This letter is addressed to Mr. Yitzchak Spalter.

B”H, Yud-Tes Kislev,
the holiday of our redemption
and the deliverance of our souls, 5711,
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greetings and blessings,

I duly received your letter and I was happy to read that everything was concluded securely and that you are entirely free.

Even more so, I was happy to read in your letter that you are carrying out and doing what I proposed to you. I write “even more so” in reference to the second matter, because that is also related to your being set free. For G‑d does not desire that a Jew undergo difficulty. The happiness stems from your receiving the blessing of which you were deserving.

The second matter, however, is something that depends on your will. In this, G‑d grants every Jew free choice. As a result, there is a possibility that the yetzer hara will mix itself in and try to prevent one from actually carrying out a good resolution. Thus when you write that you are doing what I proposed of you, there is a basis for hope that you will be able to maintain this. This [good news] generated special happiness for me.

Certainly you are aware of the festival of Yud-Tes Kislev. In any event, I am enclosing the description [of that holiday] that we prepared in English. From it, you will receive a glimpse of some of the fundamental principles of Chassidus. It is my hope that you will be able to arrange time to study this. Our mutual friend, Mr. Aharon Katz, will certainly help you in this regard.

I conclude with a blessing and a wish that you will always be able to share good tidings about yourself and about the members of your household.

Menachem Schneerson

Enclosed is a receipt for the check which I gave to the “secret chamber”1 of Machne Israel, the special fund established by my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ, for charity given in a discreet manner to individuals and institutions. This task, like all the other activities of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, הכ"מ, is still being carried further and, with G‑d’s help, being expanded.