What’s the source for writing to the Rebbe via the Igros Kodesh?

“Stump the Rabbi” with Rabbi Noam Wagner

Let us first explore the idea of writing to the Rebbe in the first place.

In the Gemara¹ Rav Pinchas bar Chama is quoted as saying: “Anyone who has a sick person in his home should go to a sage (’Chacham’), and the sage will ask for mercy for him.” The Rema cites this as a Halacha as well.²

The obvious question is, why can’t I daven to Hashem directly? Why do I need the Tzadik to daven on my behalf?

A person definitely could, should and must daven himself, but the purpose of going to the Tzadik is for more than healing. Chassidus explains that Hashem wants us to connect to a Tzadik, fulfilling the mitzvah of cleaving to Hashem by cleaving to a Talmid Chacham. Sometimes, when this connection is weakened, Hashem “arranges” that the person experiences hardships, so he will reinstate his connection to the Tzaddik.

Now, one of the strongest forms of connection is through writing, because what I just think or say doesn’t always bring out of me who I truly am, but when a Chassid writes a Pan or a letter to the Rebbe, he is putting his very own essence, his Neshama onto that piece of paper.

As a Chassidic saying goes,³ based on the Mishna at the beginning of tractate Kiddushin, regarding how a woman is betrothed: Haisha nikneis b’shlosha derachim: b’kesef b’shtar ub’biah — a Chassid connects to the Rebbe in three ways, and all three are necessary.

1. With kesef, money — Ma’amad to support the Rebbe and his communal activities;

2. With shtar, a written document — writing to the Rebbe; and

3. With biah — coming and traveling to the Rebbe.

A Chassid’s first connection to the Rebbe is the letter he writes to the Rebbe, the first Yechidus, and the ones after always begin with the Chassid handing the Rebbe his Pan.

Similarly, Chassidim customarily wrote and signed a K’sav Hiskashrus when the time came to take upon themselves and establish a connection with the new Rebbe, as was the case with the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Chassidim after the Rebbe Rashab’s Histalkus in 5780, and years later in 5710, when Chassidim connected to the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Histalkus.

The concept of communicating with and writing to the Rebbe, we see, is so important to the extent that the Rebbe says that sometimes Hashem will make something go wrong in your life just to make you write to the Rebbe! The connection to the Rebbe is vital for you to fulfill your life’s mission.

The Rebbe, of course, urges Chassidim not to wait for things to go wrong, and maintain that connection with no need for “incentives.”

So, this concept is something that always was, is and will continue to be for all times — a Chassid must write to the Rebbe.

***

Now

to the second question — the idea of receiving answers through the Igros Kodesh.

I want to first focus on why receiving an answer is important.

[There is value in writing to the Rebbe in and of itself, but the primary objective of writing to the Rebbe is seeking the Rebbe’s direction as representing the word of Hashem and his guidance on how to conduct our life in sync with Hashem’s Divine plan. For that you need to also receive the Rebbe’s answer…

Obviously, handing it or mailing it to the Rebbe directly and receiving a direct answer is preferable, but there are times when this is not possible.]

The Rebbe said in 5710⁴, that when someone has difficulty sending his letter to the tziyun, he can put the letter into a kuntres or ma’amar of the Rebbe. At another opportunity, the Rebbe said that we need to write, and the Rebbe, being unbound to nature, will find a way to answer…”

The obvious explanation for this is the following:

Just like we find that Hashem has kavyachol invested Himself and given Himself over to us through the Torah, [as the first word of the Aseres HaDibros, אנכי, abbreviates the words אנא נפשי כתבית יהבית, “I have written and given Myself”] — similarly, Tzaddikim invest themselves into their Torah and sefarim, so by putting a letter into a sefer of the Rebbe, we are directly giving It to the Rebbe.

It is not a new thing. In fact, it’s a very old and widespread Jewish custom (not only among Chassidim – see p. 10 in tis issue).

Among Chassidim, it was even stronger and more powerful, especially in the hard times in the former Soviet Union. Chassidim for many generations back had the custom to put their letter into a Tanya, or even a Siddur which is also a sefer of the Alter Rebbe!

The answer was there because the Rebbe has invested himself in his Torah, and his Torah is his answer. Chassidim, throughout the generations who were in situations wherein they couldn’t directly communicate with the Rebbe, found answers for their questions by “randomly” opening a sefer of the Rebbe B’Hashgacha Pratis.

Like the Rebbe said, the Rebbe will find a way…

***

Regarding

the Igros Kodesh, all this and more is true:

In our times, there are tens of thousands of people who use the Rebbe’s published letters to connect to him and receive B’rachos and guidance on a daily basis. The tremendous miracles seen coming out of this practice are in a sense like the Rebbe is giving his approval to it [as long as one follows the Rebbe’s clear instructions — see The Rules of Writing to the Rebbe on p. 44 of this issue – Ed.]

[Chazal say that regarding some Halachos, we can rely on what people out there do because even “if the Jewish people are not prophets, they are sons of prophets,” insinuating that a popular practice of many Jews is a form of prophecy.]

The main point, though is that we, on our part, need to write.

An additional advantage of writing to the Rebbe and opening his sefer to read his letter which can be seen clearly is that when you get an answer from the Rebbe, it leads to and becomes poel mamash — action.

Let’s conclude with one small story illustrating this:

About five years ago, I got a phone call a few days before Pesach. “Are you having a Pesach Seder?” a voice of man asked. “Yes,” I said.

“How much does it cost?” he asked. “It doesn’t cost, everyone’s invited. Just come!” I told him.

“Can I bring my wife? He asked. “Sure!” I told him.

“But what if she’s not Jewish?”

Now that becomes a Halachic question, as you’re not allowed to cook especially for a non-Jew on Yom Tov, but we figured that out, and they both came. Turns out he was an Isreali Jew living in South Africa who Rachmana Litzlan was living with a non-Jewish woman, but his Neshama wanted a connection with Yiddishkeit and a Pesach Seder.

They came for the Seder, and after Pesach, we stayed in touch. We invited him again for Shavuos. When he told us that he’s planning to visit Eretz Yisrael soon, we suggested to him to write a letter to the Rebbe, which he did.

He opened up a volume of the Igros Kodesh, and in it, the Rebbe writes that you should learn Chassidus every week.

Since then, for over five years, he’s still coming every week to my house, he puts on tefillin, and we study Chassidus., we learn sichos of the Rebbe and Tanya. We learned the whole Tanya already!

He says that he wouldn’t miss this weekly study for anything, “It’s the oxygen I breathe!”

Now imagine if we just said, “ask the Rebbe for a B’racha,” would he be in the same place now?

The fact that he opened the Igros Kodesh and allowed himself to be open to an answer from the Rebbe certainly was something that contributed to his Yiddishkeit – today he learns Chassidus every week because of what the Rebbe wrote to him! And many other things changed in his whole life as a result.

I see this playing out many times, in my life and in the life of others who I know.

I know a woman who needed a B’racha for children. She wrote to the Rebbe several times and received answers to add in Tznius, Mezuzos, Kashrus, whatever it was. These things were fixed and strengthened, and the woman was blessed with children.

It’s not only that the Rebbe gave a B’racha and the problem was solved. That could have happened without the Igros Kodesh. Something actually changed in her life through this communication with the Rebbe.

Fixing and improving these areas, coming out of Emunah P’shuta that these are the Rebbe’s instructions to me, actually changed something in the person’s life! ■

Comments

[Want to know the source]

Thank you! very informative!
Could you please share the sources of farbrengens or sichos where the Rebbe said that things will go wrong for a person when he needs to connect to the Rebbe? or that writing a letter is putting your neshama into it?