By the Grace of G-d20th of Tevet, 5720Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

Your letter reached me with some delay. Needless to say, you need not feel apologetic for writing to me frankly, for after all, this is the purpose of correspondence and communication, which should be quite candid and openhearted.

As for the contents of your letter, I need hardly say that this is not the first time that I came across such attitudes. I will attempt to reply to some of the points raised in your letter, although my replies must necessarily be brief.

You write that you would like to meet with me. By all means, if you think that it will be helpful to clarify things. However, it is necessary to arrange a mutually convenient time, and the schedule of appointments is overcrowded for some time in advance. If you will write to the secretariat for an appointment, you will undoubtedly receive one in due course, and appointments take place only on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

With regard to your reference to a purpose in life, expressing, apparently, opposition to Freud, though from the text of your letter it seems that you think that Freud's theory was a true and genial one.

Let me say that, on closer scrutiny, one will indeed find many loopholes in his theory and, in fact, it is remarkable that many of his most prominent disciples drifted away from his theories and established their own. And although they may differ from one another, they all have one thing in common, namely the denial of Freud's basic approach. Suffice it to mention only Jung, Adler and, recently, Frankel. It is especially interesting that Dr. Viktor Frankel, Professor at the University of Vienna, makes purpose in life the cornerstone of his psychoanalytical system.¹

Incidentally, you mention in a previous paragraph (and here, too, I see your emphasis on psychoanalysis) that one of the aspects of Chassidic life is that the Chassidim are relieved from the responsibility of making decisions. You infer that the reason is that they are incapable of making their own decisions, and are entirely dependent on others. However, the truth is not so, as experience has demonstrated. A case in point are the Chassidim behind the Iron Curtain, who were separated from their leaders for over thirty years, and the younger generation has even never seen their leaders, and certainly could not have relied on the latter's leadership and decisions to shape their lives. Yet, these Chassidim turned out to be the strongest element of Jewish life behind the Iron Curtain, an element which retained its independence and way of life, in the face of the most terrible persecution, under circumstances constantly demanding decisions of an extraordinarily vital character, frequently decisions in matters of life and death, while others were indeed unable to make their own decisions and drifted with the stream, taking the line of least resistance. This extraordinary inner strength of the Chassidim came to light, for all to see, when the Iron Curtain was temporarily pierced soon after the last war, and numerous Chassidic families, with their children and grandchildren, escaped from behind the Iron Curtain.

With reference to your work in Bais Rivkah, I am of course pleased to see any Jew working devotedly and diligently for an institution of Torah-true education, especially in a field which had unfortunately been neglected for many years. Knowing your father, from whom you have undoubtedly inherited many good qualities, both apparent and concealed, I am certain that if you will have the will and determination, you will be able to accomplish a great deal.

Finally, you say that if I knew you personally I would form a different opinion of you from that which might be formed by others who judge by appearance and by external things. Let me assure you that my opinion of you is perhaps even better than the opinion you may have of yourself.

As we recently celebrated Yud Tes Kislev, which, as you know, is one of the most solemn occasions in the life of Chabad Chassidim, I trust that you also participated in a Yud Tes Kislev celebration in Montreal, and that it has broadened your outlook on Chassidim and Chassidus, which is truly the inner light of Yiddishkeit in general and may G-d grant that the inspiration you derived will last you throughout the year.

Hoping to hear good news from you,

With blessing,