5798 —קיום אידישקייט אמיתית בחיי היום יום

B"H, 27 Tishrei, 5718. Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from 10/17, in which you write that despite being in this country for fifty years and living in a small town, you have upheld Yiddishkeit and educated your children accordingly; that your lineage is from Lubavitchers, and one of your brothers is named after the Rebbe Maharash z"l of Lubavitch.

The conclusion from the above gives me hope that what you write about upholding Yiddishkeit means—unlike the mistake many make—that maintaining Yiddishkeit is not just supporting Jewish institutions and attending a temple or synagogue a few times a year. Even if they demand more from themselves than this, when it comes to their children, they consider this the maximum. Unfortunately, we have seen the destruction such an attitude has brought to hundreds of families.

But a Jew who emphasizes his Chassidic lineage surely invests in the word "Yiddishkeit" its true meaning: namely, daily life according to the instruction of our holy Torah—Torat Moshe—which he received from Har Sinai from Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Blessed be He), Who is the Master of all parts of the world, regardless if it was thousands of years ago or now or in future years. It is therefore understood that also the Torah which He gave took into account how America would look in our times, and yet He commanded us to fulfill all mitzvos written in the Torah—even as it says "BaAcharit HaYamim" (in the end of days). Fortunately, we see here too that those who truly want to carry out genuine Yiddishkeit—not only for themselves but also for their children—do so authentically and not in a falsified manner.

What I find necessary to add—according to the well-known saying of my father-in-law, my revered teacher and master, the Previous Rebbe zatzal—that it is never too late; and even if for whatever reasons last night was not as it should have been, teshuvah helps. A fitting way of life from now on will suffice. I look forward to hearing good news from you regarding all the above.

Blessings,
In the name of the Rebbe shlita,
Secretary

P.S. You also write thoughts about gilgulim (reincarnations)! Seeing as you have been fifty years in the jewelry line, you have surely studied this field for many years. I would be interested to know how many years you have studied the subject of gilgulim about which you express such a firm opinion—at a time when great sages of Israel like the Arizal, Reb Chaim Vital, the Alter Rebbe and also the Gaon of Vilna established their views on this matter which apparently does not find favor with you.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that authentic Yiddishkeit means living by Torah daily and educating one's children accordingly—not merely supporting institutions or occasional observance—and that sincere change is always possible through teshuvah.