu"n etc. Yaakov Chaim Lichtenstein

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I received your letter from the beginning of the month of Menachem Av and corresponded with your representative in Paris. A few days ago I received word that the matter has been resolved. Surely from now on there will be peace upon Israel.

I already stated at the farbrengen, based on our Sages (Yoma 9b), that our current exile was not forgiven because of baseless hatred. Therefore, to bring about a close redemption, our remedy must be its opposite—Ahavas Chinam (gratuitous love). Just as baseless hatred has no foundation or reason—not in holy intellect nor even in human logic—the correction must follow what Rambam writes at the beginning of Hilchos Deos: when one has strayed to one extreme, the remedy is not a middle path but to grasp the opposite extreme. So too with Ahavas Chinam—it must be practiced even when there is no basis for it, not only according to human logic but even according to what seems like holy logic (when one imagines this is holy reasoning). That is, even if you cannot find any merit in your fellow to love him despite all your efforts and as it appears to you—still, you should love him and with such devoted love that you do not see his faults. This is true love. Through this remedy of Ahavas Chinam at its extreme, we will repair the exile caused by baseless hatred and merit complete and speedy redemption.

I wrote this some time ago to Haraha"g vaharaha"ch vavac"h iy"a nu"n etc. Shmuel Yaakov Rubinstein, and surely he received my letter with the enclosed booklet in due time.

Signing with blessings for a good inscription and sealing.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that just as baseless hatred led to exile, only boundless and unconditional love—even without any apparent justification—can bring about redemption. We must strive to love others beyond reason or merit.