By the Grace of G‑d
7 Adar, 5712
Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Eleventh Annual Convention
of The Committee for Furtherance of
Jewish Education, under the auspices
of the Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, Inc.
G‑d bless you all

Sholom u'Brocho:

On the occasion of your Eleventh Annual Convention. taking place on Sunday, the eve of Erev Purim, 5712, I send you all — members, instructors and friends, my heartfelt greetings and best wishes.

I have followed with profound interest the work of your Committee, ever since its foundation by my father-in-law of sainted memory. I am glad to know that it has grown from year to year, in scope and quality, for in growth lies the sign of life. I trust it will continue to grow and at an accelerated pace, in accordance with the wishes of the great founder, and commensurate with the need of the hour.

Your convention taking place so close to Purim is full of significance and should set the tone for it.

Our Sages say that the Miracle of Purim, which rescinded the Heavenly decree for the Jews from death to life, physically and spiritually, was brought about by the fact that Mordechai had gathered 22,000 Jewish children, whom he taught the Torah and with whom he prayed for G‑d's mercy. He imbued them with the spirit of self-sacrifice so that they declared unanimously, "In life or in death we will not part from Mordechai!"

Let us remember that Mordechai was one of the heads of the Sanhedrin, the greatest Jew of his time in scholarship, piety and all possible attributes of greatness. Nevertheless, he set everything aside in order to strengthen the foundations of education, actually going in person to teach the holy Torah with piety and Mesiras Nefesh, to small children.

The profound message for us is this: No matter what one's station in life is, or how important one's activities seem to be, one must, first and foremost, dedicate at least some part of his time and efforts to the most important of all causes — saving our young generation through implanting into them devotion to all that has been holy to us ever since our ancestors received the Torah at Mount Sinai, devotion to the point of self-sacrifice. Only in this way can we make sure that the young generation will remain with us, and, as a matter of course, ensure the existence of our people. Moreover, herein lies our strength against all Hamans, and our security under G‑d's protection.

Wishing you success in increasing the number of your co-workers and instructors and, above all, the number of children under your influence.

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