1 “Not a Religious Person”?

Connected to Chabad but “not a religious person”: a Jew’s essence cannot change, and he functions fully only within Torah and Mitzvos; the effects are not immediately evident, to allow free choice

I am in receipt of your letter, postdated Oct. 22nd, which I read with due attention.

Seeing the high regard and warm sentiments that you have for the work of our Lubavitch representatives in your area, I am confident that this is translated into concrete actions in helping and being personally involved in the work of spreading and strengthening Yiddishkeit in your surroundings.

With all due respect, I must take exception to your stating that you are “not a religious person, but for the past 13 years my life path has on several occasions been intertwined with the Lubavitch movement,” etc. The basis for my objection is the fact that since Mattan Torah, each and every Jew has become a member of what G-d termed “A kingdom of Kohanim (G-d’s servants) and a holy nation.”¹ And although everyone has been given the freedom of action to live up to this fully or otherwise, there are matters in which a person has no choice, as we see also in the physical aspects, such as a person being unable to change the color of his eyes, the type of his blood, etc. Similarly, although a person is free to act and conduct himself as he chooses, one cannot change one’s essence, which, in the case of a Jew, is rooted in the fact that one is a member of the “holy nation,” as mentioned above.

It follows that a Jew can function properly and fully only when he, or she, lives within his or her element, namely Torah and Mitzvoth Yiddishkeit, which to the Jew is what water is to a fish. To be sure, a fish may sometimes jump out of its element, the water, but it is not its normal way of life to live on land, except that in the case of a fish, the consequences are almost immediate, whereas in the case of a Jew, G-d desires that he should freely choose the path of Torah and Mitzvoth, without fear or coercion. Therefore, the consequences are not immediate, for G-d, in His infinite mercy, gives the Jew the opportunity to return to his Source out of his own volition, but when a Jew is determined so to do, the Torah assures us that he receives aid from On High, and finds his way very much easier than anticipated.

M. Schneerson

Note the addition of “very” in the Rebbe’s holy handwriting

Source: Photocopy of the original.

¹ Shemos 19:6.