9889 —על הדחיפות של חוק מיהו יהודי והצורך בפרסום דעת הציבור

B"H, 25th of Nissan, 5730.

Brooklyn, NY.

Mr. Uri Tzvi sheyichyeh Greenberg

Shalom u'Vrachah!

It has been a long time since I have heard from you, although of course I inquire about you, especially through our friend Mr. Hillel sheyichyeh Zeidman, who also informed me—particularly these days—that your son sheyichyeh is still serving in the IDF Paratroopers unit. May it be G‑d's will that it be fulfilled in him, among all those serving in Israel's army, the explicit verse spoken by Scripture: 'VeHayah Machanecha Kadosh, VeLo Yir'eh Vecha Ervas Davar... Ki Hashem Elokecha Mithalech Bekerev Machanecha LeHatzilecha U'Letet Oyvecha Lefanecha' ("And your camp shall be holy; He shall not see any unseemly thing among you... for Hashem your G‑d walks in the midst of your camp to save you and to deliver your enemies before you") (Ki Teitzei 23:15), albeit with a change in order.

After requesting forgiveness from you for what follows, I feel I have no choice but to write this: You are well aware of the details regarding the Who is a Jew law and how events have unfolded. The gravity of this matter surely needs no elaboration for someone like yourself, especially given the current situation. Therefore, the seriousness of the situation obligates every individual—even one who feels weak should say "I am strong," and all the more so someone strong and especially one who influences others—to publicize his opinion in bold letters describing this matter with all its severity, seriousness, and vital importance.

In our generation—a generation orphaned and at the heels of Mashiach—where darkness is doubled and redoubled, it is imperative that immediately after describing the issue comes the conclusion: that there is no way for this matter to be properly resolved unless it is explicitly and emphatically defined in the law according to halachah. It is well known that there was debate about inserting this phrase into the law and it was rejected so as not to create a so-called "dictatorship" of halachah—so they claimed.

I have spoken about this on several occasions, and I hope that at least echoes of these words have reached you. Even though for someone like yourself no explanation is needed, in brief: The current wording of the law opens a wide breach without any limits whose implication—G‑d forbid—would be a public declaration by our people living in Eretz Yisrael that from now on we abandon and hand over Eretz Yisrael to any nation wishing to come and take it—the opposite of Torah!

I strongly hope that if you have already spoken your word on this matter, you will not stop there but will fulfill our Sages' teaching: 'Hocheach Tochiach' (you shall surely rebuke)—even one hundred times; one hundred here is not an exaggeration. As emphasized in several places where our Torah of truth teaches us that even if one has rebuked ninety-nine times literally and it did not help at all, still the mitzvah remains fully binding—to rebuke with equal force on the hundredth time.

Especially since ultimately "the heart of Israel is awake," and certainly it will not take many rebukes if only they hear words of rebuke from someone appropriate to say such things with fitting strength—and not listen to those who entice or mislead who claim even this effort falls under "if you grab too much you grab nothing."

With blessing to you—and regards to your wife via her husband—with blessing for both of you for a healthy and joyous summer both materially and spiritually—with honor—awaiting good news from you,
M. Schneersohn

P.S. I am sending this letter urgently because yet another argument has been raised regarding this issue—that now it has become a "status quo," since several weeks have passed without anyone speaking up or protesting. In my view: Our Torah has had its status quo for three thousand five hundred years—thank G‑d we are alive... in a modern era—and "you shall bring forth old from new." There is no need to elaborate on matters that do not speak well or glorify Israel.

Summary

The Rebbe urges unwavering advocacy for defining Jewish identity according to halachah within Israeli law. He teaches that persistent effort—even repeated many times—is essential when defending core Torah values affecting Klal Yisrael's future.