B.H. 17 Adar Rishon, 5744Brooklyn N.Y.

Greeting:

After reading your letter of (Jan. 29), my first reaction was to instruct my secretary not to answer it. But when I remembered the exhortation of our Sages of the Midrash to judge everyone "in the scale of merit"; though, frankly, I have difficulty in finding this in your letter - perhaps because I am not accustomed to read letters of this kind of (pardon the vulgar expression) "name-calling".

What would you think of a person (even not a Rabbi Emeritus) who had "just read a report" of something happening thousands of miles away, in a country equally far away in terms of socio-spiritual climate and mores prevailing there, accepts the report on its face value, apparently without taking the trouble to verify whether it is perhaps biased or a "slight" distortion of the actual facts, and immediately comes to the conclusion to condemn the alleged "culprits" and, by association, a host of other people, in a vehement and unrestrained manner, using expressions and epithets such as in the abovementioned letter.

What actually took place and the circumstances surrounding it, made me wonder how many apologetic letters you would have to write to whom you so "misjudged", etc. in your "outburst".

In light of the above, I trust you will understand my not signing this letter, though I dictated and read it.

With due respect,

For the Lubavitcher Rebbe שליט"א

By

Secretary