6444 —התרכזות בתחום עיקרי אחד תוך עידוד אחרים

B"H, 7 Menachem Av, 5718. Brooklyn.

Havavach iy"a nu"n involved in tzt"z mo"h Chaim Zusia.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to his letter from Rosh Chodesh Menachem, with the pan enclosed, that will be read at an auspicious time at the holy resting place of the Rebbe Rayatz, of blessed memory, in which he describes how he was involved in several matters and, for the time being, the results are not satisfying to him, etc.

The answer lies in his own words: he has been occupied with a great many matters, and consequently, one might say, he has not devoted sufficient attention even to a single one of them.

In normal times, it would have been sufficient for each person to have one principal occupation in material matters, and likewise one principal occupation in spiritual matters. It is, however, both understandable and obvious that in these unsettled times, in the period of the footsteps of Mashiach—as our Sages describe it—one cannot restrict oneself to a single area of spiritual activity, and the same is true with regard to earning a livelihood.

At the same time, it is clear that one must concentrate primarily on one particular undertaking. This is similar to the statement of our Sages, “In which mitzvah was your father especially careful?” That principal undertaking should receive the greater part of his attention, while his involvement in his other activities should be on the usual level, or even less than that.

[My intention is that, in those other areas, he should mainly inspire and encourage others, so that they will make those activities their own particular field of work. From time to time, he should urge them to increase their efforts and should repeat this demand many times—in the words of our Sages, even one hundred times—but he should not lose sight of his own principal occupation.]

Should he arrange his affairs in this manner, at least from now on, he will surely see success not only in his principal undertaking, but also in those matters in which his role is only to inspire, to urge, and to initiate.

May it be G‑d’s will that this take place very soon.

With blessings for good news,

M. Schneerson

P.S.

It is understood that, since the present situation is that he has already initiated a number of activities, and people therefore rely upon him, the intention of what was written above is not that he should immediately abandon all of those activities except for one or two. Were he to do so, there would be a serious concern that the other activities would cease altogether, since until now people have become accustomed to his carrying their burden.

Rather, in each of those other areas, he should bring in one or two individuals who are suited for that particular work, and impress upon them forcefully that they must take the responsibility upon their own shoulders, since his involvement in that particular activity detracts from his principal work.

It may be hoped that, within a relatively short time, he will find devoted communal activists for several of those fields, who will carry them forward in the same manner in which he has done until now, as explained above.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches the importance of prioritizing one's main mission while still inspiring others to take responsibility for additional tasks. By focusing efforts wisely and delegating appropriately, both personal success and communal growth can be achieved.