Blessed Rain

The importance of practical results from a personal meeting; the significance of Rosh Chodesh Kislev and the rains of Eretz Yisrael as a symbol of Divine blessing

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of November 11th.

I, too, wish to express my pleasure at having met you personally. I trust that our meeting will be fruitful of good results, in accordance with the teachings of our Torah, that the essential thing is the practical, expressed in actual deeds.³

Inasmuch as everything is by Divine Providence, especially as it is explained at length in the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, it is significant that this letter is written on Rosh Chodesh Kislev. For in accordance with our Sages (Taanis 6a) and the Rambam,¹¹ as can be inferred also from another passage in the Talmud (B.M. 106b) Rosh

Source: Photocopy of the original, courtesy of the recipient’s family. Mr. Elimelech Mordechai (Max) Schreiber (c. 1904–1979), affectionately known as “Mikvah Max,” was an American businessman and philanthropist who dedicated his life to building Mikvaos. As chairman of the American Committee for Taharas Hamishpacha in Israel, he helped facilitate the construction of over 350 Mikvaos, primarily in Eretz Yisrael. He maintained a close relationship and extensive correspondence with the Rebbe, who took a personal interest in his work and provided ongoing encouragement and support.

¹¹ Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Nedarim, 10:11.