B.H.Erev Rosh Chodesh Adar5729

Blessing and Greeting:

I am in receipt of your letter of Shevat 22, and hasten my reply in view of your remarks in final par. of your letter to the effect of having felt "humiliated", which, needless to say, came as a shock to me. I cannot imagine what could have created such an erroneous impression, since I have not before me the copy of my letter. I assure you, however, that the impression is completely unfounded, since such an intention is far from my way of thinking and is quite alien to me.

While on the subject of misunderstanding, I may add also that I was equally amazed at the proceeding par. in your letter, where you ascribe to me an attempt “to associate magic powers with the saying of Tehillim (did you mean Tefillin, or perhaps both).

The surprise is twofold. First, that you should suspect me of ascribing magic to anything at all, particularly anything connected with a Mitzva. Surely you know that magic - in its usual sense of sorcery and witchcraft - has no place in Jewish life. On the other hand, if you use the term loosely, and mean supra-natural powers, it is surprising to me that you should consider it “incongruous,” since every Mitzva, especially such basic ones as Tefillin, or Tehillim (which in its entirety is a sacred book of prayer), is certainly associated with Divine, i.e. supra-natural, powers.

I need hardly add that I find no basic difference in the belief in a supernatural miracle such as Krias Yam-Suf, or the miracles of Chanukah and Purim, and miracles that still occur in our time, whether the miracle comes through prayer or a Mitzva, or similar good acts, by an individual, or by a community, or by the entire nation. On logical grounds, either - or: Either one recognizes that human “actions" can interfere with the so-called normal course of nature - an interference contrary to the laws of nature, or one does not. To deny the possibility of miracles is surely a denial of all the basic tenets of the Jewish faith, even according to such “rationalists” as Rambam and Saadia Gaon, whom you cite in your article which you enclosed in your letter. Surely the Thirteen Principles of our faith which Jews profess daily, since all Jews, myself included, are maaminim bnei maaminim, calls for “Ani maamin be'emune sheleimo,”¹ i.e. without reservations and without attempt to divest the words of their plain meaning.

Turning to your article, I was particularly pleased to note that you forcefully cite as an example the fact that Treblinka and Aschwitz etc. have brought many individuals to a greater degree of faith, even to the extent of openly declaring their new-found faith in G-d.

At the same time I venture to suggest (at the risk of "ein tzoakin al ha-ovar”²) that by repudiating at such great length those whom you do in the article, you give them too much recognition and publicity. To be sure, there were unfortunately individuals who reacted destructively, but I do not think they merit the attention you bestow upon them in your article. [All the more, referring to them as "sick" - in quotation marks - but to their theology without quotes.] Of course, such literature should be repudiated in no uncertain terms, but while I am not sufficiently acquainted with the audience and the impact upon them to take a definite view as to what length such negation should go. I have a feeling that perhaps it has inadvertently received a little too much undeserved publicity.

In accordance with Jewish custom to conclude with something good, especially as we are about to enter the suspicious and happy month of Adar, I have requested my office to send you, under separate cover, our recently published volume on the life of the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman, by Dr. Nissan Mindel.³

Wishing you a truly Joyous month and a happy and inspiring Purim

With blessing,