By the Grace of G-d 11th of Nissan, 5735Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

Your letter reached me with some delay and pressure of duties further delayed my acknowledgement.

I trust it is unnecessary to point out to you at length that in regard to any and every good thing, it is not easy, often even impossible, to achieve one hundred percent. Very often, while aiming for the utmost, one must be satisfied with less than that and sometimes be satisfied with whatever percentage can be accomplished, as a beginning.

It should be self evident that by encouraging Jews to give tzedoko to a worthy cause, it does not mean that all the methods used by that organization are necessarily approved of, or that the fund raising dinners arranged by the organization will from now on be all glatt kosher.

I purposely did not mention any particular organization by name, nor the organization which you write about, since the situation applies to most charitable organizations engaged in fund raising, inasmuch as it is very rare to find perfection in human activities in every detail.

By way of illustration, although in a different area, yet it is a very important factor in Jewish life which should be remedied, but despite all efforts and protestations, it has not been rectified. I refer to the attitude to Hebrew teachers, especially to Roshei Yeshivos, in the matter of remuneration and salary, as compared to equivalent teaching positions in secular schools and secular subjects. It is most lamentable that the scale of remuneration is so inequitable. Aside from the fact that we are losing vital teaching talent, the said attitude itself denigrates the value of the Torah and the prestige of a Yeshivah, and the students themselves cannot fail to see it and be influenced by it. Further, there is often also a conspicuous distinction between the Hebrew and secular departments of a Yeshivah Day School itself, where so much more emphasis is placed on the secular subjects and on scholastic achievement in the secular department, with prizes and scholarships, etc., which are not given in the sacred subjects. To be sure the Torah and mitzvos have to be studied and observed not for the sake of reward, but for its own sake. However, when we are concerned with students and children who have not yet reached this high level, this is the time when the principle “One should study the Torah even not for its own sake,” should be applied, “because one will eventually appreciate it and study it is for its own sake.” Sad to say that a similar situation may exist also in a Lubavitcher Yeshivah Day School, despite all efforts to correct it. There may be extenuating circumstances, but it does not alter the fact of the existence of an undesirable situation.

Of course, the above illustration is not intended to suggest that a charitable organization, even the one that you mention in your letter, is on par with a Yeshivah where the Torah is studied with Yiras Hashem and Ahavas Hashem. The illustration was brought only to illustrate that a letter of encouragement to any organization does not mean a hechsher on all its activities. I will go further and admit that even if there was not in the statement you mention the condition which emphasizes that the tzedoko contributed to the organization should provide for the religious needs of Jews, each according to his requirements, I would still consider it worthwhile to encourage support of an organization even if its philanthropic work was limited to material and social aspects only - and this could in no way be construed as a hechsher on the fundraising dinners that they are glatt kosher, as mentioned above.

I will have no objections if you wish to show this letter to anyone whom you think advisable to do so. However, I would appreciate, in such a case, that no specific philanthropic organization be singled out specifically, in order to avoid any possible misunderstanding, in accordance with the teachings of our Torah.

As this is the time before Pesach, the “Season of Our Liberation,” may the inspiration of this festival bring each and all of us a greater measure of true freedom from all distractions that hinder a Jew from serving G-d wholeheartedly and with joy, as this topic is discussed at greater length in the enclosed Pesach message, which I trust you will find interesting.

Wishing you and yours a Kosher and inspiring Pesach,

With blessing,