Baruch Hashem
Tishrei 28, 5714
Brooklyn, NY.
To the diligent and pious, God-fearing, honorable and elevated, of good qualities, who engages in community work, diligent and executive etc., our teacher, Rav Itzjak Gershtnkorn.
Greetings and blessings!1
I was delighted to receive your books, "The Beautiful Singer of Israel," the first three volumes, which are a compilation of sayings from our sages and commentators on the Psalms. Thank you so much for this gift.
As is known2, There are two rulers in the spiritual life of the human being: the brain and the heart, [which are] feeling and intellect.
In accordance with this, there are also two paths and ways in man's spiritual service to his Creator: the path of Tefillah (prayer) and the study of Torah. The Torah is our wisdom and understanding, while the tefilah It is the “work of the heart”3, As the Alter Rebbe, author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch, explains:“In the heart and with the heart”4.
With all this, just as in creation in general, insofar as it is absolute oneness, it is united and unique, to the point that even outwardly the eye of the one who meditates and discerns recognizes the association and combination of the [different] parts of creation with one another,
Similarly, and with even more reason, in the Jewish individual and, in general, in matters of holiness, in which the light of the One God is more revealed, it is recognized and felt in them with greater force, that every matter is combined with [portions] of the other.
This is also the secret behind the idea that we find several cases where Beit Shammai is lenient and Beit Hillel is strict. Despite5 that the root of the souls of [the students of] Beit Shamai was of the Supreme Left6 And that is why they always judged strictly. Even so, in several matters, Beit Shammai were permissive, due to the combination of the root of their souls also with the [Supreme] Right.7. Likewise, the root of the souls [of the students of] Beit Hillel was combined with the [Supreme] Left.
And it is obvious that this is also the case in the forms of service to God by man mentioned above (tefilah and Torah study): Torah study must be connected to the feeling in the heart. [This is so] both at the time of study, as our sages say8: “Everyone who reads without singing9 And he studies without melody; the scriptures say of him, 'And I also gave them laws that were not good.'‘10”As before the study, which is the matter of the prior blessing over the Torah11, That is, to feel the appreciation and value of the Torah until [that feeling] is fixed in the heart. [As our sages say]12 that] the Torah without fear and love does not fly up and cannot rise and stand before God.
The same applies to the service of tefilah. Despite being a “work of the heart”, before prayer13 One must reflect on the greatness of the Almighty, exalted be He, and the lowliness of man, etc. And at the moment of prayer, one must think that the presence of God is before him, etc. And without this intention, it is not considered a tefilah14.
Moreover, within the prayer itself there are portions primarily related to the intellect: the order of praises to God, verses of praise, blessings before the reading of the Shema, etc. And in the Torah there are portions related primarily to feelings. Among them, the book of Tehillim (psalms), exaltations and praises to the Holy One, blessed be He.
And in this too, combination: thought, meditation and knowledge of the greatness of the Almighty, of His wisdom, of His greatness and His strong hand, should lead to love for the honorable and fearful Almighty and to fear of Him.
And prayer in the Torah, as mentioned earlier, is also the book of Tehillim, It requires in-depth study in understanding and [intellectual] grasp.
In the first two words of Psalm 9015 This concept is alluded to:
“A prayer for Moshe” – “Union and attachment”16 (of prayer and of Moshe, since the entire Torah is named after him) “to be as one, with complete union.”.
And you, who have had the merit to make many worthy through your aforementioned books, in addition to the primary task of reciting psalms with feeling in the heart and pouring out one's soul to God, and furthermore, studying and observing the best commentators with understanding and intellectual grasp, surely the merit of many depends on you. May your strength to draw the Children of Israel closer to their Heavenly Father through the tefilah pure and the complete Torah.
With honor and blessing,
1Igrot Kodesh, vol. 8, p. 7. The notes are from the original text except where indicated by the abbreviation. Nota dhe Treducer.
2See Zohar, part 2, 153a. Torat Shalom p. 129 et seq. (p. 136 et seq. in the new version).
3Talmud Taanit 2a.
4The emphasis is on the original letter (Translator's Note).
5See Igueret HaKodesh of the Alter Rebbe chap. 13. Zohar part 3, 245a.
6It refers to the level of Gevurah which represents divine rigor and severity (Translator's Note).
7It refers to the level of Jesed which represents divine goodness (Translator's Note).
8End of the Talmudic Megillah. And the Talmud only questions [the part of the verse from Ezekiel that says “they will not live”], according to the version of Ein Yaakov (and it doesn't sound like that in the commentary of Rabbeinu Chananel and the Maharsha). And as our sages say in various places,“chant of Torah.” And in Talmud Tamid 32b: “He who studies Torah, etc., stand up and sing.” See also Zohar Part 3, 218b. And this is not the place to delve into this.
9See Rashi there (Translator's Note).
10Iejezkel 20:25 (Translator's Note).
11See Talmud Nedarim 81a and the Ra”n’s commentary there.
12Tikunéi Zohar, Tikún 5. Tania ch. 39-40. See Talmud Pesajím 50b: “until heaven etc.”.
13Rabbeinu Yona, beginning of chapter 5 of the Talmud Berakhot. It was indicated as law. practice in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, chapter 98. Unfortunately, many do not pay attention to this, etc.
14Rambam, Laws of Tefillah, 4:15. See Kuntres Ajarón del Tania (154b). Chidushei Rabbeinu Chaim HaLevi al Rambam, there.
15In the original text in Hebrew letters: צדי"ק (Translator's Note).
16Zohar part 2, 137b and in the commentary Mikdash Melej, there.