3118 —הפצת תורת י"ט כסלו, חומרות מקוה, ומהדרין דחנוכה

B"H, 18th of Kislev, 5715.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b-tzt"z Moreinu HaRav Hillel Madlia

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In these auspicious days of the month of Kislev—the month of redemption, the third from Tishrei in which the world was created—I am enclosing a booklet for Yud Tes Kislev. Surely you will merit to share its content with the public, for in truth its relevance is year-round. If throughout the year our Sages say 'Ani yeshena b'galuta v'libi er l'HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'Torato u'Mitzvotav' (I am asleep in exile but my heart is awake to G‑d for His Torah and mitzvos), how much more so in these special days: when one opens—even as much as the eye of a needle—through proper effort in a Jewish person, G‑d opens as wide as a great hall. Chassidus explains that a hall had no doors and was always open; one only needed to make an effort to enter the courtyard. Even between the Courtyard of Israel and that of the Kohanim there was no separating wall—though one had to ascend steps from one to another. The lesson is clear.

With blessings for the Festival of Redemption.

P.S. In your last letter you wrote to the Secretariat that your local mikveh's kashrus is achieved by a single pit (bor) of rainwater. Surely you know that in recent years it has become customary to make two pits—in addition to the immersion area itself. It is already known that with mikvaos we strive to fulfill the vast majority of opinions on this matter. The same applies regarding Chanukah: as explained by several later authorities, they could have lit the Menorah with other oils found in the Heichal since impurity is set aside for communal needs; but G‑d wished to show His love for Israel by enabling them to perform the mitzvah in its most optimal form (and perhaps this is why specifically with Chanukah there is an emphasis on 'mehadrin min hamehadrin'). The same applies regarding purity overall: one should strive for excellence as above.

From this we also understand allusively what is stated at the end of Rambam's laws of Mikvaos—that this parallels corrupt views versus upright views: here too one should strive for excellence up to being 'mehadrin min hamehadrin,' meaning learning Nigleh (the revealed part) of Torah, learning Razin d'Oraysa (the secrets), and learning Raza d'Razin d'Oraysa (the secrets within secrets). Chassidus explains that since Torah is likened to a husband's obligation—G‑d—to his wife—Knesses Yisrael—there are three aspects: She'arah (her sustenance), which refers to Nigleh d'Torah where one grasps and internalizes it ('Your Torah within my innards'—see Tanya ch. 4); Kesusah (her clothing), which refers to Razin—the level of garment since it does not fully enter and become absorbed; on the contrary, the concept surrounds one's intellect. And Onasah refers to Raza d'Razin—as our Sages say 'one does not expound... except individually,' and further explanation is beyond our scope here.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches us to spread chassidic teachings widely, pursue stringency and beauty in mitzvah observance such as mikveh construction and Chanukah lights, and continually seek deeper understanding in Torah—striving always for excellence both practically and spiritually.