By the Grace of G-d 15th of Av, 5738 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

I duly received the telephone message about your good medical report, and may G-d grant that you should have a speedy and complete recovery.

This is also in keeping with the significance of this day of the 15th of Av, of which our Sages say that "As from this day on, every one who increases one's efforts in Torah and Mitzvoth, receives increased Divine blessings and adds years to his life."

As has often been emphasized, when a Jew conducts his everyday life in accordance with the Will of G-d and in the spirit of "serve G-d with joy" - and every Jew has good reason to be truly joyous at all times for all G-d's blessings, for which we thank Him in the 18-20 Brochos at the beginning of the Morning Prayer, which concludes (according to Nusach Chabad) with the greatest blessing, "Who has chosen us from all the nations and has given us His Torah," which is the greatest source of joy, as explained in the holy book of Tanya, which I trust you have also in English translation - it keeps the channels wide open to receive G-d's blessings in all needs, materially and spiritually.

Needless to say, the purpose of all the special days in our Jewish calendar is not merely to be commemorative, but to carry the spirit and influence of those days into all the days of the year. Thus, the purpose of Pesach, the Festival of Our Liberation, is to inspire a Jew to strive for true liberation from all worldly distractions throughout the year, and the purpose of Shovuos, the Festival of Our Receiving the Torah, is to reaffirm our commitment to the Torah and Mitzvoth throughout every day of the year, and similarly the purpose of the 15th of Av is to inspire us with a strong desire to increase our dedication to Torah and Mitzvoth, as mentioned above.

May G-d grant that all the above should be with Hatzlocho for you and yours, and may you have good news to report.

With blessing,