“May Hashem help you see much spiritual satisfaction along with [your wife], from your entire family in complete health and much expansiveness”
Letter full of extremely important content and full of blessings for spiritual satisfaction, health and a complete recovery, and for a kosher and happy Passover. Entirely handwritten and signed by the Admo”r Rabbi Yisrael Alter, author of Beit Yisrael of Gur. Sent to his close friend, the Chassidic gaon Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Zilberberg, “HaRav MiPetersburg.” Jerusalem, Nissan, 1960.
The Beit Yisrael’s letters are usually written with extreme brevity – “sharf” – and this is a letter rare in its length [23 lines] containing rare and recurring blessings from the Beit Yisrael – and even more – penetrating guidance from the Rebbe regarding a painful and sensitive matter, combining the Beit Yisrael’s famous insight together with the Rebbe’s power of blessing and promise.
Background to the letter: Several months before this letter’s writing, there was a terrible tragedy in the rabbi of Petersburg’s family. His son, Rabbi Raphael Tzvi Meir, was killed in an airplane accident on 19 Tevet 1960. In his memory, his father published the book Divrei Avraham (his grandson, the renowned Chassidic influencer, the gaon Rabbi Tzvi Meir Zilberberg, is named after him). In honor of Passover of that year, the rabbi and his wife had planned to travel to the Land of Israel to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. But after such a tragedy, the Rebbetzin feared getting on a plane, and preferred to travel by sea. The Beit Yisrael writes to them about this: “With respect to the question of the ship, tell [your wife], may she be well, that one needs Hashem’s assistance everywhere. Travelling by ship would be a tremendous bother, and even the doctor would approve travelling by airplane. May Hashem help that all be good and with loving kindness.”
The Admo”r blesses them again in his letter: “May Hashem help you see much spiritual satisfaction along with [your wife] from your entire family with complete health and much expansiveness … and as Passover is coming soon, I hereby bless you and all that is yours with a kosher and joyous festival. May we be privileged to salvation and consolation among the Jewish people and may we be quickly redeemed with the true redemption with the coming of the redeemer to Tziyon, quickly … May [your wife] have a complete recovery and may you experience success in all days for the good. From one who anticipates Hashem’s redemption …” At the end of his letter, the Rebbe repeats his blessing a third time: “I bless your entire home with a blessing for a kosher and happy festival and success in all matters for the good.”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the addressee of this letter, the Chassidic gaon Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Zilberberg .
“To accept upon ourselves to be completely devoted, with tremendous love, to the tzaddik of the generation, the Admo”r … Maran shlit”a of Gur … May we be connected to his pure prayer that rends the Heavens and is accepted on High … and may we merit through this to be judged favorably ( Zichron Avraham , p. 82); “And those who have been granted the privilege of being in the shadow of the Admo”r of Gur, shlit”a, to hear his Torah thoughts directly from him, delivered in sanctity and purity, and certainly what is heard will be sanctified in purity and with additional sanctity, happy are they and happy is their portion” (ibid, 174); “When one eats at the Gerrer Rebbe’s tisch , one can taste the flavor of Shabbat’s sanctity … and for those who merit this, the flavor remains with him, influencing the entire week.” ( Divrei Avraham , 17).
[1] airmail letter, 30 cm.
Very fine condition.