By the Grace of G-d15th of Iyar, 5741Brooklyn, N. Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I am in receipt of your letter of the 10th of Iyar; and because of the seriousness of its contents, this letter is sent to you on a priority basis and via special delivery.

The subject matter is conversion, and this is surely not just a procedure or formality, G-d forbid, but something that effects a change in the very soul of a person, changing his or her soul into a Jewish soul.

At first glance it may be difficult to understand how this can be brought about. But the answer is that if it is done exactly in accordance with the procedure which G-d prescribed for such a conversion, and seeing that He is the Creator of all souls, the conversion itself is also G-d-made and it is He who gives the person so converted a new soul, a Jewish soul.

On the other hand, if conversion is done only as a ceremony, devised by a human being, however well intentioned, it surely cannot have any effect on one’s soul and it can have no validity whatever.

In light of the above, it is clear that you ought to lose no time, and make sure that the conversion should be in accordance with Halacha in every detail. I do not want to use the expression ”100 percent” because it is not a matter of percentages, but either/or, namely, if it is done in accordance with the requirements of the Torah, Toras Chaim, it is valid, and if it is not done accordingly, it is invalid and changes nothing. Obviously, this is a matter of the utmost urgency that you should consult with an Orthodox Rov and explain all the details to him, and he will then be able to give you the proper Torah advice in regard to the person and the children.

I would like to add a timely note in connection with the fact that we are now in the period of Counting the Omer, recalling the time when our ancestors, upon being liberated from Egypt, counted the days and weeks to the day of Receiving the Torah at Sinai, which was tantamount to the conversion of all the children of Israel and their becoming full-fledged Jews. Thus, these days are particularly propitious for rectifying the situation about which you wrote, and that everything should be with Hatzlocho.

I trust you will accept this letter in the spirit that it has been written, and may G-d grant that you should have good news to report.

With blessing

M. Schneerson