By the Grace of G-d 5th of Kislev, 5746 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter with enclosure.

After the long interval, I was pleased to hear from you. As requested, I will remember you in prayer when visiting the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe of saintly memory.

With regard to the relationship with your wife, I believe I already indicated to you in the past that in such a situation it is advisable to enlist the cooperation of friends who would be in a better position to improve your wife’s attitude, inasmuch as there would be no psychological complex of a domineering attitude on the part of the husband, with a consequent action of defiance and showing independence.

You mention in passing the Noam School. As far as I remember, my impressions are that both the administration and students of this school have a positive attitude to Chabad, judging by the letters I received in recent years.

With regard to the concluding part of your letter, where you refer to the issur to leave the Holy Land - this of course is the well-known din in Shulchan Aruch.¹ But right there, of course, the Shulchan Aruch defines the circumstances and reasons which override this issur, on the basis of which one may obtain a hetter to leave Eretz Yisroel and these circumstances are also well known. At the same time, however, it can be seen that when a Jew does not seek this or that kind of a hetter and is determined to remain in Eretz Yisroel, surely in such a situation Hashem helps.

In your case if you choose to find a hetter, you probably could find one in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch. But I do not see any reason why you should look for one and why you should not be able to find your parnosso in Eretz Yisroel in the natural order of things. Especially if you invest in it the effort and time, etc., that would have been necessary to expend on a visit in Chutz LaAretz.

There is no need to remind you that since all blessings come from HaShem and the channel to receive them is through the everyday life and conduct in accordance with His Will - every additional effort in Yiddishkeit, Torah and mitzvos though a “must” for their own sake, widens the channels to receive HaShem’s blessings in all needs.

The above is also the basic message of Chanukah, as more fully explained in the enclosed Chanukah message.²

Wishing you and all yours an inspiring Chag HaGeulo, Yud Tes Kislev and bright days of Chanukah to illuminate also all days thereafter throughout the year.

With blessing,