Letter 12 י"ב

Abundant peace to the honor of my dear friend, beloved to me as my soul — the delight of my heart and the apple of my eye — the great and distinguished talmid chacham, the Chassid, excelling greatly in Torah and Divine service — whose every aspiration and desire is solely to serve and to fear Hashem all his days — the distinguished Torah scholar, our Master R' Alter Ben Tzion, may he live and be strong.

What shall I say to you — my dear brother — certainly you are very much right in your outcry about the matter of the match — that you have still not found as is fitting. And in this portion — Bereishis — is brought the greatness of this matter: that one is not called a complete person except[כ"א = כי אם — "except / only / but rather." The exclusive marker.] through the match — "And He called their name [together] Adam." [Genesis 5:2 — "Male and female He created them — and He blessed them — and He called their name Adam on the day they were created." The Talmud (Yevamos 63a) derives from "He called their name Adam" that both husband and wife together constitute a full human being — one without the other is incomplete.] And the greatness of the first commandment in the Torah: "Be fruitful and multiply" — for the birth of children. And it is brought in the holy Zohar: that the person has no rectification at all if he does not take a wife and beget children — G-d forbid. And in any case — if he takes a wife — however it may be — if, G-d forbid, he does not beget children — Hashem sought for him the rectification of yibum and chalitzah — may G-d have mercy[רח"ל = רחמנא ליצלן — "may the Merciful One save us." The Aramaic expression of alarm at a terrible prospect.]. [יבום וחליצה — "yibum and chalitzah." Levirate marriage and its release. When a man dies without children — his brother is required either to marry the widow (yibum — levirate marriage) or to perform the chalitzah ceremony (a formal release from this obligation). The fact that the Torah provided this remedy indicates both the severity of dying without children — and the availability of a rectification path even then.] And this too is a great fall for him — and a severe punishment — "his wife speaks against him" — as brought in the Talmud. And in the words of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — in Torah 21 in Likutay Moharan — "Atika — hidden and concealed." [תורה כ"א בלקוטי מוהר"ן — "עתיקא טמיר וסתים" — "Torah 21 in Likutay Moharan — 'Atika — hidden and concealed.'" LM Part 1, §21 — a major Kabbalistic teaching connected to the concept of the "Atika Kadisha" (the Holy Ancient One) — the highest manifestation of the divine — and its relationship to rectification and teshuvah.] But in any case there is a rectification for him. But one who does not take a wife has no rectification at all — and he can be lost from both worlds entirely, G-d forbid — as brought at length in the Zohar and in the Talmud — even regarding King Chizkiyahu[ע"ה = עליו השלום — "peace be upon him." The blessing applied to biblical figures.] — who was a very great Tzaddik — who engaged in Torah and the service of Hashem day and night — and did not want to marry — because he saw through divine inspiration that he would not have good children — only bad ones [as happened with Menashe — through whose sin the Holy Temple[בהמ"ק = בית המקדש — "the Holy Temple."] was destroyed]. And even so: the prophet Isaiah said to him in the name of Hashem: "You shall die in this world — and you shall not live in the World to Come" — only because he did not marry. And regarding the not-good children — that is not your concern — "you do what is yours — and Hashem will do what is good in His eyes." And we see with our own eyes: in the end — Menashe too did teshuvah — and he is appointed at the entrance of the Sanctuary of the penitents in the Garden of Eden[ג"ע = גן עדן — "the Garden of Eden / Paradise." The standard abbreviation: Gan Eden.] — and from him descended all the kings of the House of David — and also our righteous Messiah will come from him.

And so it is brought in the writings of the Arizal: that the person — even if he sinned in this world and did not succeed in the service of Hashem — is comparable to a planted tree that grew crooked — or other deficiencies — and one must straighten it and rectify it. But the tree grew and was established — only it needs rectification. But one who did not beget children in this world — is comparable to a tree that did not grow at all — and was not established at all — and one must plant it again completely from scratch. [And this even if one engaged in being fruitful and multiplying[פו"ר = פריה ורביה — "being fruitful and multiplying." The first commandment in the Torah (Genesis 1:28): peru u'revu — the obligation to procreate.] but did not succeed in begetting children — this is a very heavy and great punishment — as brought at length in the "Sava" in the Zohar on Parshas Mishpatim — and all the more so[מכ"ש = מכל שכן — "all the more so."] — and all the more so — one who did not take a wife at all — has almost no rectification — and Hashem does not seek remedies to rectify him — for he himself is guilty in this — may Hashem protect us.]

