By the Grace of G-d
15th of Av, 5738
Brooklyn, N.Y.
To All Participants in the Chasidic Song Festival
Sydney, Australia
Greeting and Blessing:
I was pleased to be informed of the forthcoming event, and may G-d grant that it should be with utmost Hatzlocho.
To “serve G-d with joy” is a basic tenet of the Jewish way, greatly emphasized in the Torah and Talmud. Our Great Teacher, the Rambam, declares: “The joy that a Jew should rejoice in doing a Mitzvah, and in loving G-d who commanded the fulfillment of the Mitzvah, is a great service (עבודה גדולה) (end of Hil. Lulav). Elsewhere, he reminds us that “Divine Service” is not limited to Torah study, prayer, and doing Mitzvos, but embraces all of a Jew’s daily activities, as it is written, “In all your ways know Him.”
Chasidus, in particular, expounds the importance of serving G-d with joy. While both the mind and the heart — the intellect and the emotions, must fully participate in serving G-d, the intellect has its natural limitations, but the emotions go deeper and farther. It is a matter of experience that joy and enthusiasm break through barriers and inspire one to accomplish things that would otherwise be unattainable.
I hope and pray that the joy and inspiration each and all of you will derive from this Chasidic Song Festival will be translated into action, namely, to advance in all matters of goodness and holiness, Torah and Mitzvos in your personal everyday life, as well as in spreading Yiddishkeit in your surroundings, to the fullest extent of your ability and always permeated with Chasidic warmth and joy. And since G-d rewards in kind, He will surely rejoice to bestow his boundless blessings on each and all of you in all your personal needs, materially and spiritually.
With esteem and blessing,
