By the Grace of God
1 Iyar 5711
Brooklyn, NY.
Greeting and Blessing:
This is to confirm your letter of the 13th of Nisan, and to thank you for your kind wishes for Passover. I trust you were inspired and enjoyed the holiday.
Passover ushers us into the sunny, warm weather of spring. In nature, spring brings to the surface the natural forces that were hidden during winter, and buds emerge, which later become ripe fruit.
Applying this idea to the human element, there can be a state of "winter," of apparent lack of productivity in a person's life. But no Jew should consider themselves, and certainly should not be considered by others, as having reached the end of their usefulness, even if a long time has passed without fruit. With the right encouragement and inspiration, the state of "winter" can easily and suddenly be transformed into "spring" and a time of blossoming, which will eventually yield good fruit for God and humankind.
The significance of "spring" in Jewish life is suggested in the Passover festival we just celebrated, as the Torah states: "You are leaving (Egypt) this day, in the month of spring." For 210 years, the children of Israel lived in Egypt, in physical and spiritual bondage, mired in the abominations of Egypt. It seemed impossible that there could be a revival of Jewish life. However, then came the Exodus in the middle of the month of spring, and the children of Israel were free—so free that in a short time they became worthy of receiving the Torah, the pinnacle and completion of the entire universe.
With all my best wishes.
(Signature)