2251 —על הספר נעים זמירות ישראל, תורה ותפלה, והקשר ביניהם

B"H, 28 Tishrei, 5714.

Brooklyn, NY.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"m baal middot oseik b'tzt"z baal meretz v'rav pe'alim etc. Yitzchak Gershtkron

Shalom u'Vrachah!

With pleasure I received your books Naim Zemirot Yisrael, the first three volumes, which are a collection of sayings of our Sages and commentaries on Tehillim. Thank you very much for this gift.

As is known, 'two rulers cannot govern' does not apply to a person's spiritual life: mind and heart, emotion and intellect correspond to this; thus a person's service to his Creator is also in two ways: through prayer and through Torah. Torah is our wisdom and understanding; prayer is service of the heart—as explained by our master the Alter Rebbe, author of Tanya and Shulchan Aruch: 'not with the earth but with the heart.'

In all this, just as in creation as a whole—since it comes from simple unity—it is unified and one to the extent that even in external matters an observant eye perceives the integration and inclusion of parts of creation with each other—so too, and all the more so, in a Jewish person and especially in matters of holiness where the light of Havayah is more revealed; it is even more apparent that every matter includes its counterpart.

This is also the secret behind what we find regarding some leniencies from Beit Shammai and stringencies from Beit Hillel: although Beit Shammai's soul-root is from the supernal left side so they usually judged strictly, nevertheless in some matters they were lenient because their soul-root also included right side qualities; likewise Beit Hillel's root included left side qualities.

Certainly this applies as well to those two general types of Divine service mentioned above: Torah study must be connected with heartfelt emotion—both during study (as our Sages say: 'Anyone who reads without melody or studies without song—the verse says: "And I also gave them statutes that were not good"')—and even before study; this is what Birkat HaTorah at the beginning is about—to feel its dearness so it becomes fixed in one's heart. And 'Torah without awe and love does not ascend above nor can it stand before Havayah.'

Similarly with prayer—even though it is service of the heart—before praying one must contemplate G‑d's greatness and man's lowliness etc.; during prayer one should think as if the Shechinah stands before him etc.; without such intention—it is not considered prayer.

Moreover, within prayer itself there are sections mainly connected to intellect: arranging G‑d's praises (Pesukei D'Zimrah), blessings of Shema etc.; while within Torah there are parts mainly connected to emotion—for example Sefer Tehillim (Psalms), praises to G‑d. Even here there is integration: contemplation on G‑d's greatness should lead to love and awe for Him; likewise 'prayer within Torah,' which as mentioned above refers especially to Sefer Tehillim—requires deep study with understanding.

The first two words in chapter Tzaddik (Psalm 90) hint at this idea: 'Tefillah l'Moshe'—the connection and attachment (of prayer and Moshe, since all Torah bears his name) should become united as one bond.

Your honor has merited bringing merit to many through these books—which besides their main purpose (reciting Tehillim with heartfelt emotion)—will encourage people to learn its best commentaries with understanding. Certainly the merit of many depends on you; may your strength increase to bring Jews closer together with their Father in Heaven through pure prayer and perfect Torah.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that both Torah study and prayer must be integrated—intellect joined with emotion—to serve G‑d fully. Each path enhances the other; true spiritual growth comes when learning inspires feeling, and feeling deepens understanding.