“Are People Learning the Letters?”

When R. Sholom Mendel Simpson delivered a pile of letters to the Rebbe for the tenth volume of Igros Kodesh, the Rebbe wanted to know if Anash were using them as intended.

In 5747 (1987), the Rebbe’s written correspondence began to be published. Under the Rebbe’s guidance, with strict privacy regulations in place, the editors worked intensively to produce them, and within three years nine volumes were published.

As preparations were underway for the tenth volume, as was protocol, the mazkir Reb Sholom Mendel Simpson handed a pile of letters from the archives in to the Rebbe and asked for authorization to deliver them to the editors.

The Rebbe suddenly turned to Reb Sholom Mendel and asked, “How is it going? Are people involved in learning the letters?”

Reb Sholom Mendel was quite startled and attempted to defend the chassidim by reporting that a group of bochurim in Morristown had set up a fixed time to study them.

But the Rebbe wasn’t satisfied, “Nu, the bochurim I understand, but what about the yungeleit? I have yet to receive one question from a member of anash on the published letters!”

(Techayeinu Issue 8)

From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash