Your letter I received, my beloved son, and it was a great comfort and a reviving of the soul to me — I exult over your utterance as one who finds great spoil. But I had no free time to respond until now — for immediately on Sunday of Parshas Vaayra I traveled to the holy community of Uman for the eve of Rosh Chodesh Shevat just past. And on account of the ruined state of the road I did not return home until this past Sunday. And I found the press idle and at a standstill — because the printing ink had run out. And they need shemen pishtan (linseed oil) to purchase and to cook — and in these times it is not to be found at all except at great expense, and here it is not available at all. And also because the money has run out — and Rabbi Mendil was compelled to travel home, and there he will purchase the holy oil. And if G-d wills it, in the coming week we will return to begin completing the printing of the Teffilos. And thank G-d it is already completed up to the end of Prayer 55. Blessed be Hashem who has helped us until here — so may Hashem be with us to complete it for good. May Hashem complete it for us — for the obstacles are many, and in particular obstacles on account of money.

Now I have read your letter carefully, and I understand your words from a distance. And I see that vain thoughts of young people pass over you — the way of the Adversary being to confuse them with black melancholy and hollow, vain sadness — which black melancholy damages them more than anything else. But I marvel at you, my son, my beloved, the delight of my eyes — that you pay attention to this at all. For you ought to understand from the words you already heard in my home and from the books of our Master, of blessed memory, that you have no business paying attention to any such melancholy whatsoever — for such black melancholy and sadness and anxieties and confusions damage very greatly, and they cause harm, G-d forbid, more than all the moral failings in the world.