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

B"H, 28th of Tishrei, 5714.

Brooklyn, NY.

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

Shalom u'Vrachah!

With pleasure I received your books Na'im Zemiros Yisrael, the first three volumes, which are a collection of sayings from our Sages and commentaries on Tehillim. Many thanks for this gift.

As is known, there are not two rulers in a person's spiritual life: mind and heart; emotion and intellect complement each other. Thus, a person's service to his Creator is also in two ways: through prayer and through Torah study. 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 stems from simple unity, it is unified and harmonious to the extent that even externally one who contemplates can see the interconnection of all parts of creation. So too—and all the more so—in a Jewish person and especially in matters of holiness where the light of Hashem is revealed more openly, it is even more apparent that every aspect includes its counterpart.

This is also the secret behind why we find some leniencies from Beit Shammai and stringencies from Beit Hillel: Even though Beit Shammai's soul-root is from the higher left side (severity) so they usually ruled strictly, nevertheless in some matters they were lenient because their root also includes right (kindness), just as Beit Hillel's root includes left.

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

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., and during prayer think as if the Shechinah stands before him etc.; without such intention—it is not considered prayer.

Moreover, within prayer itself there are parts mainly connected to intellect: arranging G‑d's praises (Pesukei D'Zimra), blessings of Shema etc.; while in Torah there are parts mainly connected to emotion—for example Sefer Tehillim (Psalms), songs and praises to Hashem.

And even here there is inter-inclusion: thought, contemplation, and knowledge about G‑d's greatness must lead to love for Him and awe; while prayer within Torah—as mentioned above regarding Tehillim—requires deep study with understanding.

The first two words in Psalm 90 (Tzaddik section) hint at this idea: "Tefillah l'Moshe"—the connection and attachment (of prayer with Moshe [Torah], since all Torah is called by his name) should be united together as one bond.

Your honor has merited bringing merit to many through your books mentioned above—which besides their main purpose (reciting Tehillim with heartfelt emotion and outpouring of soul), people will also learn them with commentary for deeper understanding. Surely merit for 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 require an integration of intellect and emotion. True connection comes when learning inspires heartfelt feeling, while prayer involves thoughtful contemplation—thus uniting mind and heart in serving Hashem.