By the Grace of G-d 18th of Adar, 5740 Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mrs. . . .
Washington D.C. 20008
Greeting and Blessing:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter with the enclosure.
In your letter, you write about your desire to be blessed with a child and you wonder if this blessing has been withheld from you as a “punishment,” etc.
In general, the term “punishment” does not apply when speaking of G-d, Who is the Essence of Goodness and the Source of all good. But He has given definite directives to Jews and also to non-Jews, how to conduct their lives and these are the channels to receive G-d's blessings in all needs. Thus, He declares in His Torah, "Behold, I give you life and goodness...” and exhorts us "choose life.” And being the Creator and Master of the world and the Creator of man, He surely knows what is the true good and how a person is to achieve it in life, as clearly indicated in the Torah. Hence, it is a matter of cause and effect, as when a person should put his finger in boiling water, with the inevitable results. This cannot be termed “punishment” although people often speak of it in such terms.
In view of the above, I suggest that you should see a competent Orthodox Rabbi, to discuss your situation with him and since such matters are treated in confidence, you can do so quite candidly in all detail and he will advise you what you have to do.
I must of course, take exception to what you say about your non religious background, which can be considered as a statement of fact, but is in no way any justification for continuing that way, since every Jew is obliged and committed to order his or her everyday life and conduct in accordance with G-d's Will, namely in accordance with His Torah, as set forth in the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Conduct, of which there is also an abbreviated edition, available in English.
May G-d, Whose benevolent Providence extends to each and everyone individually, lead you in the way that is truly good for you.
Receipt is enclosed for your Tzedokoh and may it additionally stand you in good stead.
With blessing,
Notes and sources
Published: The Letter and the Spirit, Vol 4 (Nissan Mindel Publications, 2017), 78.
Note: Letters printed in "The Letter and the Spirit" are from the Archives of Rabbi Nissan Mindel A"H, the Rebbe's personal secretary entrusted with writing up the Rebbe's orally dictated responses. The “Nissan Mindel Archives” are comprised of secretarial copies, including first drafts, and may have subsequently been published with editorial changes. Therefore the letters as they appear in the book may not be the final signed version.