Letter 7 ז

Peace and blessing and all good things, forever — to his honor, my beloved, my dear — my mighty friend — the exalted and beloved one — and so on — the Chassid who yearns to do the will of Hashem in completeness — and so on — his honor, his splendor, his glory, our master Rabbi Avraham Yakovitch, may his light shine, may G-d protect him — and his wife — the most praiseworthy of women, a doer of charity and lovingkindness, prolific in deeds and praises, among the tent-dwellers she shall be blessed — Mrs. Hinda Rachel, may she live — and all his household, may they live.

After inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love — as is fitting — as for our own wellbeing — thanks be to Hashem. I have indeed received your letter with the good news that you will send every two weeks 12 dollars as before — and you have indeed done so — and what shall I say to you: the greatness of the commandment you have merited — and the greatness of the vitality with which you have given us life. May Hashem give you life always — and may you merit to pay off all the debts — and may you raise all your children[יו"ח = יוצאי חלציו — "those who come from his loins / his children and descendants." The standard abbreviation for one's offspring.] [יו"ח = יוצאי חלציו — "those who come from his loins / his children." The standard abbreviation for one's offspring. יו"ח = יוצאי חלציו.] to Torah and marriage canopy and good deeds[מעש"ט = מעשים טובים — "good deeds." The standard abbreviation throughout the correspondence.] — and all good things — children, life, and sustenance — and all your wishes for good. So may it be His will. Amen.

And I am truly envious of you — for you have merited to stand in such a great test — for the evil inclination wanted to rob and despoil from you such a commandment — such a treasure — that you merit to accumulate in this world — to give life to such crushed souls in the holy city[עיה"ק = עיר הקודש — "the holy city" (Jerusalem).]. As it says[כמ"ש = כמו שכתוב — "as it is written." The standard citation abbreviation: kemo shekasuv.]: "I have hidden away souls" — from the Talmud, regarding the matter of Munbaz the King — who squandered his treasures during the years of famine. [His brothers said to him: your fathers added to their treasury — and you are spending it all.] He replied: "My fathers stored up below — and I have stored up above." [Talmud, Bava Batra 11a — The story of Munbaz (Monobaz) the King of Adiabene, who distributed his treasuries to the poor during a famine. When his brothers rebuked him, he replied with a series of arguments culminating in: "My fathers stored in a place where a hand can rule over it — I stored in a place where no hand can rule... my fathers stored things that bear no fruits — I stored things that bear fruits... my fathers stored things that are for this world — I stored for the world to come." A classic formulation of the spiritual economics of charity.] And as is said in the Haftarah of Shabbos Chazon [הפטרה בשבת חזון — "the Haftarah of Shabbos Chazon." The Shabbos immediately before Tisha B'Av — called "Shabbos Chazon" (the Shabbos of Vision) after the opening word of its Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1–27. This Shabbos coincides with Rosh Chodesh Av. The Haftarah concludes: "Zion shall be redeemed through judgment — and her returnees through charity."] which is concluded: "Zion shall be redeemed through judgment — and her returnees through charity." [Isaiah 1:27] And through the Sefer HaMidos — the entry on Charity — which is called "Tzaddik" and so on — and is saved from sin and so on — see there at length.

The Parable of the Tzaddik and the King; Charity Is One's True Wealth And as was the story: a certain Tzaddik — a king asked him how much wealth he has — and he told him a certain sum. And the king understood that this was not in accordance with the truth — that he had much more. And the king had him imprisoned. And afterward — at the time of the trial — the king asked him: why did you not speak the truth? [For they had taken all his wealth to the royal house — and it was much more.] And he replied: this is not his — for there may well be, G-d forbid, circumstances that it will not remain with him. And the truth is that the king took all his wealth — but what is truly his is what he gave to charity — that is truly his — for no person can take this from him. [For everything a person merits to do — acts of kindness and charity and all good deeds and Torah and prayer — these are not lost from him — only he should always take care not to regret the good deeds he does — and not to be sorry for the former good things he did, G-d forbid.] And he commanded to bring his charity ledger — and they saw written in it exactly the amount he had told the king — and he was released to freedom — and all his possessions were returned to him. And this is what his honor truly fulfills — charity. As our master the Rebbe זצ"ל said in Torah 4 of Likutay Moharan Tannina[תנינא = תנינא — Aramaic for "second." The second volume of Likutay Moharan (Part 2). Same as ח"ב (Part 2).] — "And the ravens I commanded to sustain you" — that the essential of charity is to break the cruelty — that which has already made his heart cruel — and he no longer wants to give. And he breaks the evil inclination and gives — this is the essential value of charity. And the difficulty of the matter — charity is very hard — like giving birth literally — how many contractions and labor pains and how many cries and groans and sighs and so on — one is compelled through all this before every matter of holiness that the Jewish person wants to perform.

