6749 —מכתב אביו של רבינו, וההוראה שלא לעשות שם יהודי טפל לשם של חול

B"H, 5 Adar II, 5719
Brooklyn.

The Rav and Gaon, the veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored, a man of fine qualities^[1], Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman, may he live long^[2]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Through the rabbinic veteran Chassid, the G‑d-fearing Rabbi DovBer Pantileyev, may he live long, I received your most precious gift: a letter of my father, of blessed memory^[3], and the petur. Besides the general aspect of "a precious garment to the one who wears it"^[4], there is also a lesson in it concerning writing "who is called" with a Jewish name, making it secondary to a secular name^[5].

I was also pleased to hear from him^[6] about you, sir, in general. May it be G‑d's will that for many more years you use your holy position as rav of the synagogue to strengthen matters of Judaism there and to spread them, in a way of "steadily increasing"^[7], increasing in light, and with a broad and settled mind.

With double thanks for the gift mentioned, and with blessing for length of days and good years.

With respect and with blessing for a joyous Purim.

Publisher's notes

Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman (מו"ה יום טוב ליפמאן): Levin, Brooklyn.

Concerning writing "who is called" (בהנוגע לכתיבת דמתקריא): the letter was printed in Kuntres Toras Levi Yitzchak – Hosafah (Kehot, 5741), p. 22.

Notes

1. The Rav and Gaon, the veteran Chassid, a G‑d-fearing man, distinguished and honored (הרה"ג וו"ח אי"א נו"נ): הרה"ג = הרב הגאון; וו"ח = וותיק וחסיד; אי"א = איש ירא אלקים; נו"נ = נעלה ונכבד.

2. Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman (מו"ה יום טוב ליפמאן): מו"ה = מורנו הרב. Levin, Brooklyn (publisher's note). As the letter goes on to say, he served as rav of a synagogue.

3. My father, of blessed memory (אאמו"ר זללה"ה): אאמו"ר = אדוני אבי מורי ורבי, the Rebbe's father, R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn; זללה"ה = זכרונו לברכה לחיי העולם הבא. The letter was printed in Kuntres Toras Levi Yitzchak – Hosafah (see the publisher's note).

4. "A precious garment to the one who wears it" (מילתא אלבישייהו יקירא): After Shabbos 10b: R. Chisda rejoiced at the gift of a new teaching in the name of Rav, and Rava bar Mechasya said to him: היינו דאמר רב, מילתא, אלבישייהו יקירא, "this is what Rav said: a garment of fine wool is precious to those who wear it"; Rashi: "a cloak is costly to the one who is used to wearing it – that is, because you are Rav's disciple and used to his teachings, you seek them out." Here: a letter of his father is especially precious to the son.

5. Writing "who is called" with a Jewish name (כתיבת דמתקריא ע"ש יהודי): דמתקריא is Aramaic, "who is called" – the wording of a get when a woman has two names (for a man, דמתקרי); ע"ש = על שם. Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 129:16 (Rema): "One who has a Hebrew name by which he is called up to the Torah, and also a name in a foreign language – the Hebrew name is made the main one, and 'who is called' is written for the other; and the same applies to a woman: the Hebrew name is made the main one." The Jewish name is the main one and must not be made secondary ("who is called") to a secular name.

6. From him… you, sir (מהנ"ל… כת"ר): מהנ"ל = מהנזכר לעיל, from the above-mentioned, R. DovBer Pantileyev; כת"ר = כבוד תורתו.

7. "Steadily increasing" (מוסיף והולך): The Gemara's phrase on the Chanukah lights, Shabbos 21b: וב"ה אומרים: יום ראשון מדליק אחת, מכאן ואילך מוסיף והולך, "Beis Hillel say: on the first day one lights one, from then on one keeps adding"; their reason: דמעלין בקדש ואין מורידין, "for we ascend in holiness and do not descend".

Summary

Thanking the recipient for the precious gift of a letter of his father, R. Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe notes that besides its value as his father's letter, it teaches that a Jewish name must never be made secondary to a secular one. He blesses the recipient to strengthen and spread Judaism in his synagogue in an ever-increasing way.