The name of the person to whom this letter was sent was not released.

B”H, 21 Adar II, 5711,
Brooklyn

Blessings and greetings,1

I was sorry to hear from your husband, the chassidic communal leader…, that you feel brokenhearted and that you are having difficulty getting back to yourself because of the [undesirable] occurrence; may such things never occur.

In general, the entire Jewish people, both men and women, are believers, the descendants of believers.2 That means that they believe and also understand intellectually that G‑d — and only He — controls the world.

Similarly, all Jews believe with complete faith that G‑d is the ultimate of good; the essence of goodness.

You have also certainly heard the statement of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, זצוקללה"ה, נבג"ם, זי"ע, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that every Jew, man or woman, is cherished by G‑d like an only son is cherished by his father (and even more so. We use that example only because we cannot conceive of any love greater than that felt toward an only son.)

Consequently, everything that G‑d does is for the good. [Moreover,] G‑d desires that the Jews enjoy not only spiritual good, but also material good. Thus the good [He will grant them] will not only be spiritual, but also material.

And as mentioned, all Jews believe this and also understand it intellectually.

It happens in some instances that this point remains [only] in a person’s faith and understanding, but unfortunately does not reach the feelings in his heart. Therefore, ostensibly, it may seem that a particular event is a reason to feel brokenhearted and sad, Heaven forbid. Since, ostensibly it appears to him that the reality is [disheartening] and the true [Divine] intent that it is for the good remains hidden in his mind, it is possible that the true [positive] intent — the ultimate good — [motivating] the event that had such a negative effect on him remains hidden from the person’s eyes and it will not be shown to him.

If, however, a person works on himself to draw his faith and his understanding into the feelings of his heart so that it is impossible for him to see the event in any way other than “everything that the Merciful One does is for the good,”3 i.e., apparent good, to the extent that he feels it in his heart, that person will also see that good in a revealed manner. G‑d will reward him “measure for measure,”4 i.e., [the outcome will be of] the same nature [as the person’s service]. G‑d will reveal for everyone, particularly for the person himself, the good that is hidden in that event to the extent that it can be seen with one’s material eyes.

It is clear that it is a difficult task to bring about such [feelings] within one’s [heart]. This task is, however, easier for those who grew up with chassidic parents, for those who married chassidim, and for those who set up their homes in a chassidic manner so that it would be permeated with the spirit and customs of chassidim.

I wish you that very soon G‑d will show you — together with your husband and your son — the ultimate good contained in the different events in your life that you have not been able to appreciate until now. May you all be happy together with regard to both material and spiritual matters.

With blessing,