These two letters were written by the teacher of our master, teacher, and rabbi [R. Israel Salanter], ztvk”l, his honored holiness, the eminent, pious, honored divine holiness, our master, Joseph Zundel of Salant, ztvk”l. He wrote these from the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and renewed speedily in our days, to his only son, who traveled on a mitzva mission of seeing to the needs of the sick (bikkur ḥolim) and saving a life (pikuaḥ nefesh) on behalf of his sister, who was confined [by illness] in Vienna.
Said the writer: Greetings, my son. I sent you the letters of recommendation as you requested. However, do not put faith [in them]. [I wrote them] only so that your success will not be the result of an overt miracle. Nevertheless, the main thing is to trust in God with your whole heart. Do not rely on your own understanding,1See Proverbs 3:5. and do not make too much effort, so that you will not think that “my strength and the might of my hand”2See Deuteronomy 5:17. were my salvation. As it is written (Ps. 146:3): “Do not put your trust in princes….” “Happy is he…whose hope is in the Lord” (ibid. 5). I hope to God that He will arrange abundant funds for you, for your expenses there and the cost of the return journey. God has many agents and messengers, both for the purpose of accruing merit to the worthy, as it is said in Bava Batra 10[a]: “R. Meir used to say…”3Rabbi R. Meir says there that God allows the poor to exist so good people will help them and thereby earn reward in the next world. and for several other purposes. Constantly review verses about providence, faith, and salvation, like: “Hope to God” (Ps. 27:14), “Be strong and courageous…” (Deut. 31:6), “My eyes are always toward God for He will free my feet from the snare” (Ps. 25:15), and the like. [God’s] help in our difficulties is often present. Thus shall you walk securely, and God’s salvation comes in the blink of an eye.
As is known, the Creator, blessed be His name, watches at every moment over every person in his particular affairs. The way that a person turns his heart to God, so will God turn and watch over him, as it is written: “The Lord is your shadow” (Ps. 121:5). The more he turns to God, the more God watches over him, as is written in a midrash: “‘The Lord is your shadow’ – just as this shadow, when you show it one finger, it shows you one finger, and if you show your whole hand then it correspondingly shows the whole hand, so it is with the Holy One, blessed be He. The same manner that a person comes to see, so he comes to be seen.”4This statement appears in Ḥagiga 2a in context of making a festival pilgrimage to the Temple: One comes to the Temple to both see and be seen. Here R. Joseph Zundel uses this statement to bolster a broader theological claim, namely, that God “sees” and watches over a person commensurate to the degree to which that person “sees” and perceives God in all his affairs. See Nefesh HaḤayim.5R. Chaim of Volozhin’s Nefesh HaḤayim, first published in Vilna in 1824, several years after the author’s death, is the key modern theological treatise of Lithuanian, non-hasidic Judaism. Inter alia, the book describes in great detail how prayer, Torah study, and performance of mitzvot affect the entire world. R. Chaim was a primary disciple of the Vilna Gaon and R. Zundel of Salant’s teacher. When punishment comes upon a person, he does not know initially to what to attribute it, for our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Yoma 38b): “One who forgets a thing that he learned causes his children to go into exile.” This certainly applies [to us]; “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart’”? (Prov. 20:9), “For our iniquities are overwhelming…” (Ezra 9:6), especially the sin of neglecting Torah, for [the Sages] said in Sifrei: “Just as the study of Torah is great, so the neglect of Torah is greater than all sins.” They also said that exile brings atonement for sin, especially being exiled to knock on the doors of the generous with shame, embarrassment, and degradation. Take to your heart that the more you suffer embarrassment, the more your sins are forgiven.
