By the Grace of G-d 2nd of Iyar, Tiferes shebiTiferes, 5735. Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I was pleased to receive your letter of the 28th of Nissan, in which you write about the forthcoming Dedication Dinner in honor of the new addition to your Synagogue building. It is surely unnecessary to emphasize to you that the synagogue has traditionally been not only a House of Prayer, but also a House of Torah Study.

This double function of the synagogue is particularly important in the present day and age, in view of the fact that the synagogue has increasingly become the center of Jewish life and experience. It is in the synagogue that the congregants are imbued with the spirit of holiness, derived from the holy prayers and the study of the holy Torah, which they bring into their homes. In this way, the Synagogue which is called Mikdash me'at, a "Small Sanctuary," is extended into the home, making it also an abode for the Divine Presence, in accordance with the words, "Make Me a sanctuary that I can dwell among them." And as our Sages have noted, it does not say, "I will dwell in it" (in the sanctuary) but "among (or in the midst of) them" - in the midst of every Jew, in his heart and in his home.

May G-d grant that this important milestone in the progress of your Synagogue, under the inspiring spiritual leadership and guidance of your distinguished Rabbi Asher Zeilingold, should Inspire each and all of the membership to strive for further advancement of your congregation, both materially and spiritually, all the more so since the spiritual advancement is also the channel and vessel for material blessings.

With blessing,

M. Schneerson