NEW! Volume #6 – The Letter and The Spirit: Selected and Arranged by Nissan Mindel

An interview with Mrs. Frida Schapiro, editor of The Nissan Mindel Publications (NMP) on the occasion of their newest publication, The Letter and The Spirit Volume #6.

CHI: What is The Letter and the Spirit series?

NMP: In the words of Nissan Mindel – it is a multi-volume compendium of outgoing personal English correspondence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, spanning some forty years of his reign as head of Chabad Lubavitch.

CHI: How did this series come to be?

NMP: Rabbi Mindel was the personal secretary of the Rebbe and worked with the letters of the Rebbe – in 4 languages – over the many years. He was instructed and entrusted by the Rebbe to keep a copy of each letter. He gained an appreciation of the letters and of their great benefit and so, he concluded – Why not share these benefits with as many as possible? 

The letters, explained Rabbi Mindel, were not merely answers to questions that people asked the Rebbe – they contained basic, profound and comprehensive Torah wisdom. Rabbi Mindel would relate that when he went in for dictation a few times a week – the answers to the letters which the Rebbe dictated to him, was like listening to “miniature sichos.”  The Rebbe would distill and condense deep Torah and Chasidic thoughts and weave them seamlessly into a clear and easy to understand answer to the query of the correspondent.  The Rebbe’s letters are Torah. 

And so, with the Rebbe’s blessing, Rabbi Mindel chose to publish some of the English letters. Of the Rebbe’s correspondence in 4 languages – he chose the English letters, presumably because it is English that attracts the widest readership and would accomplish the greatest degree of the spreading of the wellsprings of chasidus. Rabbi Mindel devoted his life to the message, the Rebbe’s message. He did not feel the need to publish the Hebrew letters – as they were already sufficiently published and promoted.

CHI: How did Rabbi Mindel go about producing such an awesome project? Who assisted him?

NMP: It is he who basically worked on it for many years – selecting, categorizing and writing the general introduction and the introductions/highlights to each section. I helped with categorizing and typing and another typist did some of the typing as well. 

CHI: What do you mean by “categorizing”?

NMP: Rabbi Mindel wanted to make these volumes of the Rebbe’s English letters as user-friendly as possible so he divided the letters by topic as well as in chronological order – making it easy for the reader to  find the letter he needs.  He also wanted each volume to have a variety of topics – so some of topics would be spread among several volumes. The topics in The Letter and the Spirit include: Family, Education, Halachah, Torah and Mitzvos, Communal and Political Issues, Holy Land, Perplexed, Torah and Science, Lubavitch Derech, Miscellaneous and now, in the newly released volume 6, we are introducing Woman. 

CHI: Can you tell us about the General Introduction – which is included in each volume and which has become a  learning and a talking point. 

NMP: In his General Introduction, Rabbi Mindel first introduces the concept of correspondence with the Rebbe – as it contrasts with Yechidus – how it relates to the Rebbe and how the letters are a reflection of the Rebbe’s  three-tiered leadership: Rebbe to his chassidim, Nossi of the Jewish People and world leader. Rabbi Mindel then goes into a detailed and fascinating description of how the Rebbe went about with his correspondence – seen through his eyes, the eyes of the devoted royal scribe, who could not help but be amazed by the almost supernatural process he was part of and witness to.  This introduction is a study in itself.

CHI: Any interesting feedback you wish to share?

NMP: We are getting interesting reports and observations from many people about THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT. 

Some have told us that it is especially from the ENGLISH letters that they see and gain an appreciation of the Rebbe’s greatness and broadness of knowledge which are derived from his spiritual wisdom. The scope and depth of the Rebbe’s knowledge of practically every topic under the sun, small or big, they say – is breathtaking – like the RAMBAM of our day.

We get enthusiastic reports from people the world over about the weekly shiurim which they have on THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT – and are asking “When is the next volume coming out?”

Still others tell us the pleasure they get every Erev Shabbos when they print out a letter from THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT (often, featured on crownheights.info) which they share at the Shabbos table with their family.

Clearly – We see bh that the English letters of the Rebbe are much more than a means to get an immediate answer from the Rebbe for one’s question at a particular time –rather, they are another rich source of Chassidic learning. 

To purchase The Letter and The Spirit Volume #6: Click Here