Why the Rebbe DECLINED to support the memorial | Letter #10 of 30 Letters in 30 Days

All right, Baruch Hashem, welcome to letter number 10 of 30 letters in 30 days. That means we're a third of the way through our preparation. Getting ready for Yud Aleph Nissan, the Rebbe's birthday. Um yeah, so we're learning and we're also giving tzedakah. Here I have my Colel Chabad pushka app open. This is now our little custom. There you go. Fun, fun. And we'll put the link below in the YouTube description, also the PDF in the YouTube description. Also, do yourself a favor and subscribe and turn on alerts to the Soul Words YouTube channel and that way you will just get alerts every time we have a new share. You won't have to uh wonder. I mean, we have been going live every night at 9:00 p.m. and that's what we intend to do uh until Yud Aleph Nissan. I should say every night with the exception of Friday night cuz it's Shabbos and then we do a double letter Thursday night. Get ready. Tomorrow night, God willing, we'll do a double letter, lechem mishna. Okay. Um tonight's letter let's jump in without further ado. Um Baruch Hashem, Zion Thomas tough shin yud base, 7th of Tammuz 1952. This is an early letter. This is in uh chelek vav, in volume six of Igros and this is written to There's many titles here uh but it's written to Yitzchak Schneerson. Yitzchak Schneerson is a relative uh of the Rebbe. Um distant relative. Uh from a rabbinic family. Uh originally from Ukraine and then he moved to France, I believe after World War I. And he's most most associated with France and his work, his communal activism in France. He was originally a rabbi in Ukraine. He was a He was a rabbi. Um but in France he's more associated with communal activism and with industry. He was uh I suppose he had a bit of money and he also raised money and he was involved in uh sort of public uh Well, you'll see what the kinds of things that he was involved in but specifically after World War II, after the Holocaust, he was involved in archiving the uh or documenting and keeping an archive of the Holocaust. And that's really what the letter is about. Uh shalom u'vracha, greetings and uh blessings. Kibalti michatve me-chof gimmel l'chodesh May im hamitzoraf me'elav af ki b'ichur zman k'tzas. I received your letter from the 23rd of May although it was somewhat delayed and its enclosures and it was somewhat but although it was somewhat delayed. V'zecher ani masha omer li k'ichur zman l'chaim Admor zichron tzadik kodesh l'ivracha l'chaim l'vodo nishmaso ginz begins im m're'imim z'chus yagen aleinu b'inyan hatzenter she'asa v'hatzalah she'yeish l'kaveish mimenu. I remember what my father-in-law, the Rebbe uh said to me about your center and the benefit that could come from it. What is the center? It's called the CDJC in English. The center, I suppose the original name is in French but I'm not going to attempt to do that. Uh it's called the center of contemporary Jewish Documentation and it was founded by this Yitzchak Schneerson and uh run by him. And as mentioned earlier, it was uh the work that he was involved in was uh archiving and documenting the history of the Holocaust. And for very practical purposes, much of this was used not just by historians but also in the prosecution of uh war crimes. So, that's the background there and that's what the Rebbe was referring to and the Rebbe says um Yeah, I remember my father-in-law mentioning this to me that it would be of benefit. V'hishtatef gamkein b'nidvas apratis l'tachlis zu and that my father-in-law personally donated toward this cause. Uh so ap- apparently it's this relative of the Rebbe, this uh Rabbi Yitzchak Schneerson was asking the Rebbe for financial support for the center. So, the Rebbe says, "Look, my father-in-law told me already that it's a good thing. My father-in-law already donated to you. B'meilah, so automatically, consequentially ein tzorech l's- l's- kamasi. You don't need my haskama. You don't need my approbation. Meaning to say, if my father-in-law already said it was a good thing, then that's all you need. U'v'chol zeh, hineini bo acharei hamelech. So, I will follow in the king's ways, meaning the Rebbe. Meaning the Rebbe's Rebbe. The Rebbe's referring to his Rebbe, his father-in-law. Gam ani b'avod- uh yishar cheilo al masha asa b'hana'al. Uh congratulations. I'll give you a you know, an atta boy, yashar koach that you're doing this work. V'al y'dei amtza'os uh li- lishkasenu uh y'kabel gamkein hishtatfusi l'fulas hatzenter b'sum shel chamisha asar elef franc. And through the uh account of our uh our uh office, I'm sending you my uh participation of 15,000 francs. Okay. So, that's the beginning of the letter. Um you know my father-in-law said that this was a good cause. He gave money toward it. I'm also going to allocate some money to it. I don't know what 15,000 francs would be um in 1950 What what what year was that? 1952? But anyone's welcome to Google it and post in the comments what that would be the equivalent of today. Um Now, here's where it gets really to me gets fascinating. B'masha kasev b'michtavav b'inyan hakomas matzeivas zikaron kever fun umbekanten Yiddishen martyrer. Okay. Regarding what you wrote that you want to erect a monument or memorial as a grave to the unknown Jewish martyrs b'ir Paris, in the city of Paris. Okay. So, this apparently is something now different than the center