4090 —הכרת תודה על הברכות והכרת טובת ה'

B"H, 4th of Shevat, 5716. Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the month of Kislev, the month of redemption, in which you write about your current situation and also that throughout your entire life you have not seen any good, and you request a blessing for yourself, your wife, and your children.

It seems you do not sense the contradiction in your own letter. For a person whom the Creator of the world has granted a wife and blessed with children—may they live long—to say he has never seen good in his life is an alarming level of ingratitude.

Certainly these words will not affect, G‑d forbid, the blessings that Hashem has bestowed upon you until now. However, for these blessings to continue and increase, this should not be a reason to persist in ingratitude.

There are hundreds and thousands of people who pray every single day to be blessed with children; they would give everything they have for even one son or daughter—and yet they have not merited this. May Hashem bless them soon with the fulfillment of their heart's desires for good. And here you have received this blessing—apparently without even extra prayer on the matter—yet you do not recognize the wealth and happiness in this and repeat in your letter as above!

You further conclude that you do not believe, G‑d forbid, that help will come from Above because it was decreed that all your days will be poor and destitute! It is clear I do not mean to say that one's livelihood should be limited or health should be weak, etc.—rather I wish to point out that perhaps this is the reason for weakness in health or lack of abundance in livelihood: because you do not recognize at all Hashem's blessing in something even more essential than perfect health or ample livelihood—the blessing of sons and daughters who walk in the way of Hashem.

When one does not recognize the revealed good given from Above—especially when this lack of recognition is so extreme as to express itself in such harsh words as in your letter—is it any wonder if from Above further blessings are withheld?

I hope that these few lines will suffice to open your eyes to see reality as it truly is. When you begin serving Hashem with genuine inner joy, certainly Hashem's blessing will also increase regarding health and livelihood—as is clear from many sources including Zohar II 184b.

Certainly you have regular study sessions in both Nigleh (revealed Torah) and Chassidus; at least make sure to do so from now on. It is also appropriate to check your tefillin as well as the mezuzos in your home. Every weekday before morning prayers set aside some coins for tzedakah.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that recognizing G‑d's blessings—especially family—is vital for continued goodness. Ingratitude can block further blessing. Serving Hashem with joy and practical mitzvos like Torah study, checking tefillin/mezuzos, and giving tzedakah brings increased health and prosperity.