This letter was sent to R. Yaakov Yosef Weiss, the Spinker Rebbe of that era.

B”H, 12 Adar II, 5711,
Brooklyn

Greetings and blessings,

Your letter with the four-page enclosure from the text Chakal Yitzchak1was duly received.

I received it and I will return [the favor] by enclosing a kuntres that was published for the Purim holiday from the teachings of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe,,זצוקללה"ה נבג"ם, זי"ע. Undoubtedly, you will find it of substantial interest.

Thank you for the particular points you wrote regarding the passing of the father [of the author] of the Tanya.2I will be thankful if you could notify me of other particulars that you know from a faithful source, because there are very few clear facts that are known about this. Even the year of his passing is not known.

A short note regarding the pages of the text that you sent, [focusing on a point] that relates to matters connected to the present holiday: See the maamar entitled Yavi’u Levush in [Shaarei Orah,] Shaar HaPurim by the Mitteler Rebbe, the son of the author of the Tanya, who explains in his way the difference of opinion between the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel3 [with regard to whether heaven or earth was created first,] and also the opinion of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai4 that they were created together. This point is not understood according to the explanations in the pages you sent. [In the maamar cited, the Mitteler Rebbe] states that the words את השמים ואת הארץ, “the heaven and the earth,”5 serve as an acronym for G‑d’s name אהוה (Zohar, Vol. I, p. 251a). That is also true of the phrase [from the Megillah]:6את הלבוש ואת הסוס, “the garment and the horse.” Consult that source.

With blessings for a joyous Purim,