By the Grace of G-d
6th of Av, 5716
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. ...
Greeting and Blessing:
After such a long interval, I was pleased to receive your letter of the 8th of Tammuz, in which you write how you settled down in your new locality. I must express my surprise, as well as regret, that for financial reasons, as you write in your letter, there came about a change in the education of your children and not in the direction of strengthening their religious upbringing. You felt that this was justified because you felt you could not afford to do otherwise by reason of a decrease in your income.
Needless to say, that this reasoning has no basis. For apart from the fact that money matters can always be improved, and if a loan is necessary it can always be paid off, this is not so in the case of spiritual loss, and particularly in the matter of a Torah education of children. A spiritual loss of this kind leaves a lasting impression, and which is often difficult to rectify. Besides, all Jews, including yourself, are "believers, the children of believers", in the saying of our Sages, for the upbringing of children and expenses of Torah matters, G-d provides a special budget, which is not included in the general budget which G-d provides during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is to say, that where one spends more on the Torah education of his children, he receives more, and if he spends less, he receives less (Talmud Bavli, Beitza 16A). Thus, if you were spending on your children even more than before, it would not in any way diminish your income. It is possible that my pointing out the above may have some practical results in connection with your children’s education during the summer time, as for instance with regard to Day Camp etc., but I trust that it will definitely lead to your taking the necessary steps in connection with the new school term in the Fall. For I hope that you will carefully study the above Talmud quotation with its commentaries, and will act accordingly.
May G-d help you and your wife to have lots of nachas, Chassidic nachas, from all your children. As usually is the case in such matters, when you make a firm resolution in the right direction, you will very likely see a change for the better immediately.
With blessing,
