By the Grace of G-d 11th of Nissan, 5720 Brooklyn 3, New York

Greeting and Blessing:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 7th, to which my reply was conveyed to you over the telephone, in view of the time element involved and the sanctity of Shabbos and Yom Tov.

Here I come to confirm in writing, briefly, the essence of my reply.

It is clear that there is no question of emergency life-saving involved, which would be the only condition of breaking the sanctity of the Sabbath, for there are other drug stores in the neighborhood. The best proof of this is the fact that you do not keep your store open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since the section can well be served by others at the time when your drug store is closed. As for the question of Parnosso, and the immediate effect that it may have on the revenue from the store when the store is closed on Shabbos or Yom Tov, the important thing, as pointed out in the telephone reply, is not the amount of money earned, as how it is going to be used. For any logical person would prefer to earn less but use the earnings on healthy and happy things, rather than earn more and spend it, G-d forbid, on doctors' bills and the like, when not only is there an expense, but also the trouble and pain involved, G-d forbid. In the final analysis one should bear in mind that money earned in a way which is contrary to the Divine Law, cannot serve a useful purpose, and the apparent gain can only be illusory, and even worse. Thus, from whatever point of view you look at it, religious, moral or economic, there is no justification for keeping your store open on Yom Tov or Shabbos, nor can it serve your best interests.

On the other hand, abiding by the Divine Law will bring you additional Divine blessings for good health and prosperity, both materially and spiritually.

Approaching the Festival of Pesach, the Season of our Liberation, may it bring you and yours a full measure of liberation from all doubts and anxieties, and true freedom in the fullest sense of the term, as explained at greater length in my Pesach message, a copy of which is enclosed herewith.¹

Wishing you a kosher, happy and inspiring Pesach,

With blessing,

M. Schneerson