Continuity & Survival
The month of Elul, when “the King is in the field” and we pray for future guidance, is also a time to look back on our previous path, and on what kept our Judaism alive. The Avner Institute presents three impassioned letters where the Rebbe stresses adherence to Torah observance as the only means to Jewish identity that survived even the harshest of Soviet repression; the commitment to outreach among disaffected college youth; and the rejection of foreign ideologies and distractions.
Dedicated in memory of loving memory of Hadassah Lebovic A”h
Prove the Propaganda Wrong
By the Grace of G-d
17 Teves, 5744
Brooklyn, N. Y.
Blessing and Greeting:
Your letter of Dec. 16th, over two additional signatures, has been received. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart’s desires for good.
There is surely no need to point out to you that since all blessings come from G-d, and the channel to receive them is through the everyday life and conduct in accordance with His Will, every additional effort in matters of Torah and mitzvoth,
though a must for their own sake, widens these channels. This is especially important in the case of a young couple, who must be sure to establish their home on the foundations of the Torah and Mitzvoth, so that it will be truly a binyan adei ad [everlasting edifice].
The above will also be helpful to your parents who are still behind the Iron Curtain, especially bearing in mind the sacrifices which Jews make there to keep up Yiddishkeit as much as possible. Therefore, children of such parents who are in a free country, and are able to observe freely and fully all that is required and expected of a Jew, should do even a little more also on behalf of their parents and other Jews who, unfortunately, are restricted or prevented from doing it themselves.
Erroneous Claims
There is a further significance in the above, because one of the propaganda claims that the authorities in that country make is that the reason there are s few synagogues and other Jewish institutions in that country is that the Jews there do not require them and are not interested to have them. In support of this “argument” they cite the fact that in the free countries not all Jew[s] are observant, and that even some of the Jews that come out from the Soviet Union do not become strictly observant. In view of this, every Jew who comes from behind the Iron Curtain and who observes the Torah and Jewish way in the everyday life, and who does it with pride and joy, gives the lie to that argument, while also inspiring other fellow Jews to follow their example.
May G-d grant that you should have hatzlocha [success] in all above and have good news to report.
With blessing,
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P.S. For technical reasons, it is easier in our office to reply in English rather than in Russian, but you may continue to write to me in Russian also in the future.
Judaism on Campus
By the Grace of G-d
17 Sivan, 5738
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. . .
Milwaukee, WI 53218
Greeting and Blessing:
I am in receipt of your letter of June 15th in which you write about the atmosphere on the campuses and the prevailing danger of alienation from Yiddishkeit, and even basic moral standards in general, suggesting that there should be more Torah-committed youth that would be active on the campuses and help stem the tide.
Needless to say, if this manpower were available in adequate numbers, it would provide the best solution, just as much of the problem would be solved if Jews were in general not a small minority, but a majority. However, we must reckon with the facts, and the situation is such that there is a great shortage of Torah activists, while at the same time the danger persists and grows from day to day. Thus, you cannot afford to wait until more activists could be found for all the campuses, but everyone who is alive to the problem and cares for the survival of our people should do what he can to spread Yiddishkeit in his surroundings, with emphasis on the
actual performance of mitzvoth as a daily experience.
Our 3500 years of Jewish history has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that the survival of our people is directly linked with commitment to the observance of the daily mitzvoth. It is the only factor that has played a decisive role in the survival of our people which has been a small minority in all parts of the world under all sorts of conditions. And although many various deviationist attempts have been made, they were short lived, and only those that were identified with, and
committed to, the Torah and mitzvoth in the daily life provided the continuity and survival of our people under all circumstances.
Firm Resolve
Experience has also shown that where there is a firm resolve to promote Yiddishkeit by example and precept, the response has always been very satisfactory, and those who were influenced in this way in turn became influential so that a chain reaction is created. One should never underestimate the power of a sincere word coming from the heart, or a good example, since very often they have a lasting impact. In many cases all that is necessary is to provide the ignition which, like a match that can ignite a pyre, or the push of an electric button, can illuminate the soul of a Jew, of which it is written: “A lamp of G-d is the soul of man.”
I trust that the above will provide food for thought and, more importantly, fuel for action, for you and your friends to increase your efforts along the above written lines and to set in motion a chain reaction in your own surroundings; and may G-d grant you hatzlacha.
With blessing,
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Where is the third of the three letters mentioned?