6811 —קירוב נשים חדשות לנשי ובנות חב"ד: לוותר על הברוגז לשם קדושת שמו ית'

B"H, 12 Nissan, 5719^[1]
Brooklyn.

Brachah v'Shalom!

In reply to your letter, with the question: there are women who wish to take part in the meetings of Nshei U'Bnos Chabad^[2], and there is hope that through this they will come to many matters of fear of Heaven; on the other hand, some of the regular members do not get along well with the above-mentioned. What should be the solution to this problem?

To every member of Nshei U'Bnos Chabad, and especially the active members, and the founder in particular, it must be explained how supremely important it is to draw a Jew – man or woman – closer to Yiddishkeit; and to what extent the Nesiim of Chabad gave themselves over to this, to the point of actual self-sacrifice; and more than that, they gave away of their time, which they could have used to rise higher and higher, in order to bring a Jew who seemingly had no connection at all to even a light mitzvah, and all the more so to a weighty mitzvah.

And the fact that the Nesiim told us this^[3] was surely not for the sake of a nice story, but so that everyone should learn from it how one must act in such matters. It is understood, of course, that there is no comparison between the self-sacrifice of the Nesiim and that of others; and nevertheless, this is what was done.

I would hope that once the above has been explained, the members of Nshei U'Bnos Chabad will surely set aside their resentment, so that a Jewish soul may come closer to the Holy One, blessed be He, His Torah and His mitzvos. And not only should they agree to this; they should feel gratitude to the Holy One, blessed be He, for giving them such an opportunity – to give way on a claim, etc., for the sake of the holiness of His Name, blessed be He^[4].

With blessings for good news in the above, and of the expansion of the work of Nshei U'Bnos Chabad, and for a kosher and joyous Pesach,

In the name of the Rebbe shlita

Secretary

Notes

1. 12 Nissan, 5719 (י"ב ניסן, תשי"ט): Monday, 20 April 1959.

2. Nshei U'Bnos Chabad (נשי ובנות חב"ד): The organization of Chabad women and girls, with branches in many cities. In several letters the Rebbe directed that membership not be limited to women of Chabad families, but that new members be accepted as widely as possible. See, e.g., vol. 7, letter 1898 (11 Cheshvan 5713): "וכבר אמרתי שאין להקפיד שיהיו דוקא נשי ובנות משפחות שיש להם סרטיפיקט שהם מחב"ד, ואדרבה להקל בקבלת חבירות ככל האפשרי ישובח" – "I have already said that one should not insist that they be specifically women and girls of families that have a certificate that they are Chabad; on the contrary, it is praiseworthy to be as lenient as possible in accepting members"; and letter 2199 (to the London branch, 12 Menachem Av 5713): "נשי חב"ד זיינען ניט נאר די וועלכע זיינען געבארען אין א חב"ד משפחה אדער האבען זיך געפונען אין א חב"ד סביבה, נאר אויך על שם העתיד" – "Nshei Chabad are not only those born into a Chabad family or who found themselves in a Chabad environment, but also by virtue of what they will become."

3. The fact that the Nesiim told us this (דאס וואס די נשיאים האבען דאס אונז דערציילט): The stories and sayings the Chabad Rebbeim related about the greatness of doing a favor for a fellow Jew and drawing him close. See, e.g., Hayom Yom, 5 Iyar: "רבינו הזקן קבל מר' מרדכי הצדיק ששמע מהבעש"ט: עס קומט אראפ א נשמה אויף דער וועלט און לעבט אפ זיבעציג אכציג יאהר, צוליב טאן א אידען א טובה בגשמיות ובפרט אין רוחניות" – "The Alter Rebbe received from R. Mordechai the Tzaddik, who heard from the Baal Shem Tov: A soul comes down into this world and lives seventy or eighty years in order to do a Jew a favor materially, and especially spiritually."

4. For the sake of the holiness of His Name, blessed be He (צוליב קדושת שמו ית'): ית' = יתברך, "blessed be He". Giving way on a claim and on resentment, so that a Jewish soul may come closer to G‑d, is itself an opportunity G‑d grants them, and for it they should thank Him.

Summary

Asked what to do when women who wish to join Nshei U'Bnos Chabad are not on good terms with some of the regular members, the Rebbe asks that every member be shown how supremely important it is to bring a Jew closer – the Chabad Rebbeim gave of their own time and spiritual ascent to bring a single Jew to a single mitzvah. The members should set aside their resentment, and even thank G‑d for the opportunity to give way for the sake of His Name.