3892 —מנין בבית הכנסת בערב, ושיעור בהלכות הצריכות

B"H, 19 MarCheshvan, 5716

Brooklyn.

The Rav and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, engaged in communal affairs, Reb Tzvi [Shusterman], may he live

Greetings and blessing!

After your very long silence, your letter of 17 Cheshvan was received, and in it too the reason for the silence is not to be found. Above all, even in this letter you do not mention how you made use of the days of the month of Tishrei, the month which comprises the entire year and is "sated with every good" (cf. Vayikra Rabbah 29:8), and a person must draw this good onto the other months of the year. Would that this is only a lack of writing and reporting, while all the matters were in fact done, and in full.

As to what you write, that there is no minyan in the shul in the evening: it would be worthwhile to make an effort to correct this. For it is not only a question of prayer with a congregation, but also of the permanence and stability of the shul, since the members (baalei batim), the neighbors, etc., need to know that the shul is open very frequently. Surely you know of the demand in earlier generations, and the aspiration, that the shul be open all day and all night, so that the whole neighborhood knows that when one has a few free minutes, one should dash into the "four cubits of prayer" and look into a sefer, etc. The greatness of this spiritually, and even in its influence on everyday life, we have seen and see plainly.

On the one hand, I was pleased with what you write about the various shiurim; but it is surprising that I do not find a shiur in the halachos needed in everyday life. As I have written to a number of Anash, ultimately זה כל האדם, את האלקים ירא ואת מצותיו שמור, "This is the whole of man: fear G‑d and keep His commandments" (cf. Koheles 12:13).

As to what you write about the subject of the Luminaries of Israel: surely you know that a number of articles on this subject have been published in the Shmuessen and in Talks [and Tales]...

Enclosed is the Kovetz Lubavitch, published recently. Surely you will make use of its contents to bring merit to the many, and "the merit of the many depends on you" (cf. Avos 5:18).

With blessing.

Publisher's notes

Reb Tzvi (מו"ה צבי שי'): Shusterman. Further letters to him: above, vol. 10, 3009, and the references in the notes there; below, 4034.

As I have written (וכמו שכתבתי): see above, vol. 11, letter 3515, and the references in the notes there; below, 3898, 4233, and in many places.