By the Grace of G-d 28th of Shevat, 5724 Brooklyn, N. Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I was pleased to receive your letter of February 7th, in which you write about your good fortune of having entered the Lubavitcher Yeshiva at Brunoy. May G-d grant that your start should be in a happy and auspicious hour, and that you should go from strength to strength, both in the study of the Torah, as well as in the essential and practical aspect of Torah study, as our Sages say, "The essential thing is the deed,"¹ namely the practice of the Mitzvoth in the daily life. We have the assurance "Try hard, and you will succeed,"² and therefore I trust that you will make every effort to advance in every respect, and G-d will surely bless you with success. May you also be a living example to others, so that many of your friends who were left behind would follow in your footsteps, and also come to study at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Brunoy.

We are about to enter the auspicious month of Adar, and to celebrate soon the festival of Purim. As you know, the miracle of Purim happened through Mordecai. It took place not because Mordecai was one of the leading ministers of the kingdom, nor the fact that he was a cousin of Queen Esther, with much influence and power in the royal court. All this was of no decisive consequence, but the essential thing which brought about the miracle of Purim was the fact that Mordecai gathered around him the Jewish children, and taught them the Torah, and the children were so inspired and dedicated, that they were prepared to give their very lives for the Torah. I am sure that you will derive a goodly measure of inspiration from the festival of Purim and its timeless message.

With blessing,

By Nissan Mindel