7195 —גלי רדיו בתלמוד ויסוד ההשפעה המוסרית

B"H, 16 Shevat, 5720.

Brooklyn.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Although some time has passed, I received from the Avrechim—the vavac"h iy"a etc.—who visited your city, a report of their conversation with you. They mentioned your influence in your city and relayed a question you asked them: regarding the statement of our Sages that "three voices travel from one end of the world to the other," and some say even Radya. Some wish to interpret the Gemara (Yoma 20b and there) as referring to radio waves, which raised difficulties for you.

It is impossible to interpret at all that the Gemara refers to these so-called radio waves. The name "radio" for this type of light wave is a matter of convention, chosen by those who discovered these rays in our generation about fifty years ago. There was no necessity or natural reason for calling these rays specifically by this name; in fact, for several years they were called after Hertz (Hertz) and similar names. Therefore, your difficulty is also resolved: it is not appropriate to say about these rays what our Sages said there regarding Ridya—see Aruch HaShalem under its entry.

On this occasion—since everything is by Divine Providence, including the above—I feel obligated (and perhaps privileged) to draw your attention (with apologies) to this: Every created being—and especially man, the choicest of creation—must utilize every opportunity given him to increase goodness, uprightness, and justice in the world. As experience has shown, only then can we be assured that it will endure. More importantly: only then will people not call an evil person righteous or evil good; this is possible only if concepts are founded on faith in a living G‑d who actively guides the world and oversees its details. Without this foundation—as we have seen particularly in our generation—the very nation whose culture was most advanced in science, philosophy, and even moral theory became capable of becoming murderers on a terrifying scale—even from a simple perspective and compared even with predatory animals. Anyone who knows what was done by the Germans cannot believe it unless he witnessed it himself—all done in the name of justice and morality etc., and among them were even those who held superstitious beliefs about that man etc., yet still took an active part in all these deeds.

I am certain that you do not need lengthy explanation on this point. The conclusion from reflecting on all this—as mentioned above—is that faith in a living G‑d is essential—not an abstract belief that He exists somewhere high above and does not care about what happens here below or only supervises general matters without interest in details; such abstract belief has also led some to those same terrible acts—for as it says: "the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth," etc.

We have no refuge or security to walk confidently on the path of goodness and uprightness except through simple—and at the same time strong—faith in "Anochi Hashem Elokecha Asher Hotzeiticha Me'Eretz Mitzrayim" (I am Hashem your G‑d who took you out of Egypt), which leads directly to "You shall have no other gods," whatever their form may be. Such faith brings practical mitzvah observance into daily life—for example: "Remember the Sabbath day," etc.—and then alone can we be sure we also fulfill "Do not murder," "Do not covet," etc.

Since I was told by the Avrechim that you are endowed with influence over quite a broad circle, may it be G‑d's will that you use this influence as described above—and may the merit of many assist you.

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies that modern radio waves are not referenced by Chazal and stresses that true moral influence must rest on faith in a living G‑d actively involved with creation; he encourages using one's influence for spreading goodness based on this foundation.