6790 —מורה לחקלאות בבית ספר חב"ד: "בכל דרכיך דעהו", והתלמידים לומדים מהנהגתו

B"H, 29 Adar II^[1], 5719
Brooklyn.

Mr. Micha Eldad, may he live long^[2]

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter – which was received late – in which you write an outline of the story of your life, and of your present work as an instructor in orchards in the field of agriculture, and also in the school of the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch network in Ta'anach^[3]; and you go on to say that there are difficulties and problems facing them.

Surely you know the assurance of the Creator and Ruler of the world, that He "does not come with a pretext against His creatures"^[4], and that "according to the camel is the load"^[5] – that is to say, every person has been given all the powers and possibilities to fulfill his task in the best and most exalted way. And if this is said of every task, how much more so^[6] of work in education in pure holiness, an institution that determines, or at any rate^[7] influences to the most important degree, the character of its pupils for all the days of their lives. In this, the merit of the many assists the whole staff of teachers of the institution, the administration, and all who help in its establishment and development.

I hope that for one like you^[8] there is no need to explain the greatness and importance of the task, nor to emphasize that although, seemingly, agriculture and nature are not a study like holy studies, but a study concerning nature and working the land – it is obvious that the command "In all your ways, know Him"^[9] applies to this too, a principle in spiritual matters and in a person's conduct (as explained at length in the Rambam, Laws of Character Traits, and in the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, sec. 231)^[10]. Especially since it is the nature of a pupil to imitate his teacher in all his ways, even though he hears instruction from him only in another field.

You should know that those who hear instruction in agriculture and nature watch you and observe how you conduct yourself in matters of Torah and mitzvos, and this influences them – most of the time, entirely – no less than your influence regarding the knowledge of agriculture and nature; and very often the influence in this is even greater, as is the nature of youth and children, that influence that comes indirectly is received by them more easily and more deeply than influence that comes through instruction that imposes the yoke of command and decree^[11].

What emerges from the above: if until now you have conducted yourself according to the line of the law of the Torah, or even beyond the line of the law^[12], it is clear that from the moment Divine Providence made you an influence on a number of Jews^[13], you must add to this, and in a measure that is "moist enough to moisten"^[14], so that even if they imitate you only by half, and perhaps even less than that, nevertheless the proper blend and measure in accordance with the instruction of our Torah will not be lacking^[15].

May it be G‑d's will that you report good news in all the above; and surely the merit of this will add to the blessing of G‑d^[16] and His granting of success in your personal affairs as well.

With blessings for a kosher and joyous Pesach.

Notes

1. 29 Adar II (כ"ט אד"ש): אד"ש = אדר שני, Adar II: 29 Adar II, Wednesday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

2. Mr. Micha Eldad (מר מיכה אלדד): As he wrote to the Rebbe, the recipient was then working as an agricultural instructor and also in the school of the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch network in Ta'anach (on this school see letter 6691 above, to R. Yitzchak Yadgar, a teacher there, 18 Shevat 5719).

3. The school of the Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch network in Ta'anach (ביה"ס רשת אהלי יוסף יצחק ליובאוויטש אשר בתענך): ביה"ס = בית הספר, "the school". "An instructor in orchards in the field of agriculture": a professional adviser in the growing of orchards. The Ohalei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch network: Chabad's network of schools in the Holy Land, including schools in outlying places (see letter 6629 above). Ta'anach: the Ta'anach region in the Jezreel Valley.

4. "Does not come with a pretext against His creatures" (אינו בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו): After Avodah Zarah 3a: אלא שאין הקב"ה בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו, "but the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come with a pretext against His creatures"; Rashi: בטרוניא – בעלילה, "with a pretext – with a false claim". The Rebbe explains it here: "every person has been given all the powers and possibilities to fulfill his task".

5. "According to the camel is the load" (ולפום גמלא שיחנא): After Kesubos 67a: כדאמרי אינשי לפום גמלא שיחנא, "as people say: according to the camel is the load"; Rashi: לפי כח הגמל יטעינוהו משא, "they load the camel according to its strength". The powers given correspond to the greatness of the task. ז.א. = זאת אומרת, "that is to say".

6. How much more so (עאכו"כ): עאכו"כ = על אחת כמה וכמה.

7. At any rate (עכ"פ): עכ"פ = על כל פנים.

8. For one like you (לדכוותי'): Aramaic: "to one like him".

9. "In all your ways, know Him" (בכל דרכיך דעהו): Mishlei 3:6: בכל דרכיך דעהו והוא יישר ארחתיך, "In all your ways, know Him, and He will direct your paths."

10. The Rambam… the Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, sec. 231 (רמב"ם הלכות דיעות ובטור שו"ע או"ח סי' רל"א): או"ח = אורח חיים. Rambam, Laws of Character Traits 3:3: "One who walks in this way all his days serves G‑d constantly, even when he does business… Concerning this the Sages commanded, 'Let all your deeds be for the sake of Heaven'; and this is what Shlomo said in his wisdom, 'In all your ways, know Him, and He will direct your paths.'" Tur, Orach Chaim 231: "And so in everything he enjoys in this world, he should not intend his own pleasure but the service of the Creator, as it is written, 'In all your ways, know Him'" (and so in the Shulchan Aruch there). Matters of nature and working the land are also among "all your ways", in which one must "know" G‑d.

11. Influence that comes indirectly (שהשפעה הבאה בעקיפין): The indirect influence – what pupils learn from the teacher's conduct – is absorbed by the young more easily and deeply than direct instruction, which comes as command and decree.

12. Beyond the line of the law (לפנים משוה"ד): ע"פ = על פי, "according to"; שוה"ד = שורת הדין, "the line of the law". After Bava Metzia 30b: "אשר יעשון" – זו לפנים משורת הדין. דאמר ר' יוחנן: לא חרבה ירושלים אלא על שדנו בה דין תורה, "'That they shall do' – this is beyond the line of the law. For R. Yochanan said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because they judged in it according to the law of the Torah."

13. Jews (בנ"י): בנ"י = בני ישראל.

14. "Moist enough to moisten" (טופח ע"מ להטפיח): ע"מ = על מנת. A term of Chazal in the laws of purity: moisture sufficient to wet something else; as Rashi on Avodah Zarah 72a, s.v. "and moist liquid": ואין בו טופח על מנת להטפיח, שאם טפח בהן בידו לא יעלה בה משקה שיוכל להטפיח דבר אחר, "it is not moist enough to moisten: if one touched it with his hand, not enough liquid would come up on it to moisten something else." His conduct in Torah and mitzvos should be so full that it overflows onto others.

15. The proper blend and measure (המזג ומדה מתאימה): בכ"ז = בכל זה, "nevertheless". Even if the pupils imitate only half his conduct or less, their conduct will still have the measure the Torah requires.

16. G‑d (השי"ת): השי"ת = השם יתברך.

Summary

To a teacher of agriculture in the Chabad school in Ta'anach who described his difficulties, the Rebbe writes that G‑d gives every person all the powers his task requires, all the more so in education. Even teaching agriculture and nature falls under "In all your ways, know Him"; pupils imitate their teacher's conduct in Torah and mitzvos, so he must add in his own observance, in a measure that overflows to them.