“My Dear Assaf”

In a warm and personal letter, the Rebbe responds to a young child on proof of Hashem’s existence and whether davening to Hashem will get him a much-desired trumpet.

The Rebbe’s personal letter to a young child begins “My dear Assaf” and goes on to answer two questions that he asked of the Rebbe. A copy of the original letter from Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5739/July 5, 1979, was newly discovered and is provided here.

By the Grace of G-d
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, 5739
Brooklyn, N.Y.

My dear Assaf:

I was pleased to receive your letter, but I was very much surprised at the questions you asked.

You wrote: “I want to know if HaShem really exists.” I will answer it this way: Suppose you were walking in the streets and saw a skyscraper. Would you ask, “Is there someone who made it?” And if this is so with a building of a number of floors, what will you say about the whole world, with the sun, moon and stars, oceans and mountains and woods, and all the creatures on land and in the seas, and so on?

Your other question was: If you daven the rest of the year, will you get a trumpet?

Since you are a thoughtful boy, I will again answer it with an illustration: Suppose you were invited to the White House, and the President of the United States received you with pleasure and asked you what kind of a present would you like. Would you ask him for a candy? Perhaps you know the story of King Solomon, who was only 12 years old when he became king of all the Jewish people, after his father, King David. G-d appeared to him in a dream and asked him, “What shall I give you?” And all he asked for was – a wise and understanding heart! And G-d gave him that, as well as everything any person could wish for.

I trust you are learning HaShem’s Torah with devotion and diligence and conduct yourself the way Hashem wants you to as fitting for a Jewish boy, a son of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, the Fathers of our people.

With blessing,