Therefore, accept [your shame] with love. Rejoice in it more than in any treasure, for [the Sages] said (Berakhot 5a): “I might think [that this applies] even if he does not accept them out of love…. If he does accept them, what will be his reward? ‘He will see his offspring; he will live long’ (Is. 53:10).” Especially since you are journeying for the mitzva of seeing to the needs of the sick and doing acts of loving-kindness that no one else can do. Then this is credited to you as if you are fulfilling, “Meditate upon [the Torah day and night” (Josh. 1:8), as [the Sages] said in Moed Katan 9b, and as codified in Yoreh De’ah 246:1.6The printed version has 246:8, but this is an error. Rema, Yoreh De’ah 246:1 cites Tur as stating that one who cannot study Torah because of preoccupations is considered to have studied himself if he provides for others who study. See the next letter for a fuller exploration of the cited passage from Moed Katan. So do not be sad. Be happy and in good spirits, and when you notify me that you are not feeling distressed and worried, but happy, then I, too, will be happy. We have no one to lean on but our Father in heaven, who “first afflicts, then shows mercy, in His abundant kindness” (Lam. 3:32). “For the Lord does not forsake forever” (ibid. 31), and “The Lord is good to those who trust in Him” (ibid. 25). Your father, Zundel of Salant
שְׁנֵי מִכְתָּבִים הָאֵלּוּ הֵם מֵרַבּוֹ שֶׁל אדמו"ר זצוק"ל. כְּבוֹד קְדֻשַּׁת הַגָּאוֹן הֶחָסִיד קְדוֹשׁ ה' מְכֻבָּד מָרָנָא יוֹסֵף זוּנְדִיל מִסַּאלַאנְט זצוק"ל. אֲשֶׁר כָּתַב מֵעִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם תִּבָּנֶה וְתִכּוֹנֵן בִּמְהֵרָה. לִבְנוֹ יְחִידוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָסַע בִּשְׁלִיחוּת מִצְוָה שֶׁל בִּקּוּר חוֹלִים וּפִקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ. בְּעַד אֲחוֹתוֹ אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה עֲצוּרָה בָּעִיר וַויְן:
These two letters were written by the teacher of our master, teacher, and rabbi [R. Israel Salanter], ztvk”l, his honored holiness, the eminent, pious, honored divine holiness, our master, Joseph Zundel of Salant, ztvk”l. He wrote these from the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and renewed speedily in our days, to his only son, who traveled on a mitzva mission of seeing to the needs of the sick (bikkur ḥolim) and saving a life (pikuaḥ nefesh) on behalf of his sister, who was confined [by illness] in Vienna.
ב"ה כ"ד כִּסְלֵו תרח"י.
With the help of God. 24 Kislev, 5618 [1857].
אָמַר הַכּוֹתֵב בְּנִי שָׁלוֹם, שָׁלַחְתִּי לְךָ מְלִיצוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶׁבִּקַּשְׁתָּ, אָמְנָם אַל תִּבְטַח, זֶהוּ רַק שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא עֶזְרְךָ בְּנֵס נִגְלֶה, אָמְנָם הָעִקָּר לִבְטֹחַ בַּה' בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ, וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן, וְלֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה יוֹתֵר הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּת, שֶׁלֹּא תַּחֲשֹׁב כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי הָיָה לִי לִישׁוּעָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב אַל תִּבְטְחוּ בִּנְדִיבִים כוּ', אַשְׁרֵי כוּ' שִׂבְרוֹ עַל ה', אֲקַוֶּה אֶל ה' שֶׁיִּזְדַּמֵּן לְךָ מָעוֹת בְּרֶוַח עַל הוֹצָאוֹתֵיכֶם דְּשָׁם וְעַל הוֹצָאוֹת הַחֲזָרָה, הַרְבֵּה סִבּוֹת וּשְׁלוּחִים לַמָּקוֹם, הֵן לְגַלְגֵּל זְכוּת עַל יְדֵי זַכָּאִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּבָא בַּתְרָא י' הָיָה רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר כוּ', הֵן עַל אֵיזוֹ אֳפָנִים, וְתַחֲזֹר תָּמִיד פְּסוּקֵי הַהַשְׁגָּחָה וּבִטָּחוֹן וִישׁוּעָה, כְּמוֹ קַוֵּה אֶל ה', חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ כוּ', עֵינַי תָּמִיד אֶל ה' כִּי הוּא יוֹצִיא מֵרֶשֶׁת רַגְלַי וְכַדּוֹמֶה, עֶזְרָה בְּצָרוֹת נִמְצָא מְאֹד, וְאָז תֵּלֵךְ לָבֶטַח וּתְשׁוּעַת ה' כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן:
Said the writer: Greetings, my son. I sent you the letters of recommendation as you requested. However, do not put faith [in them]. [I wrote them] only so that your success will not be the result of an overt miracle. Nevertheless, the main thing is to trust in God with your whole heart. Do not rely on your own understanding,1See Proverbs 3:5. and do not make too much effort, so that you will not think that “my strength and the might of my hand”2See Deuteronomy 5:17. were my salvation. As it is written (Ps. 146:3): “Do not put your trust in princes….” “Happy is he…whose hope is in the Lord” (ibid. 5). I hope to God that He will arrange abundant funds for you, for your expenses there and the cost of the return journey. God has many agents and messengers, both for the purpose of accruing merit to the worthy, as it is said in Bava Batra 10[a]: “R. Meir used to say…”3Rabbi R. Meir says there that God allows the poor to exist so good people will help them and thereby earn reward in the next world. and for several other purposes.
