1042 —עידוד להישאר בשמחה וחוזק בשליחות

B"H, 9 Sivan, 5711. Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I have just received your letter from the 25th of Iyar, and you have surely already received the booklet and the sichah along with my letter. At an auspicious time I mention you and your wife at the resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, for all that you need. As I have written to you before, I truly do not understand your bitterness and what you wrote—after all, even a head of a ladder is appointed from Heaven, and all the more so a rabbi in Israel must know the responsibility upon him. But it is even more certain that if such thoughts bring him sadness and depression, they certainly come from the side of unholiness or as my father-in-law called it "from that clever one." Every moment he thinks about this are thoughts coming from chambers of unholiness; about them it is said that as soon as one ascends there (in his mind), he should push it away with both hands and divert his attention without accepting it willingly. This applies to everyone; the trait of beinonim is for every person and after them every person should strive (and there is no contradiction to what is said in Tanya that a beinoni never sinned—even in chapter 14 it says every person can be a beinoni at any time; this means that according to his current state he is not prone to sin now or in the past—this is not the place for elaboration).

It is clear from all the above that what you write in your letter about seeking another position—I am not pleased with this at all. You must remain in your post and be strong in your trust in Hashem that He will guide you on a true path and grant success in your holy work. If doubts arise about this, it is not a doubt about your ability but rather a weakness of trust; the advice for this is to study Shaar HaBitachon in Chovos HaLevavos. In general, being connected to the Tree of Life means learning Chassidus and participating frequently in chassidic gatherings with true chassidic joy—to rejoice yourself and bring joy to others.

Since you have already moved into your new home, you should have arranged there a proper chassidic farbrengen and recalled old times when people spent time at farbrengens without worrying what so-and-so would say or what one's left or right side would say—only knowing that a chassidic gathering, hearing Chassidus, a chassidic word or story from our Rebbeim brings light—and a little light dispels much darkness.

Furthermore: why think about darkness? Let us think more about light—especially now as we stand by the giving of the first Tablets: "Charut... do not read charut (engraved) but cheirut (freedom)." May it be G‑d's will that with your new residence there will be "a change of place brings a change of fortune for good," and may your home be a warm home, a joyful home filled with "a candle is mitzvah and Torah is light," especially with the light within Torah—that is Chassidus, its ways and customs—and from time to time may chassidic gatherings be held there.

I await good news regarding improvement of your mood so that finally you will accept upon yourself from now on to fulfill Torah's commandment: "Serve Hashem with joy and gladness of heart."

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that doubts and sadness stem from negative forces; one should strengthen trust in Hashem through learning Chassidus, participating joyfully in farbrengens, focusing on bringing light into life, especially when settling into a new home.