By the Grace of G-d14th of Cheshvan, 5736Brooklyn. N. Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I was pleased to be informed of the forthcoming Annual Dinner, I extend prayerful wishes to the honored guests and all participants for an inspiring and successful event in every respect.

On the basis of the well-known tradition that the Weekly Portion of the Torah provides timely lessons for the event taking place during the particular week,¹ it is enlightening to reflect on the section of this week's Torah portion² dealing with the problem that confronted Abraham and Sarah in connection with their son's, Isaac’s, upbringing. Our Father Abraham was the very embodiment of loving kindness, and so was our Mother Sarah, as is clearly seen from various passages in the Torah, including the beginning of this week's Sidra. Yet, when a problem arose about Isaac's development, due to the undesirable influence by his half brother, Ishmael, the son of Sarah's maidservant, both Sarah and Abraham found it necessary to suppress their natural kindness for the sake of Isaac's healthy upbringing and development.

The said episode related in this week's Sidra clearly teaches us how vital the Chinuch (education) of children is; that parents must be prepared to make sacrifices in terms of emotional strain and suppressing natural feelings, not to mention financial strain, in order to ensure the maximum possible advantages for their children's Jewish education.

The annual "Distinguished Award Dinner" of the Rabbinical College of Morristown, an affiliate of the United Lubavitcher Yeshivoth, offers an excellent opportunity to participate in the most worthy and vital cause of Torah education, in an institution that provides dedicated religious leadership so urgently needed in the present day. Moreover, support of this cause does not even entail sacrifice, since we have Divine assurance that such Tzedoko is amply rewarded by Divine blessings in all personal needs, as it is written,³ "It is a tree of life for them that upholds it and all its supporters are blessed with happiness" in every respect, materially and spiritually.

With blessing,

M. Schneerson