By the Grace of G-d 24th of Iyar, 5735 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I must apologize for my belated acknowledgment of your letter which, incidentally, also reached me with some delay. However, a blessing is always timely. I appreciate your good wishes and reciprocate same, as I have done it before, by reiterating the promise given by G-d to our Father Abraham, “I will bless them that bless thee.” Accordingly, may G-d bless you and yours in His generous measure.

I trust that by the time you receive this letter, there has been an improvement in all your affairs about which you mentioned in your letter, particularly in your wife’s health and frame of mind. This also gives me the opportunity of enclosing herewith a copy of my message to the Annual Convention of the Chabad women recently. Although I did not see her when I addressed the concluding session of the Convention, I trust that she was there in spirit. At any rate, the message is addressed to those who were present spiritually no less than to those who were present physically.

May G-d grant that each and all of you, in the midst of all our people, should advance from good to better materially as well as spiritually.

The present period of sefira is particularly auspicious, for it is a period of preparation and advancement to Shavuos, the Festival of Mattan Torah. As you know, it recalls the eager anticipation and great longing of our ancestors towards this, immediately after they departed from Egypt, wherefore they counted the days and the weeks, and prepared themselves for that great day. May everyone of us experience a goodly measure of that ahavas ha’Torah.

With the traditional blessing

To receive the Torah with joy and inwardness.