6795 —ציור השער של "שיחות לנוער": לוחות הברית, כדור הארץ ושלשת העמודים

B"H, 4 Nissan, 5719
Brooklyn.

Mr. M. Ben-Uri, may he live long

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I read with interest your letter of Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan^[1], following up on our conversation during your visit.

You dwell in particular on the cover illustration of Sichos LaNoar^[2], published by Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch (the Center for Educational Affairs)^[3], and criticize it on three points:

a) the position and manner of the drawing of the two Tablets of the Covenant; b) the position and manner of the drawing of the globe; c) the "drawing" of the saying of our Sages, "On three things the world stands – Torah, service and acts of kindness"^[4], by means of three pillars; and you ask for my comments on the above.

Let me first make a point which is surely understood by you as well^[5]: this cover has already been published for eighteen years, wherever the monthly reaches – that is, in the United States, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Diaspora^[6] – with the widest circulation. This compels one to favor keeping the cover in the future too, unless there are compelling reasons to the contrary that rule out entirely its design as it has been until now.

And now my comments on the first point first^[7], on what you remarked in your letter:

a) When it was decided to publish^[8] the monthly, the inner purpose was of course to strengthen Judaism and to instill it in the hearts of the youth by all possible means – which includes not only reading what is written, but also the first glance at the cover of the monthly. In this there are two points:

that Judaism and its expression in practice, that is, the Torah and the mitzvah, are the most sublime and most exalted matters in creation; and, at the other end, that nothing and no existence in the world is possible unless it is founded on the Torah and the mitzvah.

The symbol – with the greatest clarity – of the Torah and the mitzvah is, of course, the two Tablets of the Covenant, which are known even to those who have received no Jewish education whatsoever; for the monthly is addressed to them too.

The drawing emphasizes that this is above the earth and even above the heavens. These are hard to symbolize clearly except by clouds; therefore the place of the two Tablets is above the clouds, and above them is only the Creator, blessed be He^[9], who on the cover is alluded to by the letters "B"H." Below them is the globe; and since the Giving of the Torah was at Mount Sinai, the globe is drawn so that a straight line from those letters, through the two Tablets, reaches, approximately^[10], that area.

For this purpose the three elements were placed on a diagonal, and not one beneath the other; for then the globe would have had to be drawn in a way to which the youth are not at all accustomed, that is, with east at the top and west at the bottom^[11]. And, as said, the intention of the cover is that whoever sees it should need no explanation beyond what his eyes see.

There is another reason for this: then only part of the inhabited countries would have appeared on the cover, whereas the intention is to emphasize that the Torah is in force in each and every place.

For the same reason, it is understood that the Tablets were not placed upright, but tilted a little to the side, since the earth had to be below them and the Tablets below the letters.

b) In your comment on the drawing of the globe standing on three pillars, you ask that this needs further explanation: on what do the pillars stand, etc.

Now, your comment clearly concerns the words of the Mishnah, since the cover presents – in a drawing – the words of the Mishnah in their plain sense. In truth, in the Mishnah too this explanation is not needed, for everyone understands that Torah, service and acts of kindness are not physical pillars but a spiritual concept (even though it is expressed in the actual deeds of man's hands), and everyone knows that the Torah stands upon and comes from the Giver of the Torah; this requires no explanation. So too the Mishnah uses the expression "the world stands," which applies also to a physical thing standing on a physical pillar, although it means the spiritual and inner sense of it, and is not concerned about any error in this. This is also evident from the fact that among the commentators on the Mishnah – who are very many, especially on tractate Avos – not one raises the question of what the pillars stand on. In the drawing on the cover as well, to make the distinction, in my opinion there is no room at all for error in this.

As to your suggestion to replace this drawing with the three dimensions of length, breadth and depth (coordinates), each of which would symbolize one of the three pillars in the Mishnah^[12]:

Apart from the fact that dimensions can be taken in several ways – not only as length, breadth and depth, but also as spherical dimensions, etc., provided that there are three independent of one another, as explained at length in geometry; and moreover, for several purposes more must be added to them, not only a fourth dimension, time, but more besides, as is discussed^[13] in mathematics – the whole point of dimensions is that the thing to be measured is found within them, that is, that they fix its place, limit it and measure it, and not that they are above it, etc.

Of course, all this comes as a side remark, in addition to the main point: that in general there is no place for the above on the cover of a monthly for youth, which has several kinds of readers as regards knowledge of the natural sciences, most of whom would surely not understand such a drawing at all – even those in high schools, and all the more so^[14] those below them. And, as said, the intention and purpose of a matter conveyed by a drawing is that it should need no explanation beyond the drawing; otherwise it is defective and lacking.

