3381 —לקח ממתן מעות חטים ותחילת הסדר בעזרה לאחרים

B"H, 1st of Nissan, 5715.

Brooklyn.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z Moreinu HaRav Moshe HaKohen

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your lines, in which you write about yourself and your wife, may she live. I will mention you both at an auspicious time at the holy resting place of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, of blessed memory, for all that you need both materially and spiritually.

Your heartfelt donation, since it arrived in the days before Pesach, was given to matters relevant to this time—Kimcha D'Pischa (Maot Chitim).

It is well known the saying of the Baal Shem Tov, which we have heard many times from my revered father-in-law, that from everything one must learn a lesson in serving one's Creator—for this is the purpose of creation—as our sages say at the end of Kiddushin: "I was created only to serve my Creator." How much more so must we learn from matters of Torah and mitzvos.

In our case, the custom of Israel is Torah; it is brought in early sources that before Pesach funds are collected for Kimcha D'Pischa—meaning assistance for the needy. This is also the introduction to the Seder, as in the Haggadah text which begins with "Kol Dichfin Yeitei Veyochol" (whoever is hungry, let him come and eat).

The special lesson and emphasis here is that all Jews are responsible for one another both materially and spiritually. A person cannot be truly free or act in a manner of freedom during Pesach—as Torah demands by calling this time "the season of our freedom," especially during the Seder—unless he does all he can so that his fellow Jew is also free and released from worries. In fact, one must prioritize helping his fellow even before beginning his own celebration of freedom. Therefore, preceding our celebration of "the season of our freedom" is Maot Chitim (charity for Pesach needs), and specifically before starting the Seder comes the announcement: "Kol Dichfin Yeitei Veyochol."

From this we also learn regarding soul and body: The soul cannot be truly free—a servant only to G‑d and not to Pharaoh—unless it also liberates the body so that it too serves G‑d alone. This is taught by the Baal Shem Tov’s well-known teaching on "Ki Tireh Chamor" (when you see a donkey): When you look deeply at your material self—the body—you see it as an enemy to your soul yearning for G‑dliness and spirituality; you also see it as "lying under its burden," meaning G‑d has given it a mission to be refined through Torah and mitzvos but it resists fulfilling them. You might think "and you refrain from helping him," believing perhaps asceticism will fulfill your mission. But this is not how Torah’s light dwells; rather: "You shall surely help along with him"—refine and purify the body together with it, not by breaking it through asceticism.

Blessings for a kosher and joyous Pesach.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that true freedom on Pesach comes when we help others achieve their own freedom—both physically through charity like Maot Chitim and spiritually by uplifting those around us. This lesson extends to refining our own bodies alongside our souls.