A respected rabbi wrote a letter to the Rebbe, but for some reason he did not receive a reply. The rabbi then penned a letter to one of the Rebbe’s aides complaining why his letter was ignored. The following is the Rebbe’s response to the rabbi.
By the Grace of G‑d
Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5746
[September 5, 1986]
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Greeting and Blessing:
I duly received from Rabbi Groner the letters with reference to me—more precisely, to my failure to respond to your correspondence.
Let me say at once that your complaints are completely justified. I can only ask your indulgence to judge me “in the scale of merit.” I assure you that my failure to respond does not reflect anything in the nature of “cold shouldering,” as you put it, ח"ו [G‑d forbid]. As for an explanation of the absence of written responses on my part—I plead “guilty without explanation,” since an explanation would have to be rather lengthy and beyond the scope of this letter. I must therefore rely on the כף זכות [benefit of the doubt], that you will believe me when I say that the cause has absolutely nothing to do with you.
The reason I am writing to you now is not hard to find, since we have entered the month of Elul, when it is time to make amends for past failures. And although, obviously, these few lines cannot quantitatively suffice for all that has been omitted, they hopefully can suffice in terms of quality and real content.
As you know, the month of Elul is explained by the well-known allegory of the Alter Rebbe [Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Chabad rebbe] as the time when “the King is in the field.” This is the time when the King is pleased to be greeted by the workers in the field, and is particularly gracious to accept their petitions (Likutei Torah, Re’eh 32, col. 2). All of us, together and individually, are of course included in this extraordinary and auspicious opportunity.
May it indeed be so with you and your wife, to enjoy many, many good and pleasant years together. And “good and pleasant” in your case includes the fullest utilization of the capacities that HaShem [G‑d] has bestowed on you for the benefit of the prat [individual] and klal [community].
With prayerful wishes for a Kesivo vaChasimo Tovo [“favorable writing and sealing”], for a good and sweet year, and
With esteem and blessing,
M. Schneersohn
The previously offended rabbi responded to the Rebbe that he does not feel that it is appropriate for a man of the Rebbe’s stature to apologize to him . . . To this the Rebbe responded with the following:
By the Grace of G‑d
In the Days of Selichoth, 5746 (1986).
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Greeting and Blessing:
I was pleased to receive your letter of Sept. 18th . . .
To begin with a blessing, this gives me the opportunity to reiterate my prayerful wishes for a Kesivo vaChasimo Tovo, for a good and sweet year, including the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good in the matters about which you wrote.
If I may make a remark, in the spirit of the old Jewish custom, I am surprised at your reaction to my letter, in your words לא זו הדרך [“this is not the appropriate way”]. Surely there has not been any greater man than Moshe Rabbeinu [Moses], and [the classic commentator of the Torah] Rashi (in a commentary even on the level of a five-year-old child beginning to learn Chumash [the Pentateuch]) remarks about Moshe Rabbeinu,
You also know that when the daughters of Tzelofchod presented to Moshe Rabbeinu their claim for inheritance,1 adding that their father had no part in Korach’s rebellion (39 years earlier), Moshe Rabbeinu immediately disqualified himself from making a judgment, considering their remark as a possible “bribery,” and instead presented the case directly to HaShem, as explained in various commentaries.
Anyway, the important thing is that it is always good to clear up any possible misunderstanding, especially when a good personal relationship is involved.
בברכת כתיבה וחתימה טובה לשנה טובה ומתוקה לו ולכל אשר לו
[With blessing for a Kesivo vaChasimo Tovo and a good and sweet year for you and yours],
With esteem and blessing,
M. Schneersohn
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