Author's Hebrew Translation of §§4–5 [This comes with great difficulty and one must struggle greatly — weeping and crying — until one merits to perform the holy matter as is fitting: study and prayer and other divine services — and in particular at the beginning when one is not yet accustomed to performing this — it is literally like a woman giving birth for the first time — it comes with great difficulty. So too all the good deeds a Jew does in the world are holy births — as it says: "These are the generations of Noah — Noah was a righteous man" — the essential generations of the righteous are good deeds. All the more so giving charity is harder than all good deeds — and it is always like the labor pain of the first birth — for every time it is a new obstacle from the heart. [For what does this mean: he must take his effort and his self-sacrifice that he invested until he obtained the money — and give it to another — to a stranger — while he could have sustained himself with it — his wife and children — and so on. And therefore it is very very great. And in truth it is only a loan that one lends to Hashem — as it says: "One who is gracious to the poor lends to Hashem." And Hashem repays even in this world a thousandfold — all the more so in the World to Come — the principal is established forever — like planting in the earth — as long as it is good earth (meaning when one finds a good heart — the charity falls into good hands) — trees full of all good grow — as it says: "Sow for yourselves in charity." And in truth one lives in the merit of charity — and one is healed — and no evil has dominion — all in the merit of charity — as stories are brought in the Talmud, the Midrash, and the Zohar. And as brought in the Talmud: more than the master of the house does for the poor — the poor does for the master of the house. In summary: giving charity comes with great difficulty — harder than everything — and why? Because charity is always the beginning — the beginning of all beginnings — it always opens the gates of the service of Hashem and all the gates of mercy. For when a Jew must perform some holy act he must break through the barriers and open the gate — and this is very hard — but when he gives charity — the charity opens for him the door and the gate — for this is the power of charity: to open the gates. And in truth giving charity is hard — for when one gives charity at the time one wants to perform some holy matter — it opens for him the door. [Therefore one gives charity before prayer and before every holy matter and before the Day of Judgment and at times of joy.] Therefore it is hard — but the benefit of charity is very great — and one can work through it so that the livelihood flies to the person so easily that he need not work at all — like the future to come — as it says: "And you shall be called the priests of Hashem." May Hashem grant us merit for this. And there is brought a parable in the Midrash and holy books: a person had three friends... [as above]. Only the free choice is very great and the test of the world is awesome — one forgets the purpose — and happy is the person who remembers that this world is a passing world — and what one snatches remains forever. And the essential must be done with joy — for a commandment with joy is very precious to Hashem — and redeems one's soul and the Shechinah from exile — and merits the highest levels — as the Arizal said: that he reached his level only through performing the commandments with joy. Your friend — wishing you all good.]

"[For what does this mean: he must take his hard-won labor and his self-sacrifice that he invested until he obtained the money — and give it to others — to a stranger — while he could have given life to himself and his wife and children — and so on. And therefore it is very very great — and in truth it is only a loan that one lends to Hashem — as it says: 'One who is gracious to the poor lends to Hashem.' And Hashem repays even in this world a thousandfold more — all the more so in the World to Come — the principal remains established forever — like one who plants in the earth — as long as it is good earth (meaning: when one strikes upon a good heart — the charity falls into good hands) — trees grow full of all good — as it says: 'Sow for yourselves in charity.' And in truth one lives in the merit of charity — and one is healed — and no evil has dominion — all in the merit of charity — as stories are brought in the Talmud, the Midrash, and the Zohar. And as brought in the Talmud: more than the master of the house[בעה"ב = בעל הבית — "the master of the house / the householder." Ba'al habayis — the one who gives charity.] does for the poor person — the poor person does for the master of the house.]"