By the Grace of G‑d
18 Adar II 5738
Brooklyn, N.Y.
To All Participants in the
National Founders Dinner of
The Rabbinical College of America
Morristown, N. J, 07960
Greeting and Blessing:
I am pleased to be informed about the forthcoming National Founders Dinner and extend to each and all of you, and to the honored guests In particular, heartfelt felicitations and prayerful wishes to make the event a complete success in every respect.
Significantly, the Dinner is taking place on the day after the Blessing or the month of Nissan, at a point in time linking our festivals of Purim and Pesach - the two historic festivals commemorating our nation's deliverance from the ruthless tyrants, Haman and Pharaoh, respectively.
What the two festival, have in common is not only that in both instances our entire nation faced the threat of total annihilation and was saved by the intervention of our Heavenly Father, the Guardian of lsrael. There is also this common denominator that in both cases the Divine intervention was brought about by, and for the sake of, the Jewish children in those days.
For, as tradition has it, the Heavenly mercies were invoked - in the Purim situation - when the pure and innocent children, imbued with the spirit of the Torah under the tutelage of Mordecai, the spiritual leader of that time, declared their readiness to die with him rather than submit to Haman. And similarly, the deliverance from Egyptian bondage came in the merit or the Jewish mothers who, inspired by Moses, raised a generation that proclaimed, "This is my G‑d, l will glorify Him" (Exod. 15:2).
The events of our past, particularly our historic festivals, have been our guidelines through the ages to this day. They teach us that the destiny of our Jewish people is inseparably linked with the Torah education of our children.
A further lesson from both Purim and Pesach, and just as relevant today, is this:
In both instances our Jewish people was in exile - a small, but distinct minority that struggled to preserve its ethnic, religious and cultural identity, something that the tyrannical rulers could not tolerate and therefore sought to destroy under the pretext of “national interests.” But in fact the history of those days, as also verified in subsequent generations, has proven just the opposite. The deliverance of our people from Haman, not only rid that country from a tyrant that could only have brought ruin to all, Jew and non-Jew alike, but it brought new prosperity to the whole country under the wise administration of his successor, Mordecai. While in the case of the Exodus, the deliverance of our people was preparatory to becoming recipients of the Divine Torah which is also “a light unto the nations” for all posterity.
We, all of us, in the U.S.A. are fortunate to live in a country where freedom and democracy are the hallmarks of the American way of life; where, moreover, minorities and ethnic groups are free to preserve and foster their cultures, traditions, and identities with dignity and pride, thereby contributing their full share to the Nation’s [wealth] and spiritual as well as material prosperity.
The growth and development of the Rabbinical College of America is in itself eloquent proof that this is truly a land of opportunity, not only economically but, more importantly, spiritually. Surely, nothing is more vital than strengthening the moral fiber of our society, especially in the present day and age, when confusion and perplexity are rampant among many of our young people.
Needless to say, the growth of this worthy institution of higher learning would not have been possible without the generous support of its devoted friends. I hope and trust that this generous support will grow commensurately with the institution’s growth, which, like all good things, should always be on the ascendancy.
And since G‑d rewards in kind, may He generously and in a steadily growing measure bless each and all of you and yours, in all your needs, both materially and spiritually.
With esteem and blessing
M. Schneerson
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