1588 —משניות בע"פ, חינוך, והפצת חסידות בבהירות

B"H, 26 Iyar, 5712.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vaharaha"ch iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z etc. Mordechai HaKohen

Shalom u'Vrachah!

With pleasure I received your letter from the 16th of Iyar with the enclosed pan (pidyon nefesh). When I am—G‑d willing—at the resting place of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe zatzal (may his merit protect us), I will read them and certainly arouse mercy for all those mentioned therein for whatever they need. May Hashem grant you the merit to share good news in this regard.

b) I was pleased to read in your letter about reviewing Mishnayos by heart. It is well known how greatly our holy Rebbes extolled this practice, as is often mentioned in the talks of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe. Surely you have also seen what I wrote on this matter according to my humble opinion regarding its greatness—even according to Nigleh of Torah—which was published at the time in Kuntres Lubavitch.

c) Regarding your question about starting to learn and review Shas by heart: I do not understand your intent with the abbreviation "Shas." If you mean as above regarding Mishnayos, then it is very proper and as stated above; or do you mean learning Gemara? It would also be appropriate from time to time to review by heart chapters of Tanya—especially the first twelve chapters with the introduction—as my revered father-in-law spoke about this in his holy talk on Simchas Torah 5691 (Riga).

d) What you wrote regarding the mikvah: I am interested to know if it is maintained according to the wishes of my revered ancestor (the Rebbe Rashab), and if not—and if it is easy—certainly it should be corrected so that it aligns with that wish.

e) I was very pained by what you wrote that nothing has yet been done regarding education because all the youth attend public school. This surprises me greatly because in many countries this is also the law; nevertheless, they arrange additional classes—or more precisely, primary classes—in which boys and girls from Israel learn essential subjects such as halachos, blessings, Chumash with Rashi's commentary, etc. As for what one teacher told you—that parents do not want this—it is not fitting to use faith-based authority for such matters. Especially since it is known—the ruling of Rambam cited often in Chassidus—that deep down every Jew truly desires to fulfill the Creator's will. See also Tanya chapter 41 (58a): 'But every Jew truly desires with all his heart and soul out of a natural hidden love...to cleave to G‑d...' etc. There is a strong presumption that sincere outreach does not return empty-handed—especially when people see that your intent is for the good of the matter itself without ulterior motives. I hope and await good news that this effort has begun; then surely you will succeed.

f) Regarding what you write about repeating maamarim of Chassidus verbatim—the listeners do not understand and therefore may not come at all to hear them—and you ask if you should add from other works of derush: It would seem best not to mix straw with grain; but if it is necessary to expand on explanations, surely suitable explanations can be found in talks or letters or stories from my revered father-in-law or similar sources. If even this does not suffice, it is better to draw from what chassidim say at farbrengens so that the explanation matches somewhat what is being explained—unlike works of derush etc., and this should suffice.

Blessings for receiving the Torah with joy and inwardness.

Summary

The Rebbe encourages heartfelt efforts in Jewish education even under challenging circumstances and stresses sharing Chassidus authentically while ensuring clarity for listeners. Sincerity and persistence are key to success in these holy endeavors.