6730 —המחנך בעקבתא דמשיחא: לקרב את הלבבות באהבת ישראל, אהבת התורה ואהבת ה'

B"H, 24 Adar I, 5719
Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter and pidyon nefesh^[1],

and at an auspicious time it will be read at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory^[2], for whatever you and the members of your household need.

And the merit of your involvement in your work, the work of Heaven^[3] – education in holiness and purity, which draws the hearts of the Jewish people close to our Father in Heaven – will stand you in good stead in all of the above,

and as our holy Torah, the Torah of life, commands, that "one ascends in holiness"^[4], you will surely add strength in this. This is also the demand and the necessity of the hour, of the "footsteps of Mashiach"^[5], the doubled and redoubled darkness^[6] of the time of exile, which demands increasing the light and the holiness many times over. This is expressed in the activities of every Jew in general, and of those who have been graced with the talent for education in particular: to draw the hearts of those they educate – through love of Israel, love of the Torah and love of G‑d, and as is known, the saying of the Alter Rebbe that they are one^[7] – close to the Holy One, blessed be He, His Torah and His mitzvos. And the more the love grows, in keeping with the Torah's directive that "its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace"^[8], then "as water reflects face to face"^[9], from one person to another, the hidden love which is our inheritance from our forefathers will also be revealed, as explained in the holy book of the Tanya^[10].

With blessings for success in your holy work and for good news^[11] in all of the above.

Publisher's notes

Printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 22, p. 369.

Notes

1. Pidyon nefesh (פ"נ): פ"נ = פדיון נפש, a note with a request for a blessing, read at the resting place of a tzaddik.

2. My father-in-law, the Rebbe, of sainted memory (כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע): הק' = הקדוש, "holy". כ"ק מו"ח אדמו"ר = כבוד קדושת מורי וחמי אדונינו מורנו ורבנו, the Previous Rebbe, R. Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn; זצוקללה"ה = זכר צדיק וקדוש לברכה לחיי העולם הבא; נבג"מ = נשמתו בגנזי מרומים; זי"ע = זכותו יגן עלינו. ב"ב = בני ביתו, "the members of your household".

3. The work of Heaven (מלאכת שמים): From the words of R. Yishmael to R. Meir, who was a scribe (Eruvin 13a): בני, הוי זהיר במלאכתך, שמלאכתך מלאכת שמים היא, "My son, be careful in your work, for your work is the work of Heaven." Here it is said of the work of education.

4. One ascends in holiness (מעלין בקדש): Berachos 28a: גמירי, מעלין בקדש, ואין מורידין, "We have a tradition: one ascends in holiness and does not descend." In matters of holiness one must always rise and add.

5. The "footsteps of Mashiach" (עקבתא דמשיחא): From the Mishnah, Sotah 49b: בעקבות משיחא, חוצפא יסגא, "In the footsteps of Mashiach, insolence will increase"; Rashi there: "at the end of the exile, before the coming of Mashiach".

6. Doubled and redoubled darkness (חשך כפול ומכופל): The language of the Tanya, chapter 36, on this world: והוא התחתון במדרגה, שאין תחתון למטה ממנו בענין הסתר אורו ית' וחשך כפול ומכופל, "It is the lowest in degree; there is none lower than it in terms of the concealment of His light, and doubled and redoubled darkness."

7. The saying of the Alter Rebbe that they are one (פתגם רבנו הזקן, שחד הן): See Hayom Yom, 6 Tishrei: ואהבת לרעך כמוך, כמו שאמר רבינו הזקן, אשר זהו כלי לואהבת את הוי' אלקיך, "'Love your fellow as yourself' – as the Alter Rebbe said, this is a vessel for 'You shall love G‑d your G‑d'." That the three "are one" recalls the Zohar (Parshas Acharei Mos): תלת דרגין אינון מתקשרן דא בדא, קודשא בריך הוא, אורייתא, וישראל, "There are three levels bound to one another: the Holy One, blessed be He, the Torah and Israel." Through the three loves the hearts of the students are drawn close to G‑d, His Torah and His mitzvos.

8. "Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace" (דרכי' דרכי נועם ונתיבותי' שלום): The verse about the Torah, Mishlei 3:17: דרכיה דרכי נעם וכל נתיבותיה שלום.

9. "As water reflects face to face" (כמים הפנים לפנים): Mishlei 27:19: כמים הפנים לפנים כן לב האדם לאדם, "As water reflects face to face, so is the heart of man to man." The Tanya, chapter 46, explains: just as the face a person shows in water is reflected back to him, so the heart of one who is faithful in his love for another arouses love toward him in the heart of the other.

10. The hidden love which is our inheritance from our forefathers (האהבה מסותרת אשר ירושה היא לנו מאבותינו): See the Tanya, chapter 18: אהבה מסותרת שבלב כללות ישראל, שהיא ירושה לנו מאבותינו, "the hidden love in the heart of all of Israel, which is our inheritance from our forefathers"; and chapter 44. The educator's love for his students arouses in them, "as water reflects face to face", the hidden love for G‑d in the heart of every Jew.

11. Good news (בשו"ט): בשו"ט = בשורות טובות.

Summary

Promising to read the recipient's pidyon nefesh at the Previous Rebbe's resting place, the Rebbe urges an educator to add strength in his holy work: the doubled darkness before Mashiach demands more light, and the educator draws his students close to G‑d, His Torah and His mitzvos through love of Israel, love of Torah and love of G‑d, which, "as water reflects face to face", awakens the hidden love in their hearts.