9610 —גילוי אוצרות נסתרים בכל יהודי והשראת הנוער

B"H, 17 Kislev, 5729.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Vavac"h iy"a nu"n involved in tzt"z mo"h Tzvi

Greetings and blessings! I acknowledge receipt of your letter from Tuesday, Kislev 3, in which you outline the situation among the youth in your community and explain the unique difficulties in drawing their hearts closer to our eternal and true values—the values of our Torah of truth given by our true G‑d, the living G‑d, and His mitzvos about which it is said: "And you shall live by them."

As we stand just days before the Festival of Redemption of our master and teacher, the Alter Rebbe—Yud Tes Kislev—whose theme is also the redemption of the Baal Shem Tov's Torah, namely Chassidus: bringing it out from being limited to a select few and making it accessible to all segments of our people, here is an opportunity to quote one of his teachings (as transmitted by our master and teacher the tzt"z as recorded by our master and teacher), which relates to your letter's content and forms the basis for my response. It also clarifies my approach and previous letters to you. This is the Baal Shem Tov's teaching:

It is written: "Ki tiheyu atem eretz chefetz amar Hashem Tzevaos." (For you shall be a desirable land, says the L‑rd of Hosts.) Just as even the greatest scholars will never fully comprehend all the natural treasures that G‑d has placed in the earth—since everything comes from dust—so too no one can fully grasp the great treasures that lie within Jews, who are G‑d's desirable land.

The Baal Shem Tov concluded: I want to make Jews so that they will yield their produce—the yield that G‑d's desirable land can give.

From this we learn that Torah of truth—which is also Torah of life—testifies that truth must be true in our lives in this world. This means that within each member of our people there are great and hidden treasures. However, just as with treasures buried in earth one must remove dirt and filth covering them, so too with a person—each person being a world unto themselves—the quality and quantity of what covers these treasures differs from one individual to another.

It is further understood from this that if these treasures have not been revealed yet, it proves only that one has not dug deep enough to reach them. And it is also clear that when the digger finally reaches and reveals these treasures, their owner will feel deep and genuine gratitude for having been shown their own treasure—their innermost essence.

If you wish to say that this analogy applies in every detail: we see regarding what is hidden deep within earth—that whatever lies deeper is more precious and valuable. And this is clear.

Certainly for someone like yourself there is no need for further detailed explanation on this matter.

The main point and summary: Whoever strives to draw a Jewish boy or girl closer to our Father in Heaven can be assured that they will ultimately succeed in their mission—not only succeeding but also gaining a true friend who will help reveal their treasure in all its value. This includes helping spread Judaism and its values even further—increasingly so—with ever-growing light.

In the words of our Sages: If a person sanctifies themselves a little below, they are sanctified much more from above.

I hope you will participate in a Yud Tes Kislev farbrengen—the Festival of Redemption—and I conclude with blessings for this festival of redemption and for good news regarding all discussed above.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that every Jew contains priceless inner treasures waiting to be uncovered through persistent effort. By working with sincerity to inspire others—especially youth—we not only help them but also reveal deeper strengths within ourselves and those we reach.