3657 —הערות על סיפורי חסידים, דיוק בסיפורים חסידיים, וייחוס מקורות

B"H, 21 Tammuz, 5715.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vaharaha"ch iy"a nu"n tznm"s etc. Moharshi

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the 15th of Tammuz. Thank you for the good news that the surgery for your son was successful; I will mention him at an auspicious time at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe zatzal, for a complete recovery. May things continue to go from good to even better.

It is surprising that you do not write about the content of the farbrengen on the days of redemption, especially regarding concrete resolutions. It is already known that idle talk is not only when one speaks of trivial matters; rather, when speech whose purpose is practical action remains only in words and does not leave a mark in actual deed.

With thanks I acknowledge receipt of the book Sipurei Chasidim. As is my custom and relying on our Sages' statement "Ato ana lo yadana d'shapir kamina...", I have added some notes in the margins. Please forgive me.

You surely received my letters in response to your previous correspondence, and I await good news as written therein.

With honor and blessing,
M. Schneersohn

P.S. General comments:

a) In our confused generation, clarifying matters and increasing precision is most beneficial. Even if at present or in this place its necessity is not so apparent, it may become clear elsewhere or at least in the near future. The same applies to collections of stories about Nesi'ei Yisrael throughout all times and places—it is important to note (in footnotes or at least at the end of the book) each story's source and especially its authority. If this applies to all Nesi'ei Yisrael, how much more so for leaders of Chasidut; inaccurate or sometimes fabricated stories with undesirable intent have caused great harm to spreading Chasidut and instilling its guidance and customs among broader circles.

Since it appears from the last lines of your book—and generally from two pages listing sources—and knowing your love of order, you have recorded each story's source in your notes; it would be worthwhile now to print a list of sources for each story—on separate leaves—thus correcting this matter significantly if not completely. Even better would be to add a few lines about the authority level of various collections and storytellers—as is known there are two extremes: those with utmost authority and those without; most fall somewhere between these extremes.

Of course it is possible to publish such a collection even if one does not know each story's authority since it reflects the spirit among Chasidim or similar circles—as known from the saying "If the story isn't true, it could have been true." But given your position among Anash (our community), people are likely to rely on your stories as if you checked them thoroughly—especially when printed in a book—so an explicit disclaimer is necessary.

b) Continuing from above—in general there are chasidic stories that arouse wonder, leading some listeners to conclude that certainly so-and-so (about whom the story is told) acted against halachah or at least contrary to accepted practice. This affects their overall attitude toward chasidic leaders and Chasidut itself—even though by making a small change in some expressions within the story all wonder would be removed. Since most stories have passed through many channels, certainly their wording is not always precise—especially when translated between languages.

I will bring two examples:

a) Story Sha”a p. 79ff: It contradicts everything about maggidim (preachers), leading many to conclude that those who used maggidim did not care or wish to strive in Torah study etc. Truthfully I too was long troubled by this until I heard a story from my father-in-law quoting tzt”z: In his youth Admor HaZaken wanted to give him Torah knowledge as a gift; he replied as in that story—that Torah must come through effort so he wished to learn himself—but later regretted not accepting it since he could have still labored deeply after receiving such knowledge as Torah has no limit; thus he could have had both broad knowledge and toil in Torah.

b) Story Shi”g: That Reb Meshulam Zusia instructed digging up a grave and searching there etc.—it is difficult to justify such an instruction according to Shulchan Aruch; but with a small change—that it was not necessarily inside but around or within four cubits—the wonder disappears entirely. Certainly over time people did not precisely report whether it was literally inside—as readers will interpret from your book.

Incidentally—in this story it says this matter is explicit in Yerushalmi; I am interested if you know its exact location. Thank you in advance.

* * *

Regarding money deposited for his eldest daughter’s benefit—it would be proper in my opinion to deposit it into a secure gemach fund for hachnasat kallah either in Eretz HaKodesh or here until she marries and needs it.

Are you involved with publishing manuscripts by Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin z”l? Perhaps—without hindering what was mentioned above—you could immediately publish his book Ohalei Yosef (which has been out of print for decades); publication by facsimile could be done quickly. It has just now been ninety years since his passing. Surely you can add a list of chapter headings: his life events, parents, yichus (lineage), manuscripts left behind, travels to Lubavitch etc.

Summary

The Rebbe stresses careful attribution and accuracy when publishing chasidic stories—especially about chasidic leaders—to prevent misunderstandings or harm. He encourages providing sources and clarifying authority levels so readers can properly appreciate both content and context.