2533 —המנהג נגד נתינת הסכמות לספרים בבית הרבי

B"H, 18 Adar II, 5714. Brooklyn.

Harav vavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z Moreinu Harav Yisrael Moshe Lipschitz

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter from the 3rd of Adar Sheni—for some reason my response was delayed until now—especially since at the end of your letter you also hinted at the content of my reply, which is: It is well known that the custom in the Rebbe’s home is not to write approbations for sefarim and booklets, and as our Sages say: Do not change the customs of your fathers.

Regarding this case—the sefer you are copying from—even though you did not mention its name or its author in your letter, it appears from the attached copied pages that it concerns his commentary on Torah by the author of Sefer Chorev. These books are well known and prominent among those circles to whom it seems your copying is directed.

May Hashem grant each one of us to fulfill our part and mission in refining and purifying the darkness of the world, illuminating it with a mitzvah-candle, Torah-light, and with the luminary within Torah—that is, the inner dimension of Torah.

I hope it is unnecessary to remind you of the absolute necessity in our times to establish fixed study sessions also in learning the inner dimension of Torah. This need applies even to those yirei shamayim from circles which in previous generations did not engage in this study. As is well known from the analogy: when darkness increases, one must increase both the quantity and quality of light.

With blessing, on behalf of my honored father-in-law, shlita.

Summary

The Rebbe explains that his family’s tradition is not to give approbations for sefarim and stresses maintaining ancestral customs. He urges everyone—regardless of background—to set regular times for studying Chassidus, especially when spiritual darkness grows.