6816 —זהירות בכתיבה, חילוקי דעות, והכרת תודה אמיתית

B"H, Eve of Pesach, 5719.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

It has been a very long time since I have received any news from you, even though I am interested in what is happening with you through Anash in Eretz HaKodesh. As we approach Pesach, the season of our freedom that is coming upon us and all Israel for good, I send you my blessing for true freedom—freedom both materially and spiritually from anything that disturbs serving Hashem with joy and gladness of heart—and to draw from this freedom and joy throughout the entire year. Allow me to enclose here a copy of my general letter for Pesach, which is truly relevant all year round, and I hope it will interest you.

With respect and esteem and with wishes for a kosher and joyous Pesach holiday.

Regarding what you wrote in your last letter—that you do not see blessing in polemics and that one should distance oneself from all disputes even for the sake of Heaven—I hope you will forgive me if I do not fully agree with you on this. Not that I am G‑d forbid an advocate for disputes for the sake of Heaven; rather, in our case this is not the issue at hand. The suggestion was about preventing an entirely undesirable conclusion—that a reader of your books might innocently infer when seeing a certain name mentioned therein. As is human nature from time immemorial—especially in our generation—the reader does not search or investigate deeply into every detail or word to discern how much praise there is in mentioning someone’s name or whether there is any reservation. Our Sages already taught: 'Be careful with your words lest... you reveal them to a place of bad waters and students who come after you drink them,' etc. Every author invests part of his soul—or at least should—in his books and works; wherever the book goes, so does its author. If it goes to a place of bad waters, so too do its students to some extent; therefore extra caution is required here as well.

The reason I return again to this matter is simply—not G‑d forbid to provoke—but to express my opinion regarding future opportunities of this kind. There may also be an opportunity to clarify your reservations about what you wrote in your letter in an appropriate way and place.

As you continue regarding this matter—that one must show gratitude to anyone from whom one learned even a single letter or more than one word—and that no one’s reward should be diminished—our Torah teaches that there is one exception: matters concerning faith versus heresy or incitement toward another religion. How wondrous are the words of our great teacher—the Rambam—at the end of his Mishneh Torah (Laws of Kings end ch. 11), regarding Yeshu and Muhammad: 'They only serve to pave the way for King Mashiach and prepare the whole world to serve Hashem together.' Yet three times daily we mention them by their known nicknames during Aleinu prayer—and these words of Rambam have almost been forgotten (due to censorship or similar reasons). A major principle in Jewish law is that we do not seek merit in such matters; anyone who contemplates Jewish history throughout its wanderings will see that specifically this zealotry has enabled us 'to stand today—all of you before Hashem your G‑d,' as the verse says.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that while gratitude is important—even toward those from whom we learn—the highest caution must be exercised when it comes to issues affecting faith. Careful speech and writing are essential so as not to mislead others or inadvertently lend legitimacy where it does not belong.