Urgent Practical Instructions — Act Today, While R' Avraham Verner Is Travelling

A kosher and joyous Pesach and all good things, forever — to his honor, my beloved, my dear — the exalted one — who yearns for the service of Hashem and so on — [for this is the essential holiness of Pesach: the beginning of Israel's drawing close to the service of Hashem — yearning and longing for Hashem — and this is the service of Abraham — the man of kindness — the man of love — who was alone in the world and had no one to learn from — and only his heart was yearning — and through this Hashem Himself would teach him from the supernal heart. As brought in Likutay Moharan §142 and in Torah 31. [לקוטי מוהר"ן סי' קמ"ב ובתו' ל"א — "Likutay Moharan §142 and in Torah 31." קמ"ב = kuf(100) + mem(40) + beis(2) = 142. ל"א = lamed(30) + aleph(1) = 31. Two teachings of the Rebbe on Abraham as the pioneer of the spiritual path — alone, with no teacher, guided only by the supernal heart. LM §142: the divine teaching that comes from beyond rational comprehension directly to the heart. LM §31: the souls made through Abraham's hisbodidus and yearning.] And Pesach corresponds to Abraham — the first of the Patriarchs — the first of the festivals. And this is Pesach — "peh sach" — speaking words of songs and praises to Hashem — and recounting His kindnesses and the Exodus from Egypt — in general and in particular — each person what Hashem helped him spiritually. The essential: to go out from under the evil inclination — and always seek to incline toward kindness — and to find the good points: both of others — to judge them favorably — and within oneself — the good points within oneself. And through this one will strengthen and arouse oneself more in the service of Hashem — and not fall into despair, G-d forbid, about any matter of holiness — and will merit to ascend level by level always. May Hashem grant us merit for this. So may it be His will. Amen.] And so on — his honor, his splendor, his glory, our master Rabbi... may his light shine, may G-d protect him.

After inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love — I have indeed received his precious letter — and I rejoice greatly to hear that his honor is ready to break through the obstacles regarding the holy beard and peyos. And his honor will fulfill the commandment of the Exodus from Egypt — to flee from the pit of darkness — and to enter into holiness — the holiness of Israel — the divine image — in the aspect of "and they also did not prepare provisions for themselves — and they did not consider — where would they take food from?" [Exodus 12:39 — "They baked the dough that they had taken out of Egypt into unleavened cakes — for it had not leavened — for they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay — and they also had not prepared provisions for themselves." The verse is applied here to the decision to grow a beard and peyos: one does not deliberate or wait for the perfect conditions — one simply acts in haste, like Israel leaving Egypt, without worrying about provisions or consequences.] And it is said about them: "I remember for you the kindness of your youth — your going after Me in the wilderness — in a land not sown." [Jeremiah 2:2 — G-d's tribute to Israel's faith in following Him into the desert with no provisions. Applied here to the recipient's courageous decision: following the path of holiness without material security is the "kindness of youth" — the pure, trusting leap of faith.] When one needs to save one's soul — [in Yiddish: "when one needs to rescue one's soul"] — this too[ג"כ = גם כן — "also / as well."] is in the aspect of Pesach and the Exodus from Egypt.

