תשרי ט"ו - אגרת הקודש פרק כב

The Alter Rebbe opens this letter with a heartfelt address: אהוביי אחיי ורעיי—my beloved, my brothers, my friends. He explains that what follows comes from מאהבה מסותרת תוכחת מגולה—a hidden love that expresses itself as open rebuke. In other words, the rebuke he is about to give is not out of anger or criticism, but from a deep, hidden love for his fellow Jews. This is a theme we see often: true love sometimes means telling someone the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

The Alter Rebbe then challenges his audience: Let us reason together, let us examine the matter honestly. He quotes the verse זכרו ימות עולם בינו שנות דור ודור—remember the days of old, consider the years of every generation. He is asking us to look back through Jewish history and tradition and see if there is any precedent for the practice he is about to discuss.

He asks: היתה כזאת מימות עולם—has there ever been such a thing since the beginning of time? Where have you found this custom, in any of the books of the sages of Israel, whether the earliest or the later ones, to make it a regular practice to ask for advice about physical, material matters—לשאול בעצה גשמיות? In other words, is there any source for the idea that one should come to a Torah sage to ask what to do regarding mundane, worldly affairs?

The Alter Rebbe emphasizes that even among the greatest sages of Israel, the Tanoyim and Amoroyim—those for whom כל רז לא אנס להו—no secret was hidden from them, and who were so spiritually attuned that נהירין להון שבילין דרקיע—the pathways of heaven were as clear to them as the roads of earth—even for them, this was not the practice. The only ones who were approached for such matters were actual prophets—נביאים ממש—such as Shmuel HaNovi. He brings the example of Shaul HaMelech going to Shmuel to seek out Hashem's word regarding the lost donkeys. In that case, it was a prophet who was consulted, not a sage.

The reason for this, the Alter Rebbe explains, is that כל עניני אדם לבד מדברי תורה ויראת שמים אינם מושגים רק בנבואה—all matters of a person's life, except for Torah and fear of Heaven, can only be known through prophecy. Sages do not have access to this knowledge. He brings the verse ולא לחכמים לחם—bread does not necessarily come to the wise. The sages themselves are not guaranteed material success, so why would one ask them about material advice?

He further quotes our sages: הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים—everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven. This means that only matters of Yiras Shomayim—fear of Heaven—are up to the individual and can be influenced through Torah guidance; all other matters are decreed by Hashem and are not in the hands of the sages.

The Alter Rebbe also cites the Gemara in Pesachim 54b, which lists seven things that are hidden from people, including אין אדם יודע במה משתכר—a person does not know by what he will earn his livelihood, and מלכות בית דוד מתי תחזור—when the kingdom of David will be restored. These two are equated: just as we do not know when Mashiach will come, so too we do not know how our sustenance will come. Both are hidden from us and not revealed even to the greatest sages.

One might ask: what about the verses and sayings that speak of sages giving advice? For example, in Yeshayah it says יועץ וחכם חרשים—a counselor and a wise craftsman. Or the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos that says ונהנין ממנו עצה ותושיה—we benefit from his counsel and support. The Alter Rebbe clarifies that these refer specifically to Torah matters, which are called תושיה. The advice that sages give is in matters of Torah, not in material affairs.

He brings the teaching of our sages: יועץ זה שיודע לעבר שנים ולקבוע חדשים—a counselor is one who knows how to establish leap years and set the months. In other words, the "advice" of a sage is in the realm of Torah knowledge, such as the complex calculations of the Jewish calendar, not in giving guidance about physical or material matters. The secret of the leap year is called עצה—counsel, and סוד—secret, in Torah language, as explained in Sanhedrin 87a and Rashi there. All of this shows that the role of a sage is to guide in spiritual and Torah matters, not to be consulted for mundane, material advice.