1643 —השתתפות בפעולות חב"ד, נוסח הדלקת נרות, ומנהגים

B"H, 19 Sivan, 5712.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vaharaha"ch iy"a nu"n etc. Yechiel Michl

Shalom u'Vrachah!

It has been some time since I have heard anything from you; surely all is well with you. I am somewhat surprised that among the names of those involved in the various fields of Chabad activities in Eretz Yisrael, your name is not mentioned. Perhaps it is not just that your name is missing but that you are indeed fulfilling your role completely. Nevertheless, this is not a place for humility; it would be worthwhile for you to write explicitly about this—especially since you are in Haifa, where Agudas Chabad is not prominent, even though there are students of Tomchei Temimim there (including yourself and Rabbi Chen). Surely you will strive to fulfill this in the near future because every single day lost is a pity. After all, "kol yoma v'yoma avid avadtei" (every day has its own task), and "yamim yutzaru v'lo echad bahem" (days were formed and not one among them)—as explained in several places in Chassidus.

2) In response to what I asked previously regarding what is written in Siddur Tehillas Hashem as well as Siddur Torah Or printed in the USA in 5701 (1941) and also copied into the Tomchei Temimim calendar—that for Shabbat candle lighting the text is "ner shel Shabbat kodesh": What is the source for adding the word "kodesh"? Answer: For now I have not found a source for this. It seems to me that this is not part of the original text. My proof is that where there is concern for interruption they omit "kodesh." See there in the text for lighting candles on Shabbat and Yom Tov. Where there is no concern for interruption they add "kodesh." This was also my mother-in-law's custom (the Rebbetzin), received from previous generations—and surely this was practiced generation after generation in our Rebbeim's home. It is known what was written by the Rashba (quoted in Shut Sheiv Moshe siman 13): One should not reject a tradition held by elderly Jewish women because sixty myriads of miracles would be needed to disprove it.

3) You also noted regarding the text of the blessing for Rosh Hashanah candle lighting printed in the Siddur "Shel Yom HaZikaron": This was even more difficult for me than above because it introduces a new blessing text for candle lighting on Rosh Hashanah. I asked my father-in-law (the Previous Rebbe) about this some years ago. He told me that his father (the Rebbe Rashab) discussed this at length with Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Replowitz from Kremenchug. Despite Rabbi Replowitz's objections, my father-in-law said one should say "shel yom hazikaron." Perhaps the reason is by analogy to Kiddush and other blessings. This too is our Rebbeim's custom—and their practice speaks volumes.

4) You further noted what appears in Sefer HaMaamarim Yiddish p. 80 on "VaAdon Hashem b'Shofar Yitka," Adon means judgment; Hashem means mercy: You asked why here Hashem's Name appears with Elokim's vowelization. See Likkutei Torah discourses on Rosh Hashanah beginning with "V'hayah bayom hahu yitaka," which is their source; also see there on "Ki ka'aretz totzi tzmicha" (Isaiah 51:3).

5) You mention Rabbi Moshe Linshitz; surely you have set times with him to study Chassidus together and both of you will strengthen yourselves at least with the three daily lessons established by my father-in-law—the Previous Rebbe—in Chumash, Tehillim, and Tanya, as is well known.

Summary

The letter emphasizes active participation in communal work without excessive humility, careful adherence to minhagim regarding blessings and customs—especially those passed down through generations—and encourages consistent study of Torah and Chassidus with others.