ב"ה13 Nissan 5711Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Glazer:

With Passover, the Festival of our Freedom, but days away, I send you my greetings and best wishes for a kosher and joyous festival.

True Freedom necessitates both freedom from physical enslavement as well as freedom from spiritual fetters. Such was the exodus from Egypt, for it marked not only the liberation from physical bondage, but also the divorcement and emancipation from the abominations of Egypt and their false beliefs. This was the prerequisite and prelude to the spiritual freedom which G-d gave us at Mount Sinai.

However, when confronting a situation which may be described as "Mitzraim" (spiritual limitations and captivity), the wise man will not enter upon a mental inquiry and debate with himself on the subject, until he convinces himself conclusively of the necessity to get out of "Egypt." Frequently, the best thing is to lose no time but to escape from such a situation. This is the significance of the hasty departure from Egypt described in the Torah (Exodus 14:5). The flight of the children of Israel from Egypt seemed strange under the circumstances, but the reason was not that they were afraid lest the Egyptians change their mind, but rather that they themselves might.

I wish you and yours the enjoyment of Freedom in its fullest sense: freedom from external anxieties of our material world, and inner freedom which is born of spiritual harmony and peace contained in the Torah and the observance of its precepts. May G-d grant our people as a whole real Freedom and Redemption.

Cordially yours,

M. Schneerson