481 —ל"ג בעומר, הסמליות של גל עד, ופרסום תורת החסידות

B"H, 12 Iyar, 5709.

Haraha"ch havavac"h iy"a num etc. Mahor"y.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Your letter was received. I am sending enclosed the Likkutei Dibburim for Lag BaOmer, may it arrive in time. Certainly you will merit to benefit the public with it in the most appropriate manner, as explained in the aforementioned sichah section 2 and elsewhere.

Perhaps one can connect these matters: Lag BaOmer is alluded to in the verse "Gal Ed" (stone monument). It includes two aspects: a boundary between the supernal whiteness of holiness and Yaakov; a boundary between holiness and its opposite. As explained at length in Siddur Shaar Ha-Lag BaOmer. Thus, Lag BaOmer also contains two elements: the ultimate elevation of Rashbi—specifically the inner Torah he revealed on this day—and also "hod sheb'hod," which is the service of completely simple people, as explained in the kuntres for this Pesach Sheini.

It can be said that as long as the Baal Shem Tov was hidden, he too was on the level of supernal whiteness of holiness. This is clarified in a note (in Likkutei Dibburim enclosed p.29): when his period of concealment ended and he needed to reveal himself, its sign was specifically "Gal Ed." It is known what the Baal Shem Tov wrote (printed in the sichah of 20 Kislev 5693 and in Hatamim vol.4 p.18): when he finished learning Torah with his teacher Achiyah HaShiloni—(see Sefer HaDorot that Rashbi is his reincarnation; see also Yerushalmi Berachos ch.9 halachah 2)—he was revealed before all Israel.

With blessings for all good things,
M. Schneerson

* * *

The health condition of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, has improved. May Hashem continue to grant him a complete recovery very soon—so may it be His will.

* * *

In response to your question from before Pesach: I will answer when I have some free time; please forgive me.

With blessings for all good things and wishes for a Pesach Katan—a small leap forward at least for now.

From mid-5709 (1949), there was an increase in the number of people to whom my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, wrote letters, and thus began the method of "general-personal letter": that is, he would write one letter with general content connected to the weekly parsha or special days. The letter would be duplicated into several copies. Whenever my revered father-in-law wanted to write a (short) letter to someone, he would write it on the margins of this "general-personal letter," adding at its beginning the name of the recipient (see also above Igros 438, 472, 477).

[At the end of 5710 (1950), writing "general letters" began; see similarly below Igros 849.] Usually on the original form appeared only "Mahor"y," after which he would change the letter "yud" to match each recipient's initial. This format remained valid for several days during which some letters written then were written on this template. After a few days another version of a "general-personal letter" was written for subsequent days. Therefore many letters are found addressed to different people but with identical content except for their opening and closing lines.

In such cases our series presents first only the original template where "Mahor"y" always appears as recipient (even if our copy had another name). At each letter's end appear three stars; after them are copied any personal additions relevant for publication. When such an addition is a complete topic by itself it appears as its own letter with notation that it was written as an addition to a previous "general-personal letter." (See next letter.)

Summary

This letter explores deep connections between Lag BaOmer and spiritual milestones like Gal Ed and Rashbi's revelation while encouraging public dissemination of Torah teachings tailored appropriately for every audience.