In one of his many public gatherings, known as farbrengens, the Rebbe related the following: “A wise individual pointed out to me an insight quoted by the Chidah. ‘Even if Jews only possess the merit of hope and anticipation for Mashiach, this alone renders them worthy of living to witness his coming.’
“In my opinion,” continued the Rebbe, “it would be beneficial to publicize this cardinal belief. Rather than mentioning it in my name which may meet some opposition, I would suggest that the actual authors of these holy books where this insight is written — the Radak and the Chidah — be quoted.
“Amongst the letters I recently received was one written by a woman who was frightened by a chain letter that was sent to her. In the letter, she was urged to send it to ten other parties so that she may gain some benefit from this. She understood this to mean that if she did not comply, she might face an unwanted threat.
“I recommended that she tear up the letter, as it was utterly insignificant, and completely remove any worry she had associated with it. Based on the following verse, I reassured her of the fact that as Jews, we are not to fear even heavenly signs. ‘Thus says G‑d, “Do not learn the ways of the nations, and do not fear the heavenly signs; for the nations fear them”’ (Yirmeyahu 10:2).
“After responding to her letter, I rethought the matter and realized that I do not know this woman just as she does not personally know me, other than her finding comfort in consulting me on this matter. Why did this come my way? I thought. It had to be so that I can learn a lesson that directly pertains to matters of holiness.
“Every permissible thing in our universe must be able to be recognized as having a Divine cause for its existence.
“If we see the concept of a mail marketing chain letter in the mundane world, one must utilize this gimmick and marketing approach with the intent of spreading something positive. In our discussion, this is the uplifting message of the imminent arrival of Mashiach. This, then, is my urgent call to all: To write a positive letter including the promising message of Mashiach’s ultimate arrival while encouraging the recipients of the letter to send it, in turn, to ten of their friends. Unlike the chain letters composedin the secular world, a Jew should only convey blessings and not write anything threatening or worrisome [to the recipients]. One may ask, however, how does one have the right to offer blessings to a person he does not even know? The answer is obvious. Each Jew is endowed with the ability to grant blessings as did the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
“A further question may be asked: the message of [Mashiach’s] imminent arrival has already been written about and is widely disseminated in our saintly Torah books. Why then use a ‘worldly’ method to spread this vital message?
“The answer is clear. The mere fact that this Torah insight and the creative mundane approach of ‘getting the word out’ were both recently brought to my attention serves as clear proof to me to act upon it with haste and [use it for a spiritual purpose].”
Toras Menachem 5746, Vol. 1, p. 536
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