Weekly Letter: Younger Sister Getting Married First
This week, we present a letter from the Rebbe regarding a younger daughter getting married before her older older sister. The letter, written originally in English, is from the archives of the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel.
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Professor ________ 5743
Jerusalem, Israel
Greeting and Blessing:
I was pleased to receive your letter, and many thanks for the good news of your daughter’s engagement. To begin with a blessing, may G-d grant that it should truly be a binyan adei ad.
In keeping with the saying of our Sages that when Hashem shows kindness, He continues to show further kindness, may G_d grant that you will very soon be able to report similar good news about her sister.
There is a custom in some circles, which is also our custom, that in a case where a younger daughter becomes engaged to be married before an older sister, she should set aside some of her money towards the wedding expenses of her older sister, and that the parents should, for obvious reasons, do likewise.
Hoping to hear further good news from you,
With esteem and blessing,
[Sign.]
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The above letter is from The Letter and the Spirit by Nissan Mindel Publications (NMP).
These letters were written originally in English and were prepared for publication by Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, whose responsibility it was the Rebbe’s correspondence in English and several other languages.
We thank Rabbi Shalom Ber Schapiro, who was entrusted by his father-in-law Rabbi Mindel with his archives and who is Director of the Nissan Mindel Publications (NMP), for making the Rebbe’s letters available to the wider public. May the merit of the many stand him in good stead.
