This letter was addressed to R. Moshe Atar of Harrisburg, Pa., and the members of his community.

B”H, 24 Adar I, 5711,
Brooklyn

Greetings and blessings,

I read with pleasure your letter about the farbrengen held among the chassidic brotherhood to strengthen their bonds with one another and their bond with the Tree of Life, the light of the teachings of Chassidus and the character traits evoked by Chassidus, teachings that are “the words of the living G‑d,”1 given to us as a heritage by our ancestors, the holy Rebbeim, from the Baal Shem Tov until my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, [who served as] our Nesiim זצוקללה"ה, נבג"ם ;2 may their merit protect us and all of Israel.

In the Midrash Akabir — quoted in Yalkut Shimoni of this week on the verse:3 “And Moshe gathered” — our Sages comment:

The Holy One, blessed be He, said (to Moshe): “Gather together large congregations and speak before them... so that they will learn from you to gather congregations together in the coming generations to teach and give instruction to the children of Israel... so that My great name will be praised among My children.”

We learn from this that if the Moshe of a congregation or of a group of Jews in his congregation gathers together its members and [together] they study about the path [of conduct] that they should follow, this represents praise of G‑d’s “great name.” As is well known,4 the entire concept of a name is relevant only [when relating] to others. This applies above as well, as it were. G‑d’s Essence and Being is not alluded to by any letter or point of a letter.5 His names are relevant only with regard to the creation of the worlds, as our Sages state (Menachos 28b): “With the yud (of G‑d’s explicit name, the name Havayah) the World to Come was created.”

The expression “His great name” refers to an even [higher level], a level that reflects the potential to create worlds, even before their actual creation. In that vein, our Sages state (Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, ch. 3): “Before the world was created, there existed only He and His great name.” Even this Divine holiness can be reached and praised and glorified by speaking in a community and holding a farbrengen with words of Chassidus which instruct and show what is forbidden and what is permitted, and what is the path and the way that ascends to the house of G‑d.

Please relay greetings — to each one individually — to all those who participated in the farbrengen. Convey blessings to them for success in their endeavors and for both material and spiritual sustenance, each one in the manner appropriate for him in both material and spiritual matters.

With blessings for all forms of material and spiritual well-being,