6545 —ניצול ההצלחה הניתנת מלמעלה, ולבשר גם בשורות טובות ולא רק צרות

B"H, 9th of Marcheshvan, 5719

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter of the third day of the week, the day on which כי טוב "that it was good" was said twice (Rashi on Bereishis 1:7), and in it an outline of your holy activities in the Yeshivah Achei Temimim under your direction, and also regarding the classes before which you speak on matters of Torah and mitzvos,

May it be G‑d's will that you bring good news of them, that they keep growing; for even after the increase there will still be room להתגדר "to grow" (cf. Chullin 7a) tomorrow and the day after. And as I said long ago: if only Anash, our fellow Chassidim, would utilize the success given them from Above, the state of affairs, both general and particular, would be altogether, utterly different for the better. Understandably, my intention is not to cry out over the past, but to rouse them at least regarding the present and the future. Moreover, according to the saying of our Sages at the end of Kesubos (Kesubos 112a), the affairs of the Jewish people (who are all included in the concept and the name of Eretz Yisrael) are like the deer, whose skin grows to fit its flesh (see there; the Rebbe gives the sense of the passage, not its wording). Thus, by utilizing the influence now coming from Above, still more success upon success will be added from Above; and success in general matters brings success in personal matters too, as is easily understood.

Many thanks for the good news of the improved health of those you write about, who were mentioned at the holy resting place of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, of saintly memory, whose soul rests in the hidden heights of heaven, may his merit shield us, Nasi of Israel. May it be G‑d's will that their condition keep improving until they return לאיתנם "to their full strength" (cf. Shemos 14:27, with Rashi). May G‑d, blessed be He, grant you success in bringing good news of all those around you, in good that is visible and revealed; and may you also rouse the rest of Anash to report the improvement and the good too, and not only when, G‑d forbid, may it not befall us, may it not befall us, something untoward has happened; for then, in the phrase of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, one becomes, Heaven save us, a "Chassid of troubles." On the contrary, let them bring news of joyous events and be "Chassidim of good things." Moreover, may the joy be abundant and the good be abundant, as in the doubled expression of the verse, בשמחה ובטוב לבב "with joy and with gladness of heart" (Devarim 28:47).

With blessings for good news in all the above.

Publisher's notes

Chassidim of troubles (צרות חסידים): See also above, vol. 10, letter 3264, and the sources noted there.

Summary

This letter urges a yeshivah director to keep growing and to make full use of the success granted from Above, since success in communal matters brings success in personal ones; it asks that Chassidim report good news and joyous events, not only troubles, so that joy and good increase.