Inspired to Strengthen Jewish Commitment

Holy letters of the Rebbe, Volume 15, letter number 5,441. Boruch Hashem, the 11th day of Iyar, 5717, Brooklyn. To the honorable Mr. Yitzchak Yeshaya Khaskin, peace and blessings.

The Rebbe writes that it had been some time that he intended to write to him, but because of many preoccupations he had not yet had the opportunity to do so.

The Rebbe says that he wishes to express his pleasure from the writer’s visit when he was there, and from the opportunity to become acquainted with him face to face. Especially pleasing to the Rebbe was hearing from him that there had been a positive change in attitudes toward matters of religion, and that he was using his influence in this area to the fullest extent possible.

The Rebbe adds that it was especially meaningful to hear that regarding the future, the writer had plans and opportunities to do even more and to continue increasing in these matters.

The Rebbe blesses him that Hashem should help him fulfill the desires of his heart as soon as possible. Since he seeks to help and to strengthen matters of Yiddishkeit, the Rebbe says that the merit of the many who benefit from his support of religious matters and of our Torah, the living Torah, stands by him and supports his success.

This merit will help not only in communal matters, but also in his personal affairs.

The Rebbe continues that especially the merit of his forefathers also stands by him, because as he had related during the visit, he comes from a lineage of rabbis and Chassidim. Therefore, he possesses the support and spiritual merit of those from whom he descends.

The Rebbe explains further that based on a concept they had discussed, even a physical object does not entirely disappear. It may change form, but it is not lost. How much more so this is true regarding spiritual matters. Spiritual qualities and influences do not vanish. The only question is to what degree they are active and revealed.

Therefore, the noble qualities, holiness, and dedication possessed by his ancestors certainly remain. Their spiritual influence has not been lost. The question is only how strongly those qualities are expressed.

The Rebbe writes that he is confident the writer inherited from his fathers the traits of devotion to all that is holy among the Jewish people, following the eternal Jewish tradition passed from generation to generation since the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

The Rebbe blesses him that he should go from strength to strength in revealing this dedication to holiness and to the needs of the Jewish people in an ever-increasing measure.

The Rebbe then adds that based on the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that everything occurs through Divine Providence, it was certainly no coincidence that their first meeting took place on the eve of the seventh day of Pesach, the time associated with the splitting of the sea.

The special lesson of that day is to strengthen every Jew not to be intimidated by obstacles or barriers, whether physical or spiritual. Just as the Jewish people stood before the sea with no visible path forward, yet moved ahead with faith until the sea split before them, so too in every generation one must not be deterred by difficulties.

A Jew moves forward with courage and trust, and the path opens.

The Rebbe’s message is that the writer already possesses within himself the strengths of his lineage, the merit of good deeds, and the power of faith. These qualities now need only to be revealed and expanded for the benefit of himself and the entire Jewish community.

Summary – The Rebbe teaches that spiritual greatness is never lost. The strengths inherited from one’s ancestors remain alive within a person, waiting to be expressed. With faith, courage, and dedication, hidden potential becomes revealed blessing.