By the Grace of G‑d
16 Sivan, 5719 [1959]
Brooklyn
Blessings and Greetings!114
You1 write of your state of mind, in which you find it difficult to make decisions on any matter and remain in doubt as to whether you are doing as you ought, and so on.
In view of your upbringing, of which you write, there is certainly no need for me to emphasize the subject of Divine Providence, a fundamental principle in our faith and in our Torah, the Torah of Life.89 The meaning of this concept, hashgachah peratis, is straightforward — that G‑d, Who created and directs the world, watches over every man and woman, not only in public matters, but also in his private affairs. This concept enables us to understand the principle of trusting in the One Who conducts the world and Who is the essence of good, for accordingly, everything is also for the good, plainly and simply.
Every believer’s mind, too, understands that the first direct result of this trust is that there is no worry and no confusion. For when a person is weighing in his mind what he should decide and how he should act, at that time, too, G‑d is watching over him and helping him, helping all those who desire what is good and upright. And when one conducts himself according to the directives of the Torah, this is the good path, and such conduct in itself helps a person to go ahead with all his affairs in a way that is good for him.
As in all matters of faith, the above-mentioned principle likewise requires neither intellectual argumentation nor profound and complex philosophical proofs. For every individual of the Children of Israel, man or woman, senses in his soul that he truly has faith — even when he is not thinking about whether this principle is correct or whether it is a rational imperative. As the Sages affirm, all Jews are “believers, the descendants of believers.”2 This means that the faith that is within them, both in their own right and as a heritage from their forebears who were believers, and all the spiritual properties that became theirs in their own right and also as a heritage, — this faith and these spiritual properties are utterly strong within them all. This is self-explanatory.
I hope that these lines of mine, limited as they are in quantity, will suffice to rouse your thoughts and to guide you toward the truest and innermost point within your own self — that in your innermost soul you most definitely trust that G‑d watches over you. All you need to do is to bring forth this thought from within your soul to your day-to-day life. After all, “there is nothing that stands in the way of the will.”3
As was said above, the way to accomplish this is not by profound intellectual debate, but by relying on your inner feeling that you place your trust in G‑d — not by seeking out doubts, nor by creating problematic queries that are not at all problematic and in fact do not trouble you. Averting your attention from all of this will no doubt help you to rid yourself easily of all the confusing factors that have been spoken of.
It would be advisable that before the morning prayers on weekdays, a few times a week, you set aside a few cents to be donated for tzedakah — preferably on Mondays and Thursdays and on the eve of Shabbos. And it goes without saying that such an undertaking should be made without a formal vow.4
With blessings for a strengthening of your bitachon and for good news regarding all the above,
[Signed by a secretary on behalf of the Rebbe]
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