2392 —להשפיע באופן יזום על אחרים כלפי אידישקייט

B"H, 6 Shevat, 5714.

Brooklyn.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"n engaged in tzt"z Moreinu HaRav David Tennenhaus

Shalom u'Vrachah!

You already know my opinion, that in the current time (and perhaps always), one should not wait until someone comes requesting Yiddishkeit. Rather, one must go to the other person and awaken within him an appetite for Yiddishkeit. In a lighthearted way, we can say about this, as it is written: 'VeHalachta BiDrachav' ("And you shall walk in His ways")—just as the Holy One, blessed be He... So too, the Holy One came first—before everyone—to Mount Sinai and waited for the Jews, who were still sleeping at that time, as told in the Midrashim of our Sages.

And when one properly contemplates the saying of our Sages: 'Yoter mimah shehaBa'al HaBayit oseh im ha'ani, ha'ani oseh im Ba'al HaBayit' ("More than what the host does for the poor person, the poor person does for the host")—and this is true both materially and spiritually—one sees that a businessman does not sit alone in his room waiting until someone comes to him and says: 'You need a livelihood; I can help you with this.' There is no need to elaborate further.

Enclosed is the maamar which was said years ago on the yahrzeit of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe zatzal. Surely you will act generously and merit others with it as well.

With blessing.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that we must actively reach out to inspire others toward Yiddishkeit rather than waiting for them to ask. By taking initiative and sharing inspiration generously, we fulfill our role both materially and spiritually.