The name of the recipient of this letter was not released.

B”H, 11 Elul, 5710

Greetings and blessings,

[With regard to] your question concerning the pidyonos 1 that are given to me to read at the gravesite of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ: 2

a) This question should be asked to those who give the pidyonos and not to me.


b) It would happen that pidyonos were given to me for my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ, even during his lifetime.

c) With regard to your objection [that by taking the pidyonos], I absolve the giver [of the pidyon] from thinking of teshuvah and pouring out tears: 3 I never thought that way. [On the contrary,] at times I emphasize that [point] to the giver, and at times I connect the reading [of the pan] with a promise by the giver to [make an increase in] the Torah and its mitzvos. Thank G‑d, I have seen the actual fruits of many who have and who are carrying out their promises....

In all your letters, I do not see any mention about how you are working to influence others and draw them close to the teachings of Chassidus and to a connection with my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ. To what can the matter be compared? To a king who charged one of his subjects with a specific responsibility. That subject, however, became involved in another matter. That activity certainly reduced the time and the attention that he could have devoted to fulfilling the responsibility with which the king charged him.

The Rebbe [Rashab] stated that the temimim 4 are candles who shine forth light, i.e., [this is] the unique mission with which their teacher charged them. (Even according to Nigleh, the revealed dimension of Torah Law, one who teaches another person’s son is considered as if he fathered him. 5 In particular, this applies in a chassid-Rebbe relationship, where the term, “as if,” is not appropriate. Instead, he actually fathers him. And the Rebbe said that his children have to be “candles that shine forth light.”)

To say it simply: You must see to it that the place where you are found is bright. This is the very nature and purpose of your soul which descended from a high peak to a low pit. 6

In ..., there are thousands of Jews who do not know about Chassidus or the Rebbe, and those who do know are not aware to the extent that they should be. And yet, there is a Jew, a vintage tomim, who knows many stories that he heard [from the chassidim of yesteryear] and many chassidic concepts, and he thinks: “What connection do I have with them?” True, the Rebbe [Rashab] said that he must be a candle that shines forth light, but he is willing to postpone that until a later time.

It is now the month of Elul. Since I do not like to raise [such] questions, even throughout the year, how much more so will I not elaborate [further] at present, in the month of Elul.

Nevertheless, I would like to suggest, after asking your forgiveness, that you establish for yourself a fixed time to study the teachings of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ, every day, and a fixed session several times a week to study [these teachings] with others.

And you should seek, with the appropriate amount of energy, to draw other Jews closer to the Torah and its mitzvos in general and to the teachings of Chassidus of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ, in particular. If you will involve yourself in these matters, I reckon that the Rebbe will help you and you will be...successful in carrying out the will of the Rebbe, my revered father-in-law, הכ"מ.

With blessings for a kesivah vachasimah tovah,

Menachem Schneerson