6832 —מבצע מצה שמורה – מהפעולות המיוחדות לחב"ד, ושעת הכושר לפעול "יפה שעה אחת קודם"

B"H, 29 Nissan, 5719
Brooklyn.

The avrech, the veteran and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, of many deeds, etc.^[1], Aharon Nachman, may he live^[2]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After an interval, your letter of Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Acharei^[3] was received, with its enclosure. It is surprising that you are brief where one ought to elaborate^[4], regarding the activities of the shmurah matzah campaign^[5], etc.; although a favorable explanation can be found for this – that you surely see to it that others write about it in the necessary detail.

May it be [G‑d's] will that you report good news on those very points that you yourself write about, especially as you are right in what you say, that for several of them now is the opportune time to act successfully and without excessive difficulties; and of such a case it is said, "better an hour earlier"^[6] – though, of course, it must be with a prepared plan and in pleasant ways.

What is also evident from your letter is that, regrettably, it seems that this year too they did not make use of the shmurah matzah project in an organized manner; and this is one of the activities distinctive to Chabad, which give a way to reach every single person^[7] in a pleasant way, and together with this give an opportunity to say a word of inspiration; and this is easily understood^[8].

May it be [G‑d's] will that, since we are coming from the month of Nissan and entering the month of Ziv, in which the radiant ones of the world were born^[9] – and the words of the Arizal are known, that when the days are remembered, they are (also) re-enacted^[10] – there be added in all matters, individual and communal, within the whole Jewish people^[11], freedom and redemption, to increase radiance in the world: the radiance and illumination of the deeds of our forefathers, as brought in Tanya, that all their limbs and their actions were only for the Supreme Will alone, all their days^[12].

With blessings for good news^[13] in personal matters and in communal matters, and soon.

Publisher's notes

Aharon Nachman, may he live (אהרן נחמן שי'): Friedman, Kfar Chabad.

Notes

1. The veteran and Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, of many deeds (וו"ח אי"א רב פעלים): וו"ח = ותיק וחסיד, "the veteran and Chassid"; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים, "a G‑d-fearing man". "Of many deeds" (רב פעלים) is said of Benayahu son of Yehoyada (II Samuel 23:20: "of many deeds, from Kabtze'el"), which the Gemara (Berachos 18b) expounds: "that he increased and gathered workers for the Torah".

2. Aharon Nachman (אהרן נחמן שי'): Friedman, Kfar Chabad (as in the publisher's note). The letter shows that he was among those engaged in the shmurah matzah campaign, and that he wrote to the Rebbe about several matters ("points") for which, in his view, the time to act was now.

3. Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Acharei (מוצש"ק פ' אחרי): מוצש"ק = מוצאי שבת קודש. Parshas Acharei Mos was read on Shabbos, 24 Nissan 5719 (2 May 1959); the letter was written on the night after that Shabbos, and five days later, on Thursday, 29 Nissan, the Rebbe replied.

4. Brief where one ought to elaborate (מקצר במקום שאמרו להאריך): In the words of the Mishnah (Berachos 11a): "Where they said to make it long, one may not shorten it." He should have reported the campaign's activities in detail, not briefly.

5. The shmurah matzah campaign (מבצע מצה שמורה): The campaign to distribute hand-baked shmurah matzah before Pesach, which the Rebbe had called for in a talk in the preceding years, stressing its purpose: "there are a great many people who need the inspiration and the campaign spoken of in the talk" (vol. 11, letter 3386). In Nissan 5718 he wrote to the residents of Kfar Chabad about "the participation of the residents of the village in the shmurah matzah campaign, and their personal effort in baking the shmurah matzah" (vol. 17, letter 6191); and before Pesach 5719 he sent shmurah matzah to be distributed to the residents of Kfar Chabad and to Chabad activists in the Holy Land (letter 6786 above).

6. Better an hour earlier (יפה שעה אחת קודם): Matters for which the time is now ripe should not be put off; better to act even an hour earlier. He adds at once that even when acting quickly, it must be "with a prepared plan and in pleasant ways".

7. Every single person (כאו"א): כאו"א = כל אחד ואחד.

8. And this is easily understood (וק"ל): וק"ל = וקל להבין. The shmurah matzah campaign is one of the activities distinctive to Chabad: it opens a way to every Jew in a pleasant manner, and at the same time gives an opportunity to say a word of inspiration to him. It should therefore have been organized properly.

9. The month of Ziv, in which the radiant ones of the world were born (חדש זיו, בו נולדו זיותני עולם): The month of Ziv is Iyar, "the second month" (I Kings 6:1); "the radiant ones of the world" are the Patriarchs. After the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11a): "R. Yehoshua says: From where do we know that the Patriarchs were born in Nissan? For it says… 'in the month of Ziv' – in the month in which the radiant ones of the world (זיותני עולם) were born."

10. The words of the Arizal… remembered, they are (also) re-enacted (דברי האריז"ל… נזכרים (ה"ה גם) ונעשים): The Arizal: R. Yitzchak Luria. ה"ה = הרי הם, "they are". After the verse (Esther 9:28): "And these days are remembered and observed (literally, 'done') in every generation." The Arizal's explanation, in the Rebbe's words in vol. 14, letter 4899: "that every year, at the season of these days, when they are remembered – then they are also – done, and the matters are drawn down as they were the first time"; and in vol. 6, letter 1620, he notes: "it is cited in the name of the writings of the Arizal (it is in the book Lev David by the Chida)." This is why he adds in parentheses "(they are also)": when the days are remembered, they are also re-enacted.

11. Within the whole Jewish people (בתכ"י): בתכ"י = בתוך כלל ישראל.

12. As brought in Tanya (וכמובא בתניא): After Tanya, ch. 23: "This is what our Sages said, 'The Patriarchs are the very chariot (מרכבה)': all their limbs were holy and set apart from the affairs of this world, and they became a chariot only for the Supreme Will alone, all their days."

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

Summary

The Rebbe wonders at a Kfar Chabad activist's brevity about the shmurah matzah campaign and notes with regret that it was again not run in an organized way, though it is a distinctive Chabad activity that reaches every Jew pleasantly and opens the way to a word of inspiration; on the points he raises, now is the time to act – "better an hour earlier" – with a prepared plan and in pleasant ways.