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

ב"ה,
9 Sivan, 5711,
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greetings and blessings,

I just now received your letter from the 25th of Iyar. Certainly, you have already received the kuntreis and the sichos together with my letter. At a time of [Divine] favor, I will mention you and your wife at the gravesite of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, for everything that you need.

My message remains the same. As I wrote to you already, I do not understand your bitterness and your depressed mood.1 “Even the distributor of water is appointed from Heaven”;2 in particular, this applies to a Rabbi in Israel. Therefore it is obvious that you have to know the responsibility incumbent upon you. It is, however, even more obvious that if these ideas cause you sadness and depression, they are coming from the other side3 or, as my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, would say, “the clever one.”4 Every hour and every moment that you think of such things, [you should realize that] they are thoughts coming from the other side. Concerning them, it is said5 that as soon as they ascend to one’s mind, they should be pushed away with both hands; one should divert his attention from them and not accept them willingly. This is said about any person, for “the attribute of a beinoni is the attribute of all men and every man is drawn after it.” 6 (There is no contradiction to this concept from the statement in Tanya that a beinoni never committed a sin and yet, in ch. 14, [the Alter Rebbe] writes that “every person can be a beinoni at every moment and at any time.” [The resolution is that] according to the person’s present situation, it is not appropriate to speak of him sinning, not in the past and not in the future. This is not the place for further explanation of this point.)

From all the above, it can be understood that I do not approve at all of the statements in your letter that you are looking for another position. You should remain in your [present] position and be strong in your trust in G‑d that He will point you in the proper direction and that you will find success in your holy work. If any doubts regarding this arise, these are not doubts about your ability, but rather a weakness in your trust. The advice in such a situation is to study Shaar HaBitachon (“The Portal of Trust”) in the text Chovos HaLevavos (“The Duties of the Heart”) and in general to be bound to the Tree of Life, i.e., the study of Chassidus, to participate in a chassidic farbrengen with genuine chassidic joy, and, on frequent occasions, to be happy and to make others happy.

Since you have already entered your new home, you should arrange a chassidic farbrengen [there] with the appropriate spirit, and recall past times when farbrengens were held without inhibitions and without reckoning what so-and-so and so-and-so would say, nor with what one’s own left or right side would say. Then it was known that a chassidic farbrengen — hearing Chassidus, be it a chassidic adage or a story of our Rebbeim, זי"ע— infuses light. And a small amount of light dispels much darkness.

Moreover, why is it necessary to think of darkness? Think more about light. In particular, this is true when it is during the time that the First Tablets were given,7 which are associated with freedom, as it is said:8 “Do not read ‘engraved’ (חרות), read ‘freedom’ (חירות).”

May it be G‑d’s will that the new home lead to the fulfillment of the adage:9 “One who changes his place changes his fortune” and in a positive way. May your home be a warm home, a happy home, filled with “the lamp of mitzvah and the light of the Torah,”10 including the luminary of the Torah, 11 the teachings of Chassidus, the paths of Chassidus, and the customs of Chassidus. From time to time, may chassidic farbrengens be held there.

I await good news about the improvement of your spirits and that, finally, you have the kabbalas ol (the acceptance of G‑d’s yoke) to resolve that from now on, you will fulfill the command of our holy Torah to serve G‑d with happiness and with gladness of heart.