Emotional Health According to the Rebbe, Book Review: Letters for Life

by Mrs. Rivkah Slonim

Talk about thinking big.

The Rebbe charged us with nothing less than transforming the world and bringing all of its inhabitants to a recognition of the Creator—all while not losing sight of the real and varied needs of each individual. Oros d’tohu in keilim d’tikun.

Depth or breadth? Tzimtzum or gilui? Makif or pnimi? Retain the intimate, boutique vibe or scale for growth? L’chatchilah ariber or seder v’hadragah? Oros or keilim? Echod, echod or b’rov am hadras melech? 

As Chasidim, these are the questions that crowd our waking hours and populate our dreams. And we know the Rebbe’s answer: 

Yes! To all of it. In the Rebbe’s Torah and in his mandates, it’s never “or.” It’s always “and.”

But how?

By working harder and smarter. 

More importantly, by accessing Atzmus, where all dichotomy falls away.

This is exactly what we have all been gifted in the form of a new book modestly titled Letters for Life: Guidance for Emotional Wellness from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, compiled by Rabbi Levi Shmotkin.

Rabbi Shmotkin’s debut work establishes him as an important and courageous expositor of the Rebbe’s Torah. His reverence and love for the Rebbe, coupled with his appreciation of the vast achrayus inherent in presenting the Rebbe’s Torah, comes through on every page. His creative, perhaps even ingenious, curating and framing of the material has resulted in a work that is eminently accessible while retaining the authenticity and profundity of the original materials. In the tradition of all famous journalists, he has mastered the art of keeping himself out of the frame and allowing the subject to shine.

Within days of buying the book (we bought only five to begin with), we had already given copies to a young person in prison, a dean safely ensconced at the top level of the ivory tower, a woman who is battling a terrible fear of flying, and another just about to be married. We now keep a few cases on hand.

What makes the book unique and invaluable? Let me enumerate just a few of the most obvious ways:

1. It is not another self-help book promising assistance with solving problems or extricating oneself from perilous situations. It is a book that lifts you to a higher elevation, above all the murkiness, confusion, and even trauma.

Ours is a world awash in stark binaries. There are those who believe people cannot escape destiny as established by their genetic markers or life circumstances. Give people support and validation and never judge them is their battle cry. Others maintain just as vociferously that it’s all a choice. Take agency and write your own story; everything about you is malleable. The world around you will just have to fall in lockstep with your decisions.

The Rebbe’s singularly illuminating approach assures us that despite the many factors we cannot control, ultimately we can (and therefore must) master our present and our future. And the Rebbe assures us that we are capable of doing the necessary work. 

Simultaneously, he reminds us that life is anchored in, and must be lived in conformity with, certain inviolable principles. His letters offer encouragement and perspective and are simultaneously suffused with compassion and mission-driven urgency. The Rebbe focuses on what we are needed for, gently but surely steering us away from self-absorption, and thus, counterintuitively, towards personal balance, wellness, and happiness.

 2. The author’s personal, heartfelt introduction draws the reader in. Closely. The honest and vulnerable tone signals to the reader that they, like him, might find a new way into their soul. That this book offers them the same opportunity to chip away at the veneer, to do away with the facade. To feel, to care, to live deeply.

 3. The author includes an important disclaimer cautioning that the book does not address mental illness nor should it take the place of consulting with professionals. And yet, its contents can considerably augment more conventional therapies. It might even render them unnecessary.

4. The superb organization and structure of the book. The table of contents offers the reader a good idea of where they might find what they think they are looking for. And yet, I would not be surprised if what is actually most helpful to them is found in another section altogether. This book has “good bones” and exquisite, detailed interiors. It is worth reading in its entirety—at least a few times.

5. Culled from hundreds of letters the Rebbe wrote, the material is painstakingly researched and meticulously annotated. I appreciate knowing that I can rely on the veracity of the information, and I love the inclusion of some original, archival copies of the letters.

6. The easy-to-read, compelling style is deftly interwoven with vignettes and personal stories (many of which I had never heard or read before).

7. Mirroring the Rebbe’s letters themselves (and I am not sure if this was deliberate), which often contained lengthy, fascinating postscripts, the book contains over 100 pages of endnotes brimming with priceless teachings.

8. The book has enough material for at least fifty good sermons. But maybe you should resist the urge of using it that way and instead, gift your community members their own copies so they can return to it over and over again, as they invariably will.

In the incessant quest to properly fulfill our shlichus, this is a book to buy for the rabim (including your gentile contacts) in volume—precisely because it speaks so deeply to each yachid. And in keeping with the Rebbe’s demand that we continuously grow in our Torah and avodah, this book is a good answer to another one of our conundrums: im atzmo or im hazulas? This book is a credible choice both for Chassidus faren davenen as well as a gift for someone you don’t yet know very well but sense might appreciate it.

Atzmus is like that. Even in (relatively) small book form.

To learn more or order yourself a copy, click here.