5816 —מבצע ארבעת המינים בזיכוי אחרים בד' המינים של כל אחד, והוצאת חוברת מכינוס ט"ו אלול

B"H, 2 MarCheshvan, 5718

Brooklyn.

To the Administration of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in the Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and established, Tel Aviv Branch, may G‑d be with them, may they live

Greetings and blessing!

I acknowledge receipt of the minutes of the meeting of 27 Elul and the report on your activities in the months of Elul and Tishrei, and I await the continuation of good news about your good activities. It is surprising that you write that you discussed where to obtain the Four Species needed for this campaign, for surely all those who took part in it have the Four Species, or their fathers and relatives do. The conduct of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, is already well known: he gave a great many people the opportunity to make the blessing over his esrog. And it is told of one of the tzaddikim (I believe from Poland) that he did so regularly. When they asked him, "But through the handling, the beauty (hadar) of the esrog is affected," he answered that there is no greater beauty than that a great many Jews should fulfill this lofty mitzvah with it. (And note Sukkah 35b, that only an esrog of pure terumah should not be taken, because one ruins it; consider this carefully.) And the rule of our Sages is well known, ניחא לי' לאינש דליתעבד מצוה בממונו "a person is pleased that a mitzvah be done with his property" (Pesachim 4b), for not even a minority of people feel otherwise, since בממון אין הולכין אחר הרוב "in monetary matters one does not follow the majority" (Bava Kamma 27b); and see the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, siman 4, at the beginning of se'if 9 (Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 14:9). And if this is so of all the mitzvos, how much more so of this mitzvah, whose theme is the unity of all Israel, which is what the Four Species allude to (Vayikra Rabbah 30:12), as is explained in many places, and at length in the discourses of Chassidus; and this is easy to understand.

It is understood that, as is my custom in other matters, I will, without a vow, urge Anash to take part in this campaign. Surely you will let me know what you have spent, and I will urge Anash to cover, from the special appeal, about a third of the expenses as they actually are.

If the speeches at the gathering of 15 Elul were recorded (at least their content), and surely there are also photographs of the gathering, it would be worthwhile to look into the possibility of publishing a booklet containing the above, together with some words of encouragement for Torah and its mitzvos and for spreading the wellsprings, after יפוצו מעינותיך חוצה "let your wellsprings be dispersed outward" (Mishlei 5:16; and the answer of Mashiach to the Baal Shem Tov, לכשיפוצו מעינותיך חוצה "when your wellsprings will be dispersed outward," in the Baal Shem Tov's well-known letter printed at the beginning of Keser Shem Tov). It would be right for everything to be ready, and even published, before the celebration of Yud-Tes Kislev, which comes upon us for good. Since some time is needed for proofreading and the like, it is worthwhile to look into this soon. The size of the booklet should not be limited in advance, for that depends on there being enough material to bring about the desired purpose, also with regard to practical action in the future and for the Chabad institutions in the Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and established.

You make no mention at all of a farbrengen in Kfar Chabad itself, apart from the farbrengen of Motzaei Simchas Torah. Surely the Kfar Chabad branch, and so on, will make up for this. For although spreading the wellsprings outward is a great thing, of this too it is said, ומבשרך לא תתעלם "and do not hide yourself from your own flesh" (Yeshayahu 58:7); in addition to the point that even Zeir Anpin is called "outside."

See also the Reshimos of the Tzemach Tzedek on Eichah, p. 21.

With blessing for success, awaiting good news in all the above.

The minutes of 29 Tammuz and 5 Elul were received in their time.

Summary

This letter tells a Chabad youth organization that it need not hunt for sets of the Four Species for its campaign: every participant can let others bless over his own set, as the Previous Rebbe did, since a mitzvah done by many with one's property is the greatest beauty and the Four Species stand for the unity of all Israel. It also urges a booklet from the 15 Elul gathering before Yud-Tes Kislev, and farbrengens in Kfar Chabad itself, for "do not hide yourself from your own flesh."