2658 —עבודה בחריצות והבאת יהודים קרוב לה' הוא שכרך

B"H, 16 Iyar, 5714. Brooklyn.

Havavach iy"a nu"n etc. Dan HaKohen

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Your letter from the 11th of Iyar was received, and as you requested, I will mention all those you wrote about when I am at the holy resting place of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe zatzal, at an auspicious time.

It is surprising that you do not mention in your letter whether you are writing on their behalf as their emissary—regarding our Sages' statement that a person's emissary is like himself—or if you are writing on your own initiative out of Ahavas Yisrael, which is a great principle in Torah. As our master, the Baal HaTanya—the halachic authority in the hidden aspect of Torah—and the Shulchan Aruch—the halachic authority in the revealed aspect—state: this is a vessel for 'Ve'ahavta es Hashem Elokecha' (You shall love Hashem your G‑d), and the mitzvah of loving Hashem is the root for fulfilling all positive commandments; within it is also included fear of Hashem, which is the root for fulfilling all prohibitive commandments. Thus, Ahavas Hashem is the root of all mitzvos in general.

Certainly, when you receive good news regarding those mentioned in your letter, you will inform me—thank you.

Regarding your question at the end of your letter about compensation: The reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself. For all of the above, you should strengthen your efforts to bring Jewish men and women closer to our Father in Heaven through positive influence and Ahavas Yisrael. When you do this with proper dedication and effort, you will surely succeed—and this will be my reward.

Surely you have set times to study even the inner dimension of Torah. Since we are now connected through correspondence, I trust that you will establish a regular study session in Chabad texts beginning with Sefer HaTanya HaKadosha.

Blessings,
In the name of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita
Secretary

P.S. In your letter you mention that those about whom you write are in the city of Jerba; surely you mean Cherba and its community there. I am interested to know everything about learning inner Torah there—whether it takes place and how it is conducted.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that working diligently to bring fellow Jews closer to Hashem is itself a great reward. He emphasizes Ahavas Yisrael as foundational to all mitzvos and encourages regular study of Chabad teachings alongside outreach efforts.