1867 —אמירה בלשון רבו ודקדוק בברכות

B"H, 7 Tishrei, 5713.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

The reason I did not specify details in the content of the blessing: Besides the concept that one should speak in the language of his teacher, this is also understood according to the revealed part of Torah and simply—especially as brought by the Taz and Magen Avraham and ruled in Shulchan Aruch of our Rebbe, section 582:7—that during these days one must be careful and precise with his words.

If, as you suggested, I had specified in my letter—in addition to the general wording of the blessing—a particular detail (even if unique), this would create a case of general and specific within one matter and closely related. According to our Sages regarding general and specific (klal u'prat), it would then be "a general followed by a specific," which means the general includes only what is in the specific; or "a specific followed by a general," which some say should be interpreted as limiting, expanding, and then limiting again; or "general-specific-general" or "specific-general-specific," where you only judge similar to the specific (see Nazir 35b). All these types limit the content of the blessing compared to when it is stated generally without any specifics or limitations.

As above, I am surprised that you suspected me of something for which there should have been no reason for such suspicion about me.

I conclude with a blessing for a good inscription and sealing, and may it be G‑d's will that you use your influence on your students and circles among our fellow Jews to instill in them a spirit of fear of Heaven as explained in Chassidus—the teachings of Chassidic philosophy.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that quoting one's teacher exactly preserves meaning and intent. In blessings, using general language avoids restricting their effect. Precision in speech is especially important during significant times, as guided by halachic sources.