Constantly review verses about providence, faith, and salvation, like: “Hope to God” (Ps. 27:14), “Be strong and courageous…” (Deut. 31:6), “My eyes are always toward God for He will free my feet from the snare” (Ps. 25:15), and the like. [God’s] help in our difficulties is often present. Thus shall you walk securely, and God’s salvation comes in the blink of an eye.
כַּיָּדוּעַ שֶׁהַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ בְּכָל רֶגַע עַל כָּל אָדָם בִּפְרָטִיּוּת עִנְיָנָיו, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהָאָדָם פּוֹנֶה לִבּוֹ לַה', כֵּן ה' פּוֹנֶה לְהַשְׁגִּיחַ עָלָיו כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ה' צִלְךָ, וְאִם פּוֹנֶה יוֹתֵר גַּם ה' מַשְׁגִּיחַ עָלָיו יוֹתֵר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּמִּדְרָשׁ ה' צִלְךָ מַה הַצֵּל הַזֶּה כְּשֶׁאַתָּה מַרְאֶה אוֹתוֹ אֶצְבַּע אַחַת הוּא מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ אֶצְבַּע אַחַת, וְאִם כָּל הַיָּד מַרְאֶה כְּנֶגְדְּךָ כָּל הַיָּד, כֵּן הַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁבָּא הָאָדָם לִרְאוֹת כָּךְ בָּא לֵרָאוֹת עַיֵּן נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיִּים, וּכְשֶׁבָּא עֹנֶשׁ עַל הָאָדָם אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ בַּמֶּה לִתְלוֹת תְּחִלָּה, כִּי אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זַ"ל (יוֹמָא ל"ח ב') הַשּׁוֹכֵחַ דָּבָר אֶחָד מִתַּלְמוּדוֹ גּוֹרֵם גָּלוּת לְבָנָיו, וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן מִי יֹאמַר זִכִּיתִי לִבִּי שֶׁעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ רַבּוּ לְמַעְלָה רֹאשׁ כוּ', וּבִפְרָט עַל בִּטּוּל תּוֹרָה, שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּסִפְרֵי כְּשֵׁם שֶׁתַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה גָּדוֹל כֵּן בִּטּוּל תּוֹרָה גָּדוֹל מִכָּל עֲוֹנוֹת, וְאָמְרוּ גָּלוּת מְכַפֶּרֶת עָוֹן וּבִפְרָט גָּלוּת לִדְפֹּק עַל פִּתְחֵי נְדִיבִים בְּבוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה וּבִזָּיוֹן, וְתָשִׂים עַל לִבְּךָ כָּל מַה שֶּׁאַתָּה סוֹבֵל יוֹתֵר כְּלִמָּה, הוּא יוֹתֵר כַּפָּרַת עָוֹן:
As is known, the Creator, blessed be His name, watches at every moment over every person in his particular affairs. The way that a person turns his heart to God, so will God turn and watch over him, as it is written: “The Lord is your shadow” (Ps. 121:5). The more he turns to God, the more God watches over him, as is written in a midrash: “‘The Lord is your shadow’ – just as this shadow, when you show it one finger, it shows you one finger, and if you show your whole hand then it correspondingly shows the whole hand, so it is with the Holy One, blessed be He. The same manner that a person comes to see, so he comes to be seen.”4This statement appears in Ḥagiga 2a in context of making a festival pilgrimage to the Temple: One comes to the Temple to both see and be seen. Here R. Joseph Zundel uses this statement to bolster a broader theological claim, namely, that God “sees” and watches over a person commensurate to the degree to which that person “sees” and perceives God in all his affairs. See Nefesh HaḤayim.5R. Chaim of Volozhin’s Nefesh HaḤayim, first published in Vilna in 1824, several years after the author’s death, is the key modern theological treatise of Lithuanian, non-hasidic Judaism. Inter alia, the book describes in great detail how prayer, Torah study, and performance of mitzvot affect the entire world. R. Chaim was a primary disciple of the Vilna Gaon and R. Zundel of Salant’s teacher.
