This letter was addressed to the Committee of the BeisRivkah School for Girls in Paris.

B”H, the first day of Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5707

Greetings and blessings,

According to the directives of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita, we have included the Beis Rivkah school in France in the network of schools under our direction.

Under separate cover, we are sending you the standard program for the BeisRivkah schools. If you feel that it is necessary to make any changes in this program for the school in Paris according to the local circumstances, please notify us of your suggestions.

In the Beis Rivkah schools, the Ashkenazic pronunciation is employed.

We are including a list of questions. Please fill it out and send it to us.

Our Sages comment (Taanis 20a): “When Adar enters, we increase our joy.” [The additional happiness] comes as a result of Purim. As explained in Chassidus, the fundamental idea of Purim is that [the Jews] put into practice what they had accepted previously at the Giving of the Torah (Shabbos 88a). Therefore, just as the Giving of the Torah was dependent on the women making the commitment to accept it first (Shmos Rabbah 28:2), so, too, the fundamental element of the Purim miracle was brought about by women, as stated by Rashbam (Tosafos, Megillah 4a, s.v. sheaf; see the resolution of the questions in the gloss of Rashash).

With the blessing “Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to Redemption,”

Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson