Letter & Spirit: Making Humans More Human, Jews More Jewish
In this week’s edition of Letter & Spirit, we present a letter of the Rebbe in which he emphasizes the obligation and duty of all of us, not only Rabbis, to spread the name of G-d and bring all people to worship him, in the spirit of Avraham Avinu’s life. 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.
The Rebbe directs his words to a university professor – encouraging him to use his position to strengthen within his Jewish students their ‘Jewish spark’ and commitment to Yiddishkeit, as well as all of us, to “further the cause of human benevolence, justice and morality… making human beings more human and Jews more Jewish.”
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
7th of Kislev, 5735
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nashville, Tenn. 37215
In answer to your letter, I am pleased to enclose herewith my message to the forthcoming Dinner. While the message is addressed to all participants, clearly it is particularly relevant to you, as president of the Congregation, to set the pace by precept and example, for the entire membership. The fact that you are the President is in itself evidence that you have been given from On High the special capacities to achieve all that is expected of you.
I would like to take this opportunity to add a further point, in view of the fact that you are a university professor and consequently come in contact with young people who are still in their formative years. I trust that you are also utilizing this contact in the fullest measure to strengthen in the Jewish students the “Pintele Yid” and their commitment to Yidddishkeit through the actual fulfillment of the mitzvos in the daily life.
Some may, of course, question whether such activity should not be reserved as the function of a Rabbi in the synagogue rather than of a professor in a university. But this would be a misconception. For just as it is everyone’s duty to further the cause of human benevolence, justice and morality (which come under the category of the Seven Mitzvos given to all humanity), so it is the duty of every Jew, regardless of occupation or vocation, to spread Yiddishkeit as it is embodied in our Torah – called Toras Chaim, “our life and the length of our days.” Inasmuch as this is a term given to Torah, Toras Emes, it is not merely a phrase, but a truism in every respect. Thus, as in the case of life and living it is unthinkable to limit it to a certain locale, such a synagogue, or certain times, such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur etc., so it is also in regard to the Torah and mitzvos by which a Jew lives constantly and uninterruptedly. The only difference is in the degree of manifestation of the vitality which may be greater of lesser, but must never be completely interrupted, G-d forbid.
The same is true in regard to a Jew’s activity in spreading Yiddishkeit. And although when mentioning a synagogue and a university or other public schools, one says “l’havdil,” it can only affect the approach, but the ultimate goal is the same, to make human beings more human and Jews more Jewish, always bearing in mind that the essential thing is the deed.
Wishing you hatzlocho in both your communal as well as personal affairs,
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.
