3113 —הולדת בן, הפצת חסידות, ואחריות הלומדים

B"H, 17 Kislev, 5715.

Brooklyn.

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

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After your long silence, I was pleased to receive your letter from the first day of Vayishlach with good news about the birth of your son—mazal tov—and that his name in Israel is Yosef. May it be the will of Hashem that just as you brought him into the covenant, so too may you and your wife bring him to Torah, marriage, and good deeds.

With blessings for mazal tov.

P.S. It is surprising that even in this letter you do not mention your activities in your environment to spread the message of Ner Mitzvah (the candle of mitzvah) and Torah Or (the light of Torah), and especially the light within Torah—namely Toras HaChassidus (the teachings of Chassidus), its guidance and customs. There is a special obligation in this regard for those who have engaged in secular studies, as stated by our master the Alter Rebbe, author of Tanya Kadisha—the halachic authority in the hidden aspects of Torah—and Shulchan Aruch—the halachic authority in the revealed aspects—in his book Tanya Kadisha at the end of chapter 8. This is also based on our sages' ruling: "A vessel used with cold can be rinsed with cold; one used with fire must be purged with fire."

I was pleased to hear that you participate in the minyan of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad. May their numbers increase both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Summary

The Rebbe encourages celebrating milestones with gratitude but also reminds us that those who have studied secular subjects bear a special responsibility to actively spread Chassidus and its practices within their communities.