8387 —רשמים מביקור בכפר חב"ד והשראת נוער יהודי

B"H, 16 Adar II, 5722.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

With pleasure I received your letter from Motzaei Shabbat Kodesh 27 Adar I, in which you write about your impressions from the visit to Kfar Chabad that you organized with a group of friends and their families. Naturally, my joy was even greater to read about the impression the visit made on you, and I hope that all the visitors—especially the youth—were similarly affected.

Since our people, Bnei Yisrael, are action-oriented—and it is no wonder, for our Sages taught in their Mishnah "the main thing is action"—my strong hope is that there will be tangible results in daily life. Certainly you, who were among the organizers of the visit, will use all your influence in this direction.

If at all times and places it was essential to give content to daily life—content according to Torah and tradition—how much more so in our generation, when so many opinions and ideals from one extreme to another have led only to disappointment. This situation is most evident among youth who have not seen lives illuminated by the values of Bnei Yisrael, the eternal people; they feel left in a void without content. This leads to very undesirable phenomena—when life enters a routine called by the world "gray lives," with no special endeavor providing an opportunity to reveal inner strengths: strengths of courage and self-sacrifice, etc.

And after asking your forgiveness: upon the parents of such youth lies a double and redoubled obligation to make up for what they have lacked until now in educating their children. As our Sages put it: If not now, when? What will they answer on the Day of Judgment when their children demand why they were not given eternal and fundamental values that would give meaning to their lives and encourage them in life's difficult and gray struggle?

Certainly you know that Chassidus does not merely preach moralizing; indeed, it strives to replace this with matters that uplift and elevate the soul. The Alter Rebbe—the founder of Chabad Chassidus—emphasized that within every Jew there is a soul called nefesh haElokit (the Divine soul), chelek Eloka mima'al mamash (a veritable part of G‑d above). The Alter Rebbe's emphasis (adding on the language of Scripture) is on the word mamash (veritably), meaning that every Jew has infinite powers if only they wish to utilize them properly in a fitting way. Then natural matters—the so-called laws of nature—not only do not hinder or prevent such a way of life but on the contrary: it is within one's ability, duty, and privilege to elevate nature above nature.

As I have emphasized this point in several conversations with members of his party: specifically the character of this party makes it easier and helps accept such a way of life since one of its foundations is discipline—accepting orders without questioning them, etc.

With honor and blessing—and regards to all the visitors and their families. It would certainly please me if you would share this letter's content with your fellow visitors and their families; may these words come from the heart and enter into the hearts of those who hear them.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that meaningful Jewish experiences should lead to practical change in daily life. Every Jew possesses infinite potential through their Divine soul; parents must instill lasting values so youth find purpose beyond routine existence.