7439 —משוב על סקירה על כפר חב"ד והתמדת קהילתו

B"H, the days of Selichos, 5720.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I received your letter in due time—a review about Kfar Chabad—and I ask forgiveness for not replying until now. One of the main reasons is that I wanted to thoroughly investigate every detail of the matter, and in such cases, face-to-face conversation is the most effective inquiry. Therefore, knowing that some of the heads of the village administration would be here, I wished to wait with my response until then.

It is pleasant to note that since you wrote your aforementioned letter, and according to information I have received from the administration, several improvements have been made regarding the matters you mentioned. Surely you are already aware of them—perhaps even in greater detail.

I must respond to certain points you raised—and for obvious reasons—with a preface: I am sure that if you had written your review based on a visit you made yourself at that time (knowing your friendly and positive attitude toward the village and its affairs), you would have viewed things more favorably and your letter would have been written in a different spirit than one reviewing through another's eyes.

There are two points I especially wish to emphasize: (a) Surely you know—perhaps even better than I do—about the change in attitude toward agriculture that has occurred throughout Eretz HaKodesh; namely, the tendency to devalue it and move elsewhere. This change was most prominently displayed recently in statements and speeches by Minister Mr. Dayan—not only a prominent but an extremely sharp shift—using our Sages' expression: "turning the bowl upside down." In our times, if such things are spoken openly in high offices, it must mean that this change began quite some time ago; enough said.

(b) Even more so must I respond to what you wrote about another village where conditions are supposedly better—even though it was founded at the same time—and there they succeeded in establishing and consolidating things. The brief answer is: If you investigate how many people left that village which you say is successful and established, how long people currently there have stayed, and how many arrived recently—and compare this with the number of families who left Kfar Chabad over its twelve years (as far as I know only one family left during all those years)—it seems to me this is unique throughout Eretz HaKodesh. If so, it deserves serious consideration as to which village has truly succeeded in its consolidation. For obvious reasons I do not wish to elaborate further—especially since I am personally involved.

In closing similar to my opening: My strong hope is that soon you will visit Kfar Chabad yourself; true to your nature and friendship, you will view matters positively and their details favorably. It would please me greatly to receive a review from you after such a visit.

As we approach the new year coming upon us and all Israel for good and blessing, I wish you and all yours a good inscription and sealing for a good and sweet year—in both general matters and personal ones—materially and spiritually together.

Summary

The Rebbe highlights Kfar Chabad's unique communal stability despite challenges facing agriculture elsewhere in Israel. He encourages firsthand involvement before forming judgments, emphasizing optimism rooted in personal connection.