Letter and Spirit: The Behavior of Frum Jews

In this week’s edition of Letter and Spirit, we present a letter of the Rebbe in which he addresses the issue concerning the inconsistency in the daily conduct of some frum individuals, which turns many people off from Torah. The reason is often misunderstood, and the Rebbe explains it with an interesting example. The letter was written through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by his son-in-law Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.

This new weekly feature is made possible by a collaboration between CrownHeights.info and Nissan Mindel Publications. Once a week we will be publishing unique letters of the Rebbe that were written originally in the English language, as dictated by the Rebbe to Rabbi Mindel.

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                                                                                                                                             By the Grace of G-d

                                                                                                                                             15th of Av, 5736

                                                                                                                                              Brooklyn,               N.Y.

Mr.

New York, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing,

….With regard to your question, or rather, point of contention as to why some frum individuals seem to be lax in certain areas of their daily conduct, particularly in the area of Torah ethics or other specific mitzvos which, you feel, turns some Jews off Torah and mitzvos altogether and, at any rate has dampened your enthusiasm for Yiddishkeit.

The explanation of this inconsistency or contradiction is to be found in various factors, since the reasons for people’s attitudes vary in different individuals. And while no one, of course, can condone any infraction of the mitzvos, this whole situation is often grossly misunderstood. Without going into specifics, several general points are applicable in all such cases.

First, on the principle that the truth should be accepted for its own sake and on its own merits, one should not be discouraged by the fact that it is compromised by some individuals, or even by more than a few. Similarly, the reason for following in the way of Torah and mitzvos is – because this is G-d’s Will, the Truth, and the real Good. Hence, one should not be affected by the attitude or conduct of other people.

The second point is the following:

Suppose a person passes a Health Clinic or Hospital and observes the people walking out of that health institution. He will see some people coming out apparently in good health; others might come out limping or on crutches, or with an arm in a sling, or bandaged head, and the like. If the observer was not fully aware of the functions of a hospital and not having seen in what state the patient first entered it, he might think that the hospital was responsible for the conditions of the invalids leaving it, and lose faith in the whole institution.

The truth of the matter is, of course, that the people he observes coming out of the hospital were in a far worse situation when they had entered it, and that the hospital had done wonders for them; had cured  some of them completely, and others nearly so and setting others well on the way to recovery. Had the observer known this, he would not be critical but rather enthusiastic.

Applying the analogy to the matter under consideration, it should be remembered that, as our Sages say, “the Torah has been given as a cure for the world.” It is also called Toras Chayim, because it is the Jew’s true guide in the daily life, and the source of life. It ought to be self evident that if a certain individual is not careful in regard to some aspects of the Torah and consequently his conduct is inconsistent with the Torah, it is certainly not the fault of the Torah and mitzvos. Nor is the reason for his laxity in a certain area of mitzvos due to the fact that he strictly observes other mitzvos. On the contrary, were it not for his general adherence to Torah and mitzvos, his whole conduct would have been reprehensible under the sway of his natural tendencies and proclivities. The Torah has thus done much to raise him to a higher level in most aspects of the daily life. And in addition to the fact that each and every mitzvah observed is a gain in itself and is in fulfillment of the Divine Will, there is also the assurance that “one mitzvah leads to another,” and it is to be expected that step by step he will advance in the observance of all the mitzvos.

The third point is addressed to the question why a person is careful in the observance of certain mitzvos, while neglecting certain others. The answer is to be found in the above analogy too. It is possible that the physicians concentrated their attention on a particular organ of the body, where they expected the best results; or, while the treatment was quite comprehensive, the patient responded better in one area than another. Similarly in regard to Torah chinuch one has received, or in the personal response of an individual to mitzvos which can be carried out quite easily, and some which require greater concentration and effort which an individual has not yet been able to master, and so forth.

Much more can be said on this topic, but it is hoped that the above will suffice. And if you will reflect further on the matter, you will no doubt find clues also to other details relating to the subject matter.

                                                                                                With blessing,

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The above letter is from the archives of Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, a personal secretary to the Previous Rebbe and The Rebbe, whose responsibilities included the Rebbe’s correspondence in English.

Many of the letters are now being published in The Letter and the Sprit, a series of volumes by Nissan Mindel Publications.

We thank Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro, director of Nissan Mindel Publications and the one entrusted by Rabbi Mindel, his father-in-law, with his archives, for making these letters available to the wider public. May the merit of the many stand him in good stead.