Pesach = Flight in Haste; the Omer = Patient Waiting; Shavuos = the Culmination And afterward one counts the Omer — in holiness itself one must wait greatly — very greatly — until one merits to be as is fitting. And this is the entire matter of Pesach — Omer — Shavuos. Pesach: when one is immersed in some impurity, G-d forbid — in a pit of deep darkness — one cannot free oneself from it — only in the aspect of fleeing in haste — without any deliberation about what will come afterward — like the Exodus from Egypt of Israel. [ניסה בחיפזון — "fleeing in haste." The Exodus from Egypt was performed b'chipazon — in great haste — the bread had no time to rise (hence matzah). Applied spiritually: when one is in the grip of an impure habit or situation, the only way out is immediate, unhesitating flight — without deliberation, without calculating the consequences. Deliberation gives the evil inclination time to mount arguments against the escape.] And so too when one must go to pray and to study fixed sessions — one must flee from the matters of this world[עה"ז = עולם הזה — "this world." The standard abbreviation.] — and enter into the matter of the service of Hashem in haste — for if one waits until one is fully ready — the time will pass — and the obstacles of the evil inclination will not pass. And therefore one must in haste enter into drawing close to Hashem — fleeing from the evil inclination and the impurity. And afterward — when one is already sitting with the book and in prayer — one needs the Omer — one cannot immediately feel the holiness as is fitting — one needs the waiting — and very much passes over him until he merits what he eventually merits — and then: the holiness of Shavuos — the giving of the Torah. And all his days he needs great waiting — and not to fall from anything — and not to abandon his longings and yearnings and his small service in the service of Hashem — however it may be — until in the end of all things he will merit — each person[כ"א = כל אחד — "each one / every person." Kol echad.] — to what he needs. And all his longings and all that passes over him — all of it is for a great good — and in the end of all things all the longings gathered from within the darkness and the obstacles will become holy vessels — to receive within them all the eternal good — forever and ever and ever. So may it be His will. Amen. Because of the urgency of the festival eve[עיו"ט = ערב יום טוב — "the eve of the festival." Erev Yom Tov.] — I am compelled to be brief. I received the gift — and how greatly this gave me life. May Hashem give you life through this — in this world and in the World to Come — and may you merit all your holy longings — to bring them from potential to actual — and to merit all the holinesses. So may it be His will. Amen.

And afterward — when one is already sitting with the book and in prayer — one needs the Omer — one cannot immediately feel the holiness as is fitting — one needs the waiting — and very much passes over him until he merits what he eventually merits — and then: the holiness of Shavuos — the giving of the Torah. And all his days he needs great waiting — and not to fall from anything — and not to abandon his longings and yearnings and his small service in the service of Hashem — however it may be — until in the end of all things he will merit — each person[כ"א = כל אחד — "each one / every person." Kol echad.] — to what he needs.

And all his longings and all that passes over him — all of it is for a great good — and in the end of all things all the longings gathered from within the darkness and the obstacles will become holy vessels — to receive within them all the eternal good — forever and ever and ever. So may it be His will. Amen.

Because of the urgency of the festival eve[עיו"ט = ערב יום טוב — "the eve of the festival." Erev Yom Tov.] — I am compelled to be brief. I received the gift — and how greatly this gave me life. May Hashem give you life through this — in this world and in the World to Come — and may you merit all your holy longings — to bring them from potential to actual — and to merit all the holinesses. So may it be His will. Amen.

This thirty-second letter — written Erev Pesach from Meron — is a brief but dense teaching embedded in a warm personal exchange. The author rejoices to hear the recipient is now ready to grow a beard and peyos (the topic of Letter 31) — and uses this as the springboard for a complete teaching on Pesach, Omer, and Shavuos.

Abraham and Pesach (§1): The essential holiness of Pesach = yearning for G-d. Abraham the man of kindness — alone in the world, no teacher, taught directly by the supernal heart (LM §142 and §31). Pesach = peh sach = speaking praises. Find good points in others (judge favorably) and in oneself. Don't fall into despair. Ascend level by level. Beard and peyos = Exodus (§2): The recipient's decision to grow beard and peyos = fulfilling the Exodus from Egypt. Biblical support: "they had not prepared provisions" (Exodus 12:39) + "the kindness of your youth — following Me into the wilderness" (Jeremiah 2:2). Saving one's soul = Pesach. Pesach-Omer-Shavuos framework (§3): Pesach = fleeing in haste (b'chipazon) — no deliberation — the only way out of deep impurity. Also: entering prayer and Torah study each day must be done in haste — don't wait for perfect readiness. The Omer = sitting with the book, needing patient waiting — holiness doesn't come immediately. Shavuos = the culmination. All longings gathered from darkness and obstacles become holy vessels for receiving eternal good. Key terms: Avraham ish hachessed — levav ila'ah — LM §142 and §31 — Abraham taught from the supernal heart · Pesach = peh sach — speaking praises · V'gam tzeidah lo asu lahem — Exodus 12:39 — no provisions; the haste of the Exodus · Zacharti lach chessed ne'urayich — Jeremiah 2:2 — the kindness of youth, following G-d into the wilderness · Nisah b'chipazon — fleeing in haste; the only way out of deep impurity · Pesach = haste → Omer = waiting → Shavuos = culmination — the three-stage spiritual arc · All longings from darkness become holy vessels — keilim kedoshim to receive eternal good