And also in this portion of Bereishis — "This is the book of the generations of Adam" — that the generations of Adam — what he begets — is like a book. And conversely — the Tzaddikim expound[ג"כ = גם כן — "also / as well."]: "This is the book of the generations of Adam" — what a person does as a book of Torah — this too is the generations of the person. And so it is brought in the holy Zohar: that when a person is born — he is given a nefesh [נפש — "nefesh." The lowest of the three primary soul-levels. Nefesh = the animal-vital soul, associated with the blood and the physical dimension. When a child is born, only the nefesh descends. The higher soul-levels — ruach and neshamah — are acquired through additional spiritual milestones.] — and when he is circumcised — he ascends to something additional above. And when he studies Torah — he ascends further. And when he reaches bar mitzvah and studies Torah — he ascends further. And when he takes a wife and begets sons and daughters — then he merits to completeness. And it is further brought in the Zohar: that when the person needs to merit that the Shechinah — that is: the divine Name Havayah — should rest upon him — the first yud of Havayah does not rest upon him until he begets a son. And the first heh does not rest upon his wife until she gives birth to a daughter. And when he begets a son — the first yud rests upon him — and the vav rests upon the son. And when he also begets a daughter — the first heh rests upon his wife — and the last heh rests upon the daughter. And then there is the divine Name Havayah in its completeness: upon himself — the yud; upon his wife — the first heh; upon the son — the vav; upon the daughter — the last heh. And thus the divine Name Havayah is in its completeness. [ויקרא שמם אדם — שם הוי' בשלימות — "And He called their name Adam" — the divine Name Havayah in its completeness. The four letters of the divine Name יהוה (Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh) are distributed across the four members of the complete family: Yud (the father) + first Heh (the mother) + Vav (the son) + final Heh (the daughter). Only when all four members exist does the full divine Name rest in its completeness upon the family. This teaching from the Zohar is the deepest Kabbalistic foundation for the obligation to marry and have children.]

And therefore — certainly and certainly — one must yearn and long for this — and greatly request from Hashem — that he should merit to take a wife and beget sons and daughters. But to fall, G-d forbid, into sadness and despair — is completely forbidden — G-d forbid. For Hashem knows the truth — that his will is very strong — and he does everything possible — and the obstacle is not from his side, G-d forbid. And therefore one must request with mercy and supplication — every day — and in anticipation of the salvation — and with trust in Hashem: that certainly in the end he will be saved in this. And to strengthen oneself in joy — for this is the essential virtue for the guarding of the covenant — and to believe that our prayer does not return empty — not because of our own greatness in the service of Hashem — or because our prayer is pure and clean — only because Hashem listens to every mouth — and His mercies are great — and "He will not turn away the downtrodden in shame" — certainly in the end He will hear our prayer — in His merit and in the merit of our forefathers and our holy masters — through whose merit we endure — and upon whose strength we rely — that He should not abandon us and not forsake us forever.

And the essential: to greatly strengthen oneself — not to fall from anything, G-d forbid. In truth one needs prayer and hisbodidus for every deficiency in the service of Hashem — but even more the essential and the essential: to strengthen oneself and give oneself joy[א"ע = את עצמו — "himself / oneself."] at every time — however it may be. And if he is strong in this — to pray for every matter — and to request from Hashem — and to strengthen oneself and always rejoice in Hashem — in his good points: that he was not made a gentile — and that He granted us to be circumcised — and to be in the portion of Hashem — and to fulfill the Torah however it may be — and more than anything: that He granted us to draw close to the true Tzaddik — through which certainly our end will be good — as is fitting and becoming for our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — certainly we will have a good and blessed end. So may it be His will. Amen.

This fifty-first letter — 24 Tishrei 5722 (October 1961), Parshas Bereishis — responds to an unnamed unmarried Breslover Chassid's expression of anguish about not finding a spouse. It is the most sustained Kabbalistic and Talmudic treatment of the obligation to marry in the collection.

The obligation to marry (§2): Genesis 5:2: "He called their name Adam together" — only together are a man and woman called a complete "Adam" (Yevamos 63a). Zohar: no rectification without marriage and children. Yibum and chalitzah = the backup rectification for dying childless. Even King Chizkiyahu was condemned to lose his place in the World to Come only for not marrying — even though he saw prophetically that his son Menashe would destroy the Temple. The prophet's response: "That is not your concern." And in fact: Menashe did teshuvah — and is now appointed at the entrance of the sanctuary of penitents in the Garden of Eden[ג"ע = גן עדן — "the Garden of Eden / Paradise." The standard abbreviation: Gan Eden.] — and from him descends the Messiah.

The planted tree (§3): The Arizal's analogy: one who sinned = a tree that grew crooked — needs rectification but the tree exists. One who did not marry and beget = a tree never planted — must be planted entirely from scratch. The Zohar on the four letters of Havayah: Yud (father) + first Heh (mother) + Vav (son) + final Heh (daughter) = the divine Name complete. Only a full family bears the complete divine Name. No despair — G-d knows his will is strong and the obstacle is not from his side. Pray with mercy every day; trust in G-d; joy is the essential virtue for guarding the covenant. Prayer does not return empty — not because of our greatness but because G-d's mercies are great. The essential: strengthen and rejoice.

Key terms: Vayikra shmam Adam — "He called their name Adam together" — Genesis 5:2; only together is a complete person · Zohar — no rectification without marriage and children · Yibum v'chalitzah — the backup rectification; but still a great fall · LM Torah 21 — Atika tamir v'satim · Chizkiyahu — "you shall die in this world and not live in the World to Come" — for not marrying · Menashe did teshuvah — appointed at the penitents' sanctuary · Arizal — planted tree analogy — crooked tree vs. never-planted tree · Shem Havayah on the family: Yud / first Heh / Vav / final Heh — father, mother, son, daughter · Joy = the essential virtue for guarding the covenant · Prayer does not return empty — because of G-d's great mercies, not our own purity

Volume One • Letter 51