8627 —ל"ג בעומר, גישת הרשב"י לברכות, ומשמעות שניאור זלמן

B"H, 25 Iyar, 5723.

Brooklyn, NY.

Harav vavac"h iy"a nu"m baal middot osek b'tzt"z anaf etz avot etc. Harashz"sh

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Your telegram was received on the bright day of Lag BaOmer. If you originally intended this timing—very good; if from Above it was arranged so—even better. May it be G‑d's will that the entire matter proceeds in the best possible way, as Chassidus emphasizes that things should be good in a visible and revealed manner—even to human eyes—and at the same time, its foundation is that there is no true good except Torah; and in Chabad terms—not only the revealed part of Torah but also its inner dimension.

As is customary and natural for Jews to connect every matter with its day—especially according to the teaching of Divine Providence as emphasized by the Baal Shem Tov—it is worth noting regarding Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), whose yahrzeit is on Lag BaOmer, his greatness over even other great Tannaim of his generation and earlier ones. When there was a need to pray for physical needs—the main example being rain (and here lies Eretz Yisrael's special quality: "from the rain of heaven you shall drink water")—the usual order even for great Tannaim was to pray; if not answered immediately, they would decree a public fast, etc. But Rashbi's way was that when told there was a need for literal rain, he would reveal secrets of Torah and then rains of blessing would begin to fall, as told in Zohar III 59b and onward.

It is especially emphasized there that what Rashbi expounded upon when revealing these secrets was "Mah tov u'mah na'im shevet achim gam yachad" (How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to sit together)—which is the concept of Ahavas Yisrael (love for fellow Jews), so strongly highlighted in the teachings of our master the Baal Shem Tov and Admor HaZaken (the Alter Rebbe).

By the way—and continuing from above—it is known how Admor HaZaken's name "Shneur Zalman" is commonly explained as "Shnei Or" (two lights): the light of Chassidus and the light of Nigleh (revealed Torah). But Chassidim also interpret "Shnei Or" as referring to both spirituality and physicality; similar to what Berdichever said: "Zalman" has the same letters as "lazman," indicating that all this is drawn into a specific time and place.

With honor and blessing, and with good tidings in all mentioned above,
M. Schneersohn

Although you are busy, I hope that work on the collection connected with the 150th anniversary year of Admor HaZaken’s yahrzeit is progressing. I have joyful news: for several years I searched for the first edition of Hilchos Talmud Torah by Admor HaZaken; recently I learned it is found in the British Museum. It was printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. XII p. 231 and completed based on a photograph of this letter.

Summary

This letter highlights how spiritual efforts can bring material blessings through revealing inner Torah teachings, emphasizes unity among Jews as taught by Rashbi and Chassidus, and reflects on drawing holiness into both spiritual and physical realms.