By the Grace of G‑d
20 Cheshvan, 5738
[November 1, 1977]
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Blessing and Greeting:

After not hearing from you for a long time, I was pleased to receive your letter of Oct. 17.

To begin with the beginning of your letter, where you express strong disapproval at the tone of your earlier letter to me, there is really no need to reproach yourself. After all, the most important thing of a letter is not its outer form, but its contents. Besides, it is important that the writer should write freely, the way he or she feels, without inhibitions. And, needless to say, one feels strongly when it concerns the future of one’s near and dear ones.

With regard to the rest of your letter, you surely know of the assurance by our Sages that when a Jew firmly resolves to do a good thing, the Almighty helps to carry it out. This includes also your good resolutions, even if they may appear to you overly ambitious; for when the help comes from G‑d, it surpasses by far the abilities of a human being alone . . .