In keeping with the principle of our Sages, "love at its end"^[15], I hope you will not take offense at these comments; they came only to clarify the matter, and not by way of a challenge, etc.

With respect and with blessings for a kosher and joyous Pesach.

Publisher's notes

Printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 11, p. 257, and completed from the secretariat's copy.

Notes

1. Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan (ער"ח ניסן): ער"ח = ערב ראש חודש: 29 Adar II, Wednesday, 8 April 1959. This letter was written on Sunday, 4 Nissan, 12 April.

2. Sichos LaNoar (השיחות לנוער): The Hebrew monthly for youth, whose first booklet appeared in Eretz Yisrael in 5716; as the Rebbe wrote (vol. 13, letter 4689, 5 Elul 5716): "I acknowledge with thanks receipt of the first booklet of Sichos LaNoar... May it be a good beginning to conquer the literature in the Holy Land, and especially the literature for youth." Its cover is the cover common to all its editions in the different languages; as the Rebbe wrote (vol. 16, letter 6075, 24 Shevat 5718): "As for the cover of the Sichos, I mean the illustrations and their manner, it must be as it is in the Shmuessen and the Talks, and also in their French edition, in order to emphasize the unity of all these editions" – that is, the cover of the Yiddish Shmuessen and the English Talks (Talks and Tales). Hence the Rebbe writes below that the cover "has already been published for eighteen years, wherever the monthly reaches."

3. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch (המל"ח): המו"ל = המוציא לאור, "published by"; המל"ח = מרכז לעניני חינוך, as spelled out in the text.

4. On three things the world stands (על שלושה דברים העולם עומד): The words of Shimon HaTzaddik in Avos 1:2: על שלשה דברים העולם עומד, על התורה ועל העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים, "On three things the world stands: on the Torah, on the service, and on acts of kindness." רז"ל = רבותינו זכרונם לברכה; גמ"ח = גמילות חסדים.

5. By you (לכ'): לכ' = לכבודו, "to your honor."

6. In the United States, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Diaspora (בארצוה"ב בארץ ובתפוצות): ז.א. = זאת אומרת; בארצוה"ב = בארצות הברית; בארץ = in Eretz Yisrael.

7. On the first point first (על ראשון ראשון): After the Mishnah in Avos 5:7, among the seven traits of a wise man: ואומר על ראשון ראשון ועל אחרון אחרון, "he speaks of the first point first and of the last point last."

8. To publish (להו"ל): להו"ל = להוציא לאור.

9. Blessed be He (ית'): ית' = יתברך.

10. Approximately (לפ"ע): לפ"ע = לפי ערך.

11. With east at the top and west at the bottom (מזרח למעלה ומערב למטה): Had the three elements been placed one beneath the other, the drawing of the globe would have had to be turned so that east is at the top, unlike the maps young people are used to, with north at the top.

12. The three dimensions... (coordinates) (שלשת הממדים... (coordinates)): The recipient proposed drawing, instead of the three pillars, the three axes of length, breadth and depth, each symbolizing one of the three things in the Mishnah: Torah, service and acts of kindness. The Rebbe answers: (a) a system of dimensions can be chosen in several ways (also "spherical"), and a fourth dimension and more can be added; (b) dimensions serve to fix and limit the place of the thing measured, not to stand "above it" – while the Torah and the mitzvos are above the world; (c) above all, most of the readers, young people, would not understand such a drawing.

13. As is discussed (וכהשקו"ט): השקו"ט = השקלא וטריא, "the give-and-take." חכמת ההנדסה = geometry; חכמת החשבון = mathematics.

14. High schools... all the more so (בתי"ס... עאכו"כ): בתי"ס = בתי ספר; עאכו"כ = על אחת כמה וכמה.

15. "Love at its end" (את והב בסופה): After Kiddushin 30b: אפי' האב ובנו, הרב ותלמידו, שעוסקין בתורה בשער אחד – נעשים אויבים זה את זה, ואינם זזים משם עד שנעשים אוהבים זה את זה, שנאמר: את והב בסופה – אל תקרי בסופה אלא בסופה, "Even a father and his son, a teacher and his student, who engage in Torah in one gate become enemies of each other; and they do not move from there until they become beloved to each other, as it says, 'es vahev besufah' (Bamidbar 21:14) – do not read besufah (in a storm) but besofah (at its end)." Love comes at the end of a dispute in words of Torah. חז"ל = חכמינו זכרונם לברכה.

Summary

Answering a visitor's critique of the cover of Sichos LaNoar, the Rebbe explains that the cover, common to all editions of the monthly for eighteen years, must speak to every child at a glance: the Tablets above the clouds beneath "B"H," with a line through them to Sinai on the globe, set diagonally for familiarity and universality. He rejects the proposed coordinate axes as unclear to youth and conceptually unfit.