1731 —תפלת יצחק בשדה לפנות ערב והתמודדות עם אתגרים רוחניים

B"H, 23rd of Tammuz, 5712.

Brooklyn.

Kvod Haraha"g veHaraha"ch vavac"h iy"a yoshev al medin, ish chai rav pe'alim etc. etc. Moharar Shaul shlit"a Danan Raavad d'kehilat kodesh Rabat yitz"u

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I received your esteemed letter and was pleased to hear good news about the work of the Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch institutions, who proudly bear the name of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe—may his merit protect us—who was a righteous foundation of the world, Yosef who provided for all the land. "Vayetze Yitzchak lasuach basadeh lifnot erev" (And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field towards evening), at a time when the kelipot and sitra achra intensify—may it not be so—and seek to darken the radiance of Hashem Elokim as sun and shield.

Our Sages said that "sichah" means prayer; prayer is like one who joins together earthenware vessels—repairing and connecting clay vessels made from earth to their Creator, their Father in Heaven. My prayer and hope is that his merit will eternally stand for all those who assist and participate in these holy activities.

And I am confident that as your honor has done until now, so too will you and all those who shelter under your influence continue—especially in the coming days—to extend a helping hand with the lofty strengths that Hashem has granted every leader in his community.

The king said—who are kings? The sages! They uproot mountains—the mountain that stands between Israel and their Father in Heaven during this doubled and redoubled darkness of exile, which appears to the righteous as a mountain. With help from Heaven, may it be His will that speedily in our days will be fulfilled: "Umala haaretz de'ah et Hashem kamayim layam mechasim" (The earth will be filled with knowledge of Hashem as waters cover the sea), and "ayin b'ayin yiru b'shuv Hashem Tzion al yedei Mashiach Tzidkeinu bimheira v'yameinu amen" (eye to eye they will see when Hashem returns Zion through our righteous Mashiach soon in our days, amen).

In response to your question whether it is possible to find Beit Yosef books and also Rambam books in America and their prices in local currency: Tur Beit Yosef is difficult to obtain, but Shulchan Aruch (sections Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat, Orach Chaim) can be obtained for $44; Yoreh Deah is about $30; Rambam is $56—all from book sellers here.

Since your honor wrote that you need four copies, if it would be difficult for you to pay for all of them, I will instruct the Central Office for Education Affairs to send one copy as a gift out of the four if I receive your agreement on this matter.

With blessing and due respect.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that prayer at times of spiritual darkness strengthens our connection to G‑d. He encourages persistent support for Torah institutions despite challenges and offers practical help with acquiring Torah books for communal needs.