When punishment comes upon a person, he does not know initially to what to attribute it, for our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Yoma 38b): “One who forgets a thing that he learned causes his children to go into exile.” This certainly applies [to us]; “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart’”? (Prov. 20:9), “For our iniquities are overwhelming…” (Ezra 9:6), especially the sin of neglecting Torah, for [the Sages] said in Sifrei: “Just as the study of Torah is great, so the neglect of Torah is greater than all sins.” They also said that exile brings atonement for sin, especially being exiled to knock on the doors of the generous with shame, embarrassment, and degradation. Take to your heart that the more you suffer embarrassment, the more your sins are forgiven.
עַל כֵּן קַבֵּל עָלֶיךָ בְּאַהֲבָה, וּשְׂמַח בָּהֶם יוֹתֵר מֵעַל כָּל הוֹן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּרָכוֹת ה' יָכוֹל אֲפִלּוּ לֹא קִבְּלָם מֵאַהֲבָה כוּ', וְאִם קִבְּלָם מַה שְּׂכָרוֹ יִרְאֶה זֶרַע יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים כוּ', וּבִפְרָט שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ מִצְוָה בִּקּוּר חוֹלִים וּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר בְּאַחֵר, וְנֶחֱשָׁב לְךָ כְּאִלּוּ אַתָּה מְקַיֵּם וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּמוֹעֵד קָטָן ט' ב' וְנִפְסַק בְּיוֹרֶה דֵּעָה רמ"ו סָעִיף ח', עַל כֵּן אַל תִּהְיֶה עָצֵב רַק תִּהְיֶה שָׂמֵחַ וְטוֹב לֵב, וּכְשֶׁתּוֹדִיעֵנִי שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה מֵצֵר וְדוֹאֵג רַק שָׂמֵחַ, אָז אֶשְׂמַח גַּם אֲנִי, וְאֵין לָנוּ לְהִשָּׁעֵן אֶלָּא עַל אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, כִּי אִם הוֹגָה וְרַחֵם כְּרֹב חֲסָדָיו, וְלֹא יִזְנַח לְעוֹלָם ה', טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו, אָבִיךָ זוּנְדִּיל מִסַּאלַאנְט:
Therefore, accept [your shame] with love. Rejoice in it more than in any treasure, for [the Sages] said (Berakhot 5a): “I might think [that this applies] even if he does not accept them out of love…. If he does accept them, what will be his reward? ‘He will see his offspring; he will live long’ (Is. 53:10).” Especially since you are journeying for the mitzva of seeing to the needs of the sick and doing acts of loving-kindness that no one else can do. Then this is credited to you as if you are fulfilling, “Meditate upon [the Torah day and night” (Josh. 1:8), as [the Sages] said in Moed Katan 9b, and as codified in Yoreh De’ah 246:1.6The printed version has 246:8, but this is an error. Rema, Yoreh De’ah 246:1 cites Tur as stating that one who cannot study Torah because of preoccupations is considered to have studied himself if he provides for others who study. See the next letter for a fuller exploration of the cited passage from Moed Katan.
So do not be sad. Be happy and in good spirits, and when you notify me that you are not feeling distressed and worried, but happy, then I, too, will be happy. We have no one to lean on but our Father in heaven, who “first afflicts, then shows mercy, in His abundant kindness” (Lam. 3:32). “For the Lord does not forsake forever” (ibid. 31), and “The Lord is good to those who trust in Him” (ibid. 25).
Your father, Zundel of Salant