187 —דאגה רוחנית לחיילים יהודים ולקח פרה אדומה

B"H, 13 Nissan, 5705.

Fort Bragg, NC.

To our esteemed and honored friend, Haraha"g iy"a etc. Avraham Goldberg

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Many thanks to him for sending us the list of members of the Rabbinical Association working with the army. It is pleasing to see his good interest in the spiritual state of our Jewish brethren in the army, as this brings merit to the many.

And regarding the upcoming festival of Pesach: The first Pesach celebrated by future generations (which serves as a lesson for all generations, unlike Pesach Mitzrayim which was unique in several ways—see Pesachim ch.9 m.8—and was only a temporary directive) took place in the second year after leaving Egypt. Our Sages say (Gittin 60b) that its preparation involved the matter of Parah Adumah (the Red Heifer).

The Parah Adumah purifies those who are impure and renders impure those who are pure; that is, they tell a Kohen (and some say specifically the Kohen Gadol—see Parah ch.4 m.4), "Go and make yourself impure" (with a minor impurity), even though this will require you to leave temporarily from the Beis HaMikdash and your service there, so that through this an Israelite—even one who became impure through contact with a corpse—can become purified and enter the Beis HaMikdash. Moreover, it is called "the statute of the Torah" for this reason (see Bamidbar Rabbah ch.19); it is a general concept throughout Torah (see Likkutei Torah beginning of Chukas).

The moral lesson for each one of us is clear.

With blessings for a kosher and joyous festival; immediate teshuvah; immediate redemption.

Summary

The Rebbe highlights that true spiritual leadership means sometimes sacrificing one's own status or comfort to help others achieve purity and connection to holiness. This principle applies broadly in Torah life: we must be ready to step out of our own place to uplift others.