Letter from the Rebbe of Lubavitch - Guidance and Assistance for the Activities of the Yad L'Achim Organization ...

Letter from the Rebbe of Lubavitch - Guidance and Assistance for the Activities of the Yad L'Achim Organization, Guidance in the Study of the Chabad Doctrine - 1955
Letter from Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn of Lubavitch-Chabad, with his handwritten signature. Brooklyn, Iyar 1955. Typewritten on the official stationery of the Rebbe, with his handwritten signature. With handwritten corrections by the Rebbe, and the addition of the blessing "Hatzlacha" ("success") in his handwriting. The letter was addressed to R. Shlomo Noach Kroll, and relates to the activities of the Yad L'Achim organization, of which R. Kroll was a leading activist. In the letter, the Rebbe advises the organization that in times when their resources are limited, they should concentrate on rescue matters only, rather than operating in various fields simultaneously, since this is their "principal and most responsible function… and only when money remains in the budget and they have more hours of work available should they work on improving the situation from good to better". Further in the letter, the Rebbe writes: "I was shocked to hear that a known Orthodox party [presumably Agudat Yisrael] is opposing you, and I hope that there is some exaggeration involved". The Rebbe adds that he is prepared to deal with it, but requests that they first consult R. Shalom Dov Lifshitz, president of the organization, and thereafter advise him of the verified facts, so that he can approach R. Yitzchak Meir Levin, head of Agudat Yisrael, and ask him to take care of the complaints. However, the Rebbe writes, they should take into account that if he gets involved, R. Levin will deduce that the activists were implicated in filing the complaints against Agudat Yisrael. The letter concludes with the Rebbe's blessings: "And may G-d grant you success to fulfill the goals of the Pe'ilim in full, to bring prominence and glory to Torah". The second half of the letter deals with guidance on the proper way of studying the Chabad doctrine. The Rebbe concludes by writing: "He will find the main points of the Chassidic doctrine and philosophy, in Shaar HaYichud VehaEmuna…". Before his signature, the Rebbe added in his handwriting the word "[BeBirkat] Hatzlacha" - "[With the blessing of] success". In several places there are handwritten corrections, presumably inserted by the Rebbe. The last part of the letter was published in Igrot Kodesh, vol. XI, p. 81. The first part of the letter (more than half), was however never published, and is being disclosed now for the first time. R. Shlomo Noach Kroll (1928-1999) was the rabbi of Chemed, dean of the Chemdas Shmuel yeshiva, and an activist of Yad L'Achim. A close disciple of R. David Povarsky and of Rav Shach. He was the son-in-law of R. Yaakov Landau Rabbi of Bnei Brak. Aerogram. 30 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks. Filing holes.