Mrs. Sara Simon of New Jersey felt bad that her son’s yeshiva studies had withheld him from a secular education. During the summer break, she expressed her feelings to the Rebbe in a letter.
The Rebbe responded in English, “It is often necessary to sacrifice one thing for another, inasmuch as it is impossible to have both. Therefore, you should feel very happy that your son made the proper choice, for he has avoided a path of pitfalls, danger and conflicts…
“Granted that if he had the formal secular education, which you mention, he might have certain advantages, but in view of what he would have lost thereby…
“In business, letting a highly profitable deal slip by while going after a small deal is not good business!”
(See full letter in Beitelman Teshura, Tammuz 5759)
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