8896 —ברכות על עליית אח, ותובנות על תורת חב"ד

B"H, 6th of Marcheshvan, 5725.

Brooklyn, NY.

To the distinguished vavac"h iy"a nu"m young man from among and above the people and one who seeks good for his people, possessing elevated character traits, a branch of a tree of ancestors, Moreinu HaRav Shneor Zalman sheyichyeh.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I have just seen the news in the newspaper that your brother sheyichyeh received permission to leave his country to settle in Eretz HaKodesh tivneh v'tikonen. Apparently this is a continuation of the news you wrote me about in your previous letter. I bless you with Mazal Tov, for the joy of every Jew is the joy of the community—and especially since one Jewish soul is like an entire world; this is one of the reasons man was created alone.

May it be G‑d's will that from personal redemption we reach communal redemption, and your brother's departure will be a prelude to opening the gates of that country—an opening in breadth and soon—with G‑d's kindnesses that never cease.

And from good news to good news: I am happy to inform you that finally the sefer "Ma'amarei Admor HaZaken – 5562" has come off the press and has been sent to you separately. If I recall correctly, when I showed you the manuscript I commented that it is unique: while the discourses are from Admor HaZaken, the handwriting is that of Admor HaEmtza'i, and it was in possession of tzt"z who attests that it is Admor HaEmtza'i's handwriting and also inserted glosses in several places. All this attests to the authenticity of these matters etc., so much so that if not for my humility and awe at expressing a definitive opinion regarding Chassidus—and all the more so regarding Ma'amarei Admor HaZaken (even tzt"z whose heart was like a lion says about him: "Just as between holy of holies and mundane things so are his ways loftier than ours," tzt"z Yoreh Deah sec. 63:8)—and there it refers to Nigleh of Torah and certainly regarding its inner dimension—I would say that some versions of discourses in Ma'amarei Admor HaZaken 5562 are more fitting and surpass those printed in Likkutei Torah, even though they were printed in tzt"z's days and apparently edited by him. Perhaps at the time Likkutei Torah was printed this manuscript was not with tzt"z.

Your previous letters were surely received on time, as well as Sefer HaSichos 5702 which I sent via Rabbi from Haifa Rabbi David sheyichyeh Asaf who visited here and returned to Eretz HaKodesh tivneh v'tikonen.

By the way, although I hesitated due to your busy schedule whether to give you the sefer personally via Rabbi Asaf—my heart wavered—but I could not refuse him in this matter, especially after he showed me that he found the combination "Chabad"—Chochmah Binah Daas together—in words of our great teacher Rambam in Mishneh Torah Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah (ch. 2 halachah 2), a halachah which decisively rules that learning Yesodei HaTorah must be with contemplation—with chochmah binah daas—and moreover this affects actual mitzvah observance. And from his clear words there: How does one come to love Him and fear Him? When a person contemplates etc., he sees His wisdom etc., and desires greatly to know this great Name. It is well known how precise Rambam is with his words in this sefer—especially when dealing with Yesodei HaTorah—which teaches us that his phrase "how does one come" excludes any other path for coming to love and fear G‑d; he also prefaced (Rambam) that love and fear are mitzvos from the Torah—and as explained there they are also foundations for mitzvah observance.

With honor and blessing.

Summary

The Rebbe connects personal milestones with communal redemption, emphasizes authentic transmission of Chassidic teachings through manuscripts, and highlights Rambam’s view on achieving love and awe for G‑d through deep intellectual contemplation—foundational for fulfilling mitzvos.