This letter was sent to the directorate of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim for the immigrants from Russia located in Lod.

B”H, 12 Adar II, 5711,
Brooklyn

Greetings and blessings,

I received with pleasure your letter of the 23rd of Adar I and the detailed report of the goings on in the yeshivah,in both a material and spiritual sense. I also derived satisfaction from seeing the list of the students together with their mothers’ names. Without committing myself with a vow, I will read them tomorrow at the gravesite of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, זצוקללה"ה, נבג"ם, זי"ע.

Because of my preoccupations and because of the coming Purim holiday, it is not an appropriate time to respond at length to the questions about which you asked me to express my opinion regarding your letter and the above-mentioned report. I will limit myself here to making several general points. As a preface:

In previous eras, the responsibility of yeshivos and talmud torahs was primarily [to train students] to study the Torah and thrive in that study. The observance of the mitzvos in practice and the carrying out of Jewish customs was self-understood as a natural consequence of the education every Jewish boy or girl received at home and in the environment in which they spent those hours when they were not within the walls of the house of study or yeshivah.

The times have changed. At present, one of the tasks of a yeshivah and a talmud torah — and its primary one — is firstly to make a student into a yarei shamayim, one who fears G‑d, as it is written:1 “And G‑d has commanded us to observe all these statutes so that [we] fear G‑d, our L‑rd.”

As a practical consequence of these words, it is incumbent on every talmud torah and yeshivah in general, and on those yeshivos that were founded by our Nesiim, the Nesiim of Chabad, in particular, to focus everything on achieving their fundamental purpose — that the students should be observant Jews, warm-hearted Jews, and chassidic Jews. With this [basic] outlook, I will make the [following] points in response to your request to express my opinion regarding the study schedule in the yeshivah and the talmud torah.

a) It is necessary to include the study of the laws and customs of the Jewish people in the curriculum of study in all the divisions. This applies with regard to both the lower classes and the higher classes.

b) A great effort should be made that the schedule of Shabbasos, holidays, Chol HaMoed, and the like [be structured to affect] the students’ lives in a way that will inculcate the laws and customs of the Jewish people naturally through their participation in the customs of Shabbos, the celebration of Purim, the Pesach Seder, and the like. It is well known that whatever is taught to students through actual practice in a natural way is sometimes much more effective than what is possible to teach them through speech and instruction.

c) On the surface, the study of Gemara and the like should be in the morning, at the beginning of the time of study. The study of Chumash and the like which does not require as much mental focus can be in the afternoon hours; not the reverse.

d) It is proper to institute the study of Chassidus before prayer. I was surprised that this has not been done until now. Perhaps this was omitted from your report by mistake. As is well known, this was the practice in all of our yeshivos from the earliest times. Indeed, it is even the practice of [chassidic] married men in their homes.

e) Undoubtedly, there are students in your institution for whom it is appropriate to study the works of the later halachic authorities.

f) The individual study of Chumash together with Rashi’s commentary [should be instituted] for those students who do not study this as part of the yeshivah’s schedule.

g) The recitation [of the daily portion] of Tehillim should be instituted after the [Morning] Prayers.

From the themes of this [holiday] season we should take a lesson that affects our actual conduct, as explained in the kuntres for Purim of this year, namely:

Despite the challenges, difficulties, and confusing influences, one must stand strong in the actual observance of the Torah and its mitzvos. In particular, one must add strength and increased effort in the work of kosher Jewish education, to teach Jewish boys and girls about G‑d’s mitzvos and His Torah.

There may be places where there are [deliberate and] apparent decrees or devious, covert designs that seek to “hold shut [the doors of] the synagogues and houses of study,” [A quote from the maamar mentionedin Letter No. 941.] so that, Heaven forbid, the Jewish people will be caused to forget G‑d’s Torah and His mitzvos and in that way, drive them away from [their connection to] G‑dliness.

It is necessary to know that specifically in an era when there are decrees against Jewish observance, and the concealment and veiling of G‑dliness has increased to the extent that there are those who turn light into darkness (i.e., they use matters that should increase the light of holiness for augmenting the darkness of kelipah and sitra achra)2 — “At such a time, potential is granted from Above to transform the darkness to the light that is good.”2

When we guard — to the extent of self-sacrifice — young boys and girls, then, to borrow the wording of the Midrash:3“When there are young children, there will be elders; there will be wise men, there will be sages, there will be Torah study, there will be synagogues and houses of study.” And — and this is the ultimate purpose — G‑d will rest His presence in this lowly material world. For the sitra achra will be subjugated and darkness will be transformed to light. G‑d’s infinite light will shine forth.

With blessings for a joyous Purim and with greetings to our entire fellowship,

M. Schneerson