3503 —אחדות דתית ודחיפות חזית מאוחדת לבחירות לכנסת

B"H, 24 Iyar, 5715.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I received your letter from the 13th of Iyar in due course, and I am writing primarily regarding the matter at hand and its timely relevance, following our conversation about the united front. According to reports, there is only a very short window left in which it is still possible to unite lists. Given the importance of this matter—even though we have already discussed it and you know my position and reasoning—it is well known from our Sages that when action is required, one must repeat matters of this kind again. I will focus on one point, but an essential one in my view. Please forgive me if my words below are sharper than you are used to; certainly you understand that I have no intention whatsoever to offend anyone personally. The point is: everyone agrees—and all the more so party leaders—that the benefit of the many (the party) overrides individual benefit; from this it follows that the benefit of the broader public overrides that of any particular segment or party.

Regarding religious people—truly all Jews are believers, descendants of believers—the highest priority is religion itself. Just as a party demands its members temporarily set aside their own interests for the sake of the party (and promises that ultimately even individuals will benefit from this sacrifice), so too—and even more so—a party must be willing to forgo its own gains for the good of the general public; needless to say, an individual should do so as well. When it comes to supporting religion and fulfilling its requirements, since our faith is in our infinite G‑d and His Torah, any gain resulting from such sacrifice for religion is infinitely greater than what was given up.

To put it plainly: a religious person—or even a party calling itself religious—must consider first and foremost gains in matters of religion; only afterward should party gains be considered. Furthermore, it is impossible to mislead voters endlessly; there will certainly be those who highlight and emphasize the glaring contradiction between a religious party's platform and actions that clearly harm religion for highly questionable benefits to its members. This inevitably harms both the party and its people.

It goes without saying that we need not recall your memory of what happened during the last Knesset elections: those elections became a battlefield where one religious party waged a campaign of slander and insult against other religious parties without restraint—fulfilling in an exaggerated way what is written: "Those who destroy you and lay you waste shall come from among you."

All this applies when speaking face-to-face with a party leader. But according to my belief—based on what is explained at length in Chassidus and in the words of our Rebbe (Tanya end ch. 19)—when the faculty of wisdom in one's G‑dly soul begins to operate, then all opposing matters that conceal or obscure it become nullified as if they never existed at all—as it says: "Mountains melt like wax." This power is so strong that one can withstand tests even to self-sacrifice.

I am certain that if you reflect briefly—surely by all opinions—the failure to establish a united front leaves open at least some doubt about potential harm to matters of religion in Eretz Yisrael (about which it says: "The eyes of Hashem your G‑d are upon it from the beginning of the year until year's end"). You will conclude that even a doubt—or even a remote possibility—obligates (and merits) anyone able to act here to use their full influence for good.

It is understood that the yetzer hara does not stand idly by but provides each person with arguments tailored to his nature. In the words of my father-in-law quoting his father: "Sometimes [the yetzer hara] dresses up as a perfectly righteous person, humble with fine character traits." It may argue that forming a united front deceives people or contradicts truth; if this doesn't work, another argument arises: "Who am I? What am I? They won't listen to me; I can't protest," etc.—but none of these claims change reality. Only before Hashem Himself is it revealed whether someone truly could protest or not.

One directive from my father-in-law known colloquially as optimism—in Chassidus: bitachon (trust)—is that ultimately true good will triumph—not only regarding distant future or collective matters but also for individuals and soon.

Therefore—even if thoughts arise such as: since only days remain in which it's possible to form a united front; surely I'm not alone in raising this issue; everything above seems obvious—nonetheless: either circumstances themselves will lead to forming such a front or even if my letter does not help—I am still writing these lines because one should always see oneself as balanced against all humanity together.

I want to trust you that if special courage is needed now to change positions held for weeks, this will not be an obstacle on your part.

May it be Hashem's will that you seize this opportunity by using your full influence with utmost strength toward establishing a united front among all four parties.

Of course, everything above refers solely to forming a technical alliance for elections; anyone linking such an alliance with non-technical conditions relating beyond election day—even if justified one hundred percent—in practice cancels out any possibility from the outset rather than enabling it.

I hope—as our Sages say—that no one should be blamed due to their distress; please do not take offense at any possibly sharp expressions above. Thank you in advance if you inform me positively regarding this crucial point.

May my confidence be fulfilled—that true good and truth will prevail even among parties.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that unity among religious groups must override personal or partisan interests when vital issues like Torah observance are at stake. He urges immediate action despite obstacles or doubts, trusting firmly in ultimate victory for truth and goodness through determined effort.