8103 —ביאור 'בקרובי אקדש' והתייחסות לייאוש התלמידים

B"H, 26 Sivan, 5716. Brooklyn.

Haraha"ch iy"a nu"n his work is the work of Heaven ...

Shalom u'Vrachah!

After the longest interruption, your letter from the 22nd of Sivan was received. Regarding what you wrote about my words concerning the explanation of 'Bekrovai Ekadesh,' I also stated clearly that I do not at all understand the justification through this explanation, because justification means that it is a rational argument. The entire matter of 'Bekrovai Ekadesh' (I will be sanctified through those who are close to Me) is difficult to explain rationally—even in the context of the verse itself, and certainly in our case. What I said publicly about this specifically during a farbrengen was for an understandable reason: if this explanation were publicized more widely, then Sephardim and even others might say "neither this nor its reward," and that is understood. That concludes my comments on your letter; from here onward regarding what was missing in your letter:

I hope you also know that the older students of Tomchei Temimim in ... are discouraged, even though there are various reasons (one says he has no study partner, another says he is not succeeding in his studies, etc.), while at the same time I receive information and letters from students at other yeshivos. The very fact that a student writes to me from another yeshivah shows he is not fully satisfied with where he is; nevertheless, they still feel vitality and even passion in their learning—whether in revealed Torah or in ethics and similar areas—which is not the case with those mentioned above. In any case, from all the letters I receive I do not find even a single word discussing this issue. This indicates one of two things: either they know but do not discuss it at all, or they do not know about it—and both possibilities are alarming. It is difficult to elaborate on such a distressing matter.

May it be G‑d's will that finally—even though as you write in your letter "in all generations this was never accomplished,"—at least they should do whatever is possible.

Blessings for good news.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that some matters defy rational explanation and must be approached with humility. He urges communal responsibility for students' well-being and encourages doing whatever possible to support them despite past challenges.