By the Grace of G-d 4th of Teves, 5743 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and blessing:

I received your letter of Dec. 6th, requesting a prayer and blessing, and may G-d grant that just as you wrote the request, so you should be able to write good news about it.

Regarding the medical treatment - when there are several options, and it is difficult to decide, it is good to talk things over with a doctor-friend who, though not necessarily a specialist in that particular area, could nevertheless be helpful by investigating the case further, and suggest which medical opinion to follow.

With regard to the other matter, namely the question of the existence of G-d, etc., since, as you write, you have been born a Jew, there is the assurance that every Jew has an innate natural belief in G-d, even though he may at times experience a doubt and conduct himself in a way that does not reflect this inborn belief. Furthermore, just as a human being cannot change his essential quality of having a human soul, so cannot a Jew change his essential nature of having a Jewish soul. And a Jewish soul can attain peace of mind and fulfillment only if the person conducts his everyday life in accordance with the Creator Who has endowed him with his Jewish soul and has given him the Torah and Mitzvoth to live by.

Of course, some people may question this as being beyond human understanding, etc. However, what is true of physical health is also true of spiritual health; and in regard to physical health, the layman certainly does not understand how the particular medical treatment or drug is going to help him, but he fully relies upon the authority of a medical specialist who had spent all his life in studying medicine and becoming an expert in it. So great is this trust and reliance upon the medical authority, that the person will entrust his or her life into his hands.

The same is true in regard to spiritual problems, where a Jew must rely on the Torah authority of one who has dedicated his whole life to the study of the Torah and the observance of its Mitzvoth. Indeed, the accumulation of the knowledge and experience of such Torah authorities are embodied in the Shulchan Aruch, the Divinely-given Code of Jewish life and conduct. Incidentally, the Shulchan Aruch is available also in English and other languages, which makes them within reach even of a layman.

Since you live in California, you can communicate with our Chabad representatives who are active in your state, especially those who are active with Jewish immigrants from behind the Iron Curtain, as noted below. You can write to them in Yiddish or English or even in Russian, and they will try to be helpful as much as they can.

If you will let me know your full Jewish name, together with your mother’s Jewish name, as is customary in such a case, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good.

With blessing,

P.S. You may continue to write to me in the language that is easier for you, either English or Russian, or both, as in your present letter.