This week, as part of our trip to NYC, we visited the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place. In addition to praying for blessings of health, happiness, and success for all of us, I was reminded of one of the Rebbe’s greatest legacies: the thousands of letters he penned during his lifetime to people from every walk of life. These responsa, published in the series Igrot Kodesh, are a treasure of wisdom and inspiration.
Most of the letters are in Hebrew, though many appear in Yiddish, English, and other languages. I’ve had the great fortune to study many of them, and every time I’m fascinated. The range of topics is astounding: one letter to a young child, the next to a Torah scholar with a complex halachic question, the next to an IDF general, encouraging him in his sacred mission.
But please—don’t rush through the letters. Sometimes a letter is short and seems simple, but if you slow down and savor each word, you discover how profoundly the Rebbe expressed even the most basic ideas. Every line carries a timeless message.
Just this week, a friend sent me a text: a screenshot of a letter he had studied. “This is so powerful!” he wrote. “I’m so glad you suggested learning the Rebbe’s letters. This one is life-changing!”
Here is the letter he chose (translated into English):
"I received your letter of November 20, in which you write about the state of your business and the health of your husband, may he live. And as you requested, I will mention you at the holy resting place of my father-in-law, the Rebbe of blessed memory, for improvement in the above matters.
But I am surprised that, after you had spoken to me several times with bitterness about a shidduch for your daughter, may she live, and you viewed it pessimistically, now that G-d has shown you miracles and she has made a good match, you do not even mention a word about it. This, although it is a lifelong joy for your daughter, and consequently also a joy for you and your husband, may you both live. And when one sees kindnesses from G-d that one had not at all expected, the very first thing should be to thank Him from the depths of one’s heart. Only afterward should one complain about matters which, for the time being, are not as one would wish.
Of course, I do not mean to say by this that your business should, Heaven forbid, suffer or be slow, for G-d desires to grant a Jew everything he needs, without having to trade one thing for another.
But after all is said, one must not overlook what G-d has already done for a Jew. And when one thanks Him for the miracles He has already shown, and that gratitude is expressed in matters of Torah and mitzvot, this itself serves as a vessel to bring down further blessings from G-d.
And may G-d help you that you should be able to share good news about yourself, your husband, and all of yours."
When I read this letter slowly, I was deeply moved. Here is a woman who felt trapped in difficulty, asking for blessing. The Rebbe, with fatherly care, grants her blessing and at the same time gently teaches her a lesson for life: Don’t move on so quickly from yesterday’s miracles to today’s complaints. Pause, notice, and give thanks.
Aside from all the “regular” miracles that we sometimes take for granted, this week we personally experienced an open miracle.
I was involved in a car accident—the minivan flipped onto its side—and yet, with Hashem’s kindness, we walked away unharmed. Yesterday, I had the privilege to stand at the Torah and recite the Birkat HaGomel, the blessing of thanksgiving, which a Jew says after being saved from danger.
This experience brought the Rebbe’s letter even closer to my heart. How often do we focus only on the challenges ahead, forgetting to pause and acknowledge the blessings we’ve already received? In my case, Hashem made it impossible not to notice—He literally turned my world on its side, and then gave me back my life intact.
So as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, with our long lists of prayers and requests, let’s also stop to say thank You for the blessings we have already been given. That gratitude itself opens the gates to receive even more blessings.
This week’s parsha begins with the mitzvah of expressing gratitude to G-d. Yes, we all have requests. Yes, life isn’t perfect. But before all else, let’s take a moment to look back and say: “Thank You, Hashem.”
Wishing you a good Shabbos and a Shana Tova filled with revealed blessings.
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