7398 —בנין כפר חב"ד השני וחשיבות פעולה מהירה

B"H, Fifteenth of Av, 5720.

Brooklyn, NY.

Havavach iy"a nu"n involved in tzt"z with elevated character traits, branch of a tree of fathers etc. Maharshaz shiy'.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Surely Mr. Hertzfeld shiy' has conveyed to you the content of our lengthy and detailed conversation as appropriate. And although I thought I would write about what was discussed several weeks ago, due to the reason explained in my letter to Mr. Hertzfeld, writing was postponed from day to day.

May it be G‑d's will that this extended preparation period fulfills the requirement of a proper foundation and building period, and from now on, the foundation of the second Kfar Chabad—referred to in your letter as "the third village"—will proceed rapidly, as our master the Alter Rebbe writes in Iggeres HaKodesh section 21: "with wondrous alacrity." As I wrote to Mr. Hertzfeld, my hope is that in this auspicious year—the two-hundredth anniversary of the passing (yahrtzeit) of our teacher the Baal Shem Tov z"l—the first stage of this village will already be visible in actuality.

Another point regarding timely matters—and a central one—is that some candidates for settling in the new village are about to marry or establish themselves in the near future. The sooner the first stage materializes, the more it will motivate them not to settle elsewhere; otherwise, moving later becomes difficult.

This is based on our Torah's general teaching—Torat Chayim—that G‑d gave many mitzvos to Bnei Yisrael not to confuse them or so that one matter would interfere with another; on the contrary: one mitzvah leads to another (as stated in Mishnah regarding both these matters). My hope—and I am confident—that efforts for the second village will not diminish G‑d forbid activities for the first Kfar Chabad; conversely, efforts for the first will not at all harm those for the new village.

Enclosed is a copy of my letter to Kfar Chabad as it currently stands; my hope is that matters there too will proceed—as above—in wondrous alacrity.

Since an awakening from below arouses an awakening from Above—with Hashem's help everything will succeed greatly. Just as you merited founding and succeeding with Kfar Chabad Aleph (the first), so may you succeed with this new Kfar Chabad—from one building to another in our Holy Land, both spiritually and materially—until we reach the promise of building G‑d's House: namely, building the Beis HaMikdash (the king's house etc., Megillah 27a) through Moshiach Tzidkeinu with our true and complete redemption—with double comfort and unbounded joy.

I await good news regarding all these matters and your activities mentioned above—with proper health, happiness, gladness of heart and outstanding success—and I conclude with appreciation and respect.

I was told that you participated in a historians' conference at your village and also delivered a lecture about the Baal Shem Tov; afterwards at a conference by Rav Kook's institution etc., where at the first conference... shiy' also lectured. Some say he spoke about the Baal Shem Tov z"l in his old style and manner. Naturally I do not know if this report is accurate; if it is true I hope you responded appropriately—especially since besides what has been handed down from Rebbe to Rebbe until my revered father-in-law regarding Baal Shem Tov's genius (literally—in Nigleh), as heard by our master the Alter Rebbe from his teacher Rav HaMaggid on this subject—even healthy common sense confirms it: even an ordinary person who never visited any academic institution nor holds any honorary titles but has heard something about how highly our master valued Torah knowledge (Nigleh), which was his firm foundation like an iron pillar—would find it absolutely inconceivable that Admor HaZaken would accept authority—certainly not absolute authority—from anyone who was not a genius in Nigleh according to his own understanding. Anyone who says otherwise or believes so demonstrates no grasp whatsoever of Baal HaTanya's worldview—and does not even wish to know it—which he emphasized many times both orally and in writing—in Shulchan Aruch and published/distributed chassidic discourses.

If there is a copy of your lectures—please send it here. Many thanks in advance.

Summary

The Rebbe urges swift action on establishing new Jewish communities while ensuring existing efforts are undiminished. He highlights how mitzvos complement each other rather than conflict, encourages confidence in success through spiritual initiative, and stresses respect for authentic Torah scholarship traditions.