5818 —התעוררות כח פנימי ופעולה

B"H, 3rd of Marcheshvan, 5718.

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter from the 28th of Tishrei, in which you write brief notes about the past Tishrei days. It is surprising that you are even briefer than extremely concise, and may it be G‑d's will that at least on the next occasion you will elaborate, from now on, and that matters will be detailed as necessary.

Regarding what you wrote about lacking vitality both in Nigleh and in Chassidus, there are two points here: (a) It is known what is brought in the Simchat Torah 5690 (1930) sichah section 21: 'Vas manst du ba mir? Man ba zich?' (What do you want from me? One must demand from oneself). It is understood that this answer was not given just to dismiss a request, G‑d forbid, nor to say 'I have saved my own soul,' but rather it is an empowerment. Also known is the parable from the Baal Shem Tov about the townspeople who relied on the strongman; when they later realized they could not depend on him, tremendous and wondrous strengths were awakened within them. The same applies in your case.

Indeed, one must say so because of the second point (quoted in Hayom Yom for the 23rd of Sivan): any contemplation that prevents good actions does not originate from a pure place. From this it is understood—and obvious—that anything which nullifies such contemplation comes as it says 'Velo'om milo'om ye'ematz' (One nation shall strengthen itself over another), it comes truly from good. It is a waste of time to dwell on such contemplation, aside from its hindrance to spreading the wellsprings. As known from our Rebbeim's saying: 'Behold, He stands behind our wall,' and soon days will come; in the words of my father-in-law, the Rebbe: then one will grasp their head—what precious time was let slip by during which so much could have been accomplished.'

Blessings for good news and regards to all his students.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that true inner strength emerges when we stop relying on others and take personal responsibility for our spiritual growth. Contemplation that hinders positive action should be dismissed; instead, one should focus on using every moment productively for good deeds.