By the Grace of G‑d
11 Teves, 5724 [1963]
Brooklyn

Blessings and Greetings!114

[...] You1 write of a lack of joy. This is surprising, because both you and your husband surely know that trusting in G‑d, Who is the Creator of the world and Who directs it now, too, is one of the fundamentals of our Torah, the Torah of Life89 [...].

However: The conduct of one’s daily life must accord with the directives of our Torah, the Torah of Life,and with the fulfillment of its mitzvos, concerning which it is written,2 “to live by them” — for the command to do so was issued by the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

You write that you would like to have more children, but that there is a financial question. It would appear that this statement, too, results from a lack in the attribute of trust, even though from time to time you no doubt say the words that have been received and transmitted from generation to generation — that it is G‑d “Who, in His goodness, provides sustenance for the entire world with grace, with kindness and with mercy.”168 This is particularly relevant to the subject of which you write. According to the first commandmentin the Torah3 (and the sequence of statements within the Torah is itself Torah) you should have [more children]. This is G‑d’s command and His request. Yet when He makes a request (to cite the phrase of the Sages4 ), “I request only according to their ability.”5

I hope that these few lines of mine will suffice to clarify the situation as it is, to the point that with a little reflection you will come to a decision to conduct yourself in the said direction — “with joy and with a gladsome heart.”113 [...]

With blessings for good news in all the above,

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