9435 —איומי ביטחון, תשובה, וחשיבות מתמדת של מצוות

But greetings and blessings!

1) The army of enemies stands at their borders from all directions, etc., and only fear is holding things back, etc.

2) The danger from the north has increased much more than before, but this is not a reason to frighten the children of Israel—rather, it should awaken and encourage them that everything depends on teshuvah and good deeds within everyone's reach—and especially on mitzvos that instill awe and fear, etc.

[The question from the outset is surprising: 1) Seemingly, the question comes from those who put in effort—especially during the Tefillin campaign at the time of war—and therefore they ask whether now it is possible to relax a bit in this area. Yet this question comes specifically from those who did nothing in this matter nor in other mitzvos. 2) It is explained that G‑d's blessing (and the above verse) comes based on future good deeds to be done—not only because of past actions. And the believing children of Israel also believe that what happens below depends on how their ministering angel behaves above—and this is most important. In this way, the above verse applies and has an effect.]

And in this case, success has further inspired the heirs of Avigdor's group and my group to spread etc.—in contrast to spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus. And that's enough.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that facing threats requires strengthening teshuvah and mitzvos—especially those inspiring awe—since success depends on our present and future actions rather than relying solely on past merits.