5723

Blessing and Greeting:

I am in receipt of your letter.

Needless to say, I was rather surprised that after you had been inspired and brought into the observance of Yiddishkeit in general, and Shabbat and kashrut in particular, and thus had reinforced the eternal bond with Hashem that constitutes the Divine spark in every Jew, man and woman-this evaporated later, after the person who had inspired you left the campus. Actually, it should have been quite different, for after he left you should have realized that it was your duty and privilege to take over some of the work which he had done, and in this way serve, even more than before, as a source of inspiration to others.

However, there is no point in crying over the past; the important thing is the present and the future. And since you indicate that the students are in dire need of someone who might introduce them to the beauty of our great Torah heritage, you should do all you can to help them in this direction.

I am confident that the rabbi whom you mention in your letter, and who is familiar with the situation, will surely be able to guide you and help you to accomplish the maximum possible, if you will turn to him for advice and guidance.

It has often been emphasized that this kind of effort proves to be much easier than anticipated. For when one approaches a Jew with a view to bringing him closer to Yiddishkeit, it is not anything new that one has to “sell” to him. As mentioned above, every Jew is imbued with that divine spark, which might be dormant but always remains intact, and all that is necessary is to rekindle it and reactivate it. Indeed, once this initial inspiration is given, the light thus kindled continues to feed on itself, as it were, and grows in strength and intensity, to the extent that it kindles and illuminates others as well and creates a chain reaction.

It is also well to bear in mind that the underlying philosophy and activity of inspiring others that I refer to is the duty of every Jew, a duty imposed on us by the Torah. It is therefore clear that since G-d knows His creatures, and the capacities of every individual, He will not impose a duty or task which it is beyond the individual’s capacity to perform.¹ This of course applies to all the mitzvot, which each and every Jew is duty bound to fulfill, and which in and of themselves are proof that they can be fulfilled, for otherwise G-d would not have given them to us, although it is true that some may find this easier and some harder.

With regard to the question as to where you should settle after graduation, in Boston or New York, I would suggest that inasmuch as the rabbi you refer to who has been helpful to you in the past is now in Boston, it would be advisable for you to communicate with him, especially as he knows you personally, and he knows the situation in Boston, as well as in New York, where he visits occasionally. He would therefore be the best person to guide you in your future plans.

May G-d grant that you should go from strength to strength in every respect, materially and spiritually, things which for the Jew go hand in hand together, with emphasis on the preponderance of the spiritual over the material.

Enclosed is a copy of a message that is timely throughout the year. I trust you will find it interesting and useful, especially as it has a bearing on what has been written above.

With blessing,