By the Grace of G-d 8th of Adar 1, 5736 Brooklyn, N. Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

It is some time since I heard from you personally, although I inquire about you and your family from time to time. I trust that your silence is a case of "no news is good news.” May G-d grant that this be so indeed, especially in the essential aspect, namely that you and your wife should bring up each and all of your children to a life of Torah, Chuppah and Good Deeds, and have true Yiddish Chasidish Nachas from them.

The main purpose of this letter is to take advantage of the present auspicious days, coming from the Yahrzeit of my father-in-law of saintly memory, the significance of which need not be pointed out to you, and having entered the auspicious month of Adar, which calls for an increased measure of Simcha. This year, being a leap year, with two months of Adar, they surely bring a double measure of joy in all matters which have to be fulfilled with joy, particularly the spreading of Torah and Mitzvoth. Incidentally, as this has also been mentioned before, one of the lessons of the Jewish leap year, which makes up the deficiency between the Lunar Year and the Solar Year, as you know, is also to remind us about the need to make up any possible deficiency in the past. Clearly if today is as good as yesterday, but no more, it does not make up any deficiency, nor is it in keeping with the principle of all things of holiness having to be on the ascendancy, which for a Jew means steady advancement in the ascendancy of form over matter, and the spiritual over the physical.

I send you my prayerful wishes to utilize all your capacities in a way that will give you complete personal satisfaction, as well as bring satisfaction to all who benefit from your good influence, and may all this be in the fullest measure of Simcha, in accordance with the saying of our Sages that "Simcha breaks through barriers."

With blessing,

M. Schneerson