6097 —קדושת השבת בפרהסיא ועניני הספנות הישראלית

B"H, 7 Adar, 5718. Brooklyn.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"n engaged in tzt"z Mohe Shmuel Elazar Shaulzon

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter from the 26th of Shevat, and at an auspicious time I will mention all those you wrote about at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe zatzukal l'h nbg"m zya"a, each one for what they need according to the content of your letter...

Regarding what you wrote about the agreement concerning Israeli ships: Even though generally one should not express an opinion without absolute information, from what appears in a newspaper excerpt it is questionable whether this is a correction or the opposite. It is clear that traveling itself—not just docking—is forbidden because it involves Torah-level labors, etc., and this is public desecration of Shabbat from the Torah. The wine and bread of such a situation, etc., as explained in Shulchan Aruch—what use is a supervisor? Moreover, having a supervisor approved by a rabbi may even worsen things. I await clearer information.

May it be G‑d's will that people finally recognize that the name 'Holy Land,' which has been affirmed and accepted even by non-Jews, does not refer to the past—similar to the claim these days that "their G‑d is asleep" (also meaning old or dormant)—but rather that these matters are eternal and stand strong in daily life. Therefore, wherever Jewish authority is strong—or at least where non-Jewish authority is not—Torah matters apply with full force. If our sages said that Shabbat equals all of Torah (Yerushalmi Nedarim 3:9), then their words must be taken literally with all their consequences.

It is distressing to speak about such alarming matters; what is most troubling is that no one pays attention to fixing the issue or even making the halachic ruling clear. If at least there were clarity on the ruling, there would be no room for deception and things would become clarified and resolved—are you with us or not? May it be G‑d's will that just as in those days at this time many from among the nations became Jews, so too now may it become evident that our religion is different from every other nation—not just intellectually or privately but in practical life and openly.

With blessing.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that public observance of Shabbat reflects core Jewish identity and Torah's eternal relevance. He urges communal clarity on halachic standards and emphasizes that Jewish law must guide public life in Eretz Yisrael without compromise or ambiguity.