8949 —מיזוג ישיבות לצמיחה בלוד וראשון לציון

B"H, 8 Adar Rishon, 5725.

Brooklyn.

To the administration of Yeshivat Tomchei Temimim Lod and the administration of Yeshivat Achei Temimim Rishon LeTzion — may Hashem be upon them, may they live.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon, in which you write about the proposal of Haraha"ch iy"a nu"n Rav Pe'alim u'Ba'al Middot HaRach"sh shlita, to merge Yeshivat Achei Temimim of Rishon LeTzion with Yeshivat Tomchei Temimim of Lod and Kfar Chabad.

Certainly, the intention in this is that through it there will be an increase in the strengthening of these yeshivot and also in their expansion. May it be G‑d's will that the merger be successful overall, and especially successful in achieving this goal, for this is indeed the directive, hope, and desire of our Rebbeim and Nesi'im: to expand the tents of the temimim and their dwellings in a manner that continually increases both materially and spiritually—ever-increasing light.

The merit of this matter is great, as is the arousal of mercy from our Rebbeim and Nesi'im to add success to all that was mentioned above. This is in addition to blessing and success for all those who participate now or in the future, as well as all those who have worked to strengthen these institutions until now.

It is obvious and simple—to draw down a blessing for healing for Haraha"ch etc. etc. Harav Chaim Shaul shlita. Surely when his health strengthens he will also strengthen his efforts toward establishing these institutions with even more energy, with joy and gladness of heart. Clearly this strengthening is also essential to the aforementioned merger.

All this follows the instruction from this week's Torah portion: Ve'atah (with an added vav—drawing down from above nature) tetzaveh (from the root meaning connection) et Bnei Yisrael (Li rosh—this is chochmah [in Torah it refers to pnimiyut haTorah]) veyikchu eilecha (to the Moshe aspect within each person) shemen zayit (which comes through crushing—iskafya etc.) zach (the first among oils—as it says "kol chelev laHashem," and through) katit (bitul—self-nullification one reaches) le'maor (of Torah; thus one connects with Hakadosh Baruch Hu at a level called Maor), from which it continues: "ya'aroch oto Aharon" (the joy of mitzvah), "chukat olam" (something enduring and eternal), as explained in Chassidus.

Awaiting—and with blessings—for good news regarding all that was mentioned above,

M. Schneersohn

Summary

The Rebbe encourages merging yeshivot as a means to strengthen Torah institutions both materially and spiritually. He emphasizes unity, ongoing effort, blessings for healing and success, drawing inspiration from this week's Torah portion about connection and ever-increasing light.