1698 —שפור הבנין, מאמצי התקציב, והרחבת בית הספר בלוד

B"H, 10 Tammuz, 5712.

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letters from the 17th, 24th, and 27th of Sivan and the 3rd of Tammuz with all twenty-one attached student sheets as well as the telegram you delivered to the administration of the network.

b) Regarding what you wrote about the vocational school: it seems I have already written to you that they spoke here again with Dr. Shapira and he promises to do everything he can in this matter—that is, that the Joint will take upon itself all expenses except for the building (and perhaps it is not yet worthwhile to publicize this in places where it does not concern them so as not to cause harm etc., especially since it appears from your letter that the Yeshivot Committee is not satisfied with this). I have also already written regarding the building that every effort must be made to at least begin this. And perhaps there is hope that even though the Joint cannot help with the building itself, they are permitted to help with improving and enhancing the building; and the extent of these improvements depends on judicial discretion and their familiarity with them. According to Dr. Shapira's opinion on this—their attitude will be positive.

c) If you are considering using their hut for the vocational school—it seems it is not worthwhile since it is too small and cannot be enlarged. As mentioned above, it is preferable to begin with a building that has no limitation on its expansion.

d) Regarding the budget of four thousand from the Agency, as well as what was offered about two years ago as such a loan—I have also already written that every effort should be made to obtain these as soon as possible, obviously.

e) What you wrote about taking a building in Kfar for use by the vocational school—since you add in your letter that it was built and enhanced for the yeshiva itself, I do not understand why it should be taken from them. Especially since the yeshiva already exists and the vocational school still needs to be established etc. It appears from your letter that your opinion is also not to take it. Certainly this will also be the view of the yeshiva administration in Kfar.

f) I was pleased to read in your letter that you have increased your student body; however, obviously one should not go to extremes by taking on too much. In any case one must consider income levels when expanding. All the more so following my revered father-in-law’s conduct—even though he would often say "I have always been a ba'al chov" (meaning he incurred expenses for communal work), nevertheless even he set limits on how much expenses could exceed income. And certainly one should not accept very young children or turn the yeshiva into a Talmud Torah!

g) Regarding Central British Fund: some time ago they received a letter and memorandum from our office in Paris; they need to coordinate with our Paris office so correspondence does not get mixed up between theirs and Paris’s.

h) The booklet published for Yemei Chag HaGeulah surely arrived on time; may you utilize Yud-Beis and Yud-Gimmel Tammuz appropriately. I await good news about this. Enclosed are seven letters for your students.

With blessings for Chag HaGeulah for all your group.

Summary

The Rebbe encourages responsible financial planning while pursuing growth opportunities for Jewish education in Lod—urging efforts toward construction and improvement but always within prudent budgetary limits.