By the Grace of G‑d
Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, 5732 [October 20, 1971]
Brooklyn, N.Y.

To the Participants In the Testimonial Banquet
honoring Rabbi Dr. Moshe Yitzchok Hecht
New Haven, Conn.

Greeting and Blessing:

I am very pleased to be informed about the forthcoming Testimonial Banquet in honor of Rabbi Hecht's twenty-five years of dedicated service to the greater New Haven community.

The occasion is a fitting testimony to the personal achievements of the recipient of this honor. It also shows that he is fortunate in having Baalei-battim who appreciate his services to the community. Furthermore, and this is the most essential aspect, the occasion reflects recognition of the vital importance of Jewish education, the field in which Rabbi Hecht has particularly distinguished himself and made his greatest contribution.

All this gives me the confident expectation that the event will serve as a further stimulus to the cause of Chinuch, where there is of course still much more to be done. For, as long as there is a Jewish boy or girl who does not yet receive a Torah-true education, the obligation of the community cannot be considered fully done.

On the other hand, we live in a situation which is especially conducive to Chinuch. Parents are more keenly aware of the compelling need of Chinuch in the present days of confusion and misguided values. As for Jewish children and youth, they are always receptive to the Torah and Mitzvoth. This has again confirmed the truth of the Torah and of the Lubavitch approach, namely, that the Torah and Mitzvoth are part of the Jewish essence, and that it is only necessary to help a Jew bring this essence to the fore and rediscover himself. And having been brought into the experience of Torah and Mitzvoth, they are happy and grateful, and proceed to go from strength to strength on their own accord, and help others, in the manner of a chain reaction.

It is customary to make a reference to the Torah portion of the week, in which any event takes place. It is, therefore, significant that the weekly portion Lech-L'cho begins with G‑d's call to Abraham to leave his land and birthplace, etc., in order to begin a new life in the Promised Land.

Symbolically speaking, this is also the call and challenge to every Jew, at all times and in all places. It is the eternal call to the Jew not to allow himself to be swept by the outside environment, nor to be swayed by inborn temptations, or acquired habits, or common dally routine. A Jew must rise above all this and follow the Divine call to go 'To the land which I (G‑d) will show you" - the Jewish way of life, which G‑d prescribed for Abraham, the first Jew, and for our Jewish people as a whole at Mt. Sinai. Moreover, G‑d promises that this way of life, far from being impossible, as some mistakenly think, is within reach of every Jew, and it is the source of blessing for himself and the society in which he lives, as G‑d further promised, “And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

I send my prayerful wishes that the enthusiasm and dedication of all participants in this Banquet will inspire also others to a concerted and ever growing effort in behalf of Torah-true education, both for the young as well as for the “old” who are still “young” in Jewish knowledge and experience. May G‑d bless you with Hatzlocho and true Nachas from your children, and fulfill your heart’s desires for good materially and spiritually.

With esteem and blessing,
M. Schneerson