By the Grace of G-d22nd of Iyar, 5738Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

Your letter reached me with some delay. In it you ask if there could be a relationship between the words of Torah and Modern Mathematics.

Needless to say, to the extent that modern math reflects the truth, it has a relationship with the Torah which is called Toras Emes, because it is the Truth and it is also called Toras Chayim, because it teaches the true way of life for all people inhabiting the earth. Thus where modern math expresses a law of nature, it comes under the principle of “in all your ways acknowledge G-d,”¹ that is to say that one is duty bound to serve G-d in every way and in every aspect of the daily life, and thus to elevate all knowledge and actions to the service of the Creator. The same is true of all other sciences, such as physics, astronomy, etc., except in those aspects which have been repudiated or cannot be verified.

As for your observation about the form of the Hebrew letter “nun,” where you assume that it has three distinct forms — in the beginning, middle and end of a word, it is not true that it has three forms, but only two — in the beginning and end of a word. The same is true of four other letters “kaf/kaf sofi”, “mem/mem sofi”, “pey/ pey sofit,” “tzadik/tzadik sofi” — which have distinct final forms. As for your question why only these five letters have final forms, this is one of many other similar questions pertaining to Hebrew grammar and syntax, which need not be entered into here.

Now that I have answered your questions, I want to conclude with a question of my own. Since every person, especially a Jew, and particularly one who is in the formative years, has a first obligation, which is also a privilege, to serve G-d, as our Sages declared in the Mishna, “I was created to serve my Creator”² — how is it that you do not mention anything along these lines insofar as your daily life and conduct is concerned?

But although you did not mention about it, I trust that you are indeed learning Torah with devotion and diligence, the kind of learning that leads to action, namely the fulfillment of the mitzvos with hiddur. However, inasmuch as there is always room for improvement in all matters of goodness and holiness, Torah and mitzvos, which are infinite, being connected with the Infinite, surely your greatest interest and concern should be the advancement in Torah and mitzvos, rather than the question which you wrote in your letter, since these have no bearing on helping improve concentration on Torah study and the fulfillment of the mitzvos. To be sure, I took time to answer your questions, since you have already written to me about them, but I must emphasize that you could use your time more profitably by concentrating fully on your purpose in life, in accordance with the saying of our Sages quoted above. Moreover, inasmuch as the mitzvah of V'Ohavto L’Re’acho Komocho is a great principle of our Torah,³ I trust you use your good influence, by both example and by words coming from the heart which penetrate the heart,⁴ to spread true Yiddishkeit in your surroundings.

With the approach of Shovuos, the Festival of Mattan Torah, I send my prayerful wishes for a joyous and inspiring Yom Tov and the traditional blessing to receive the Torah with joy and inwardness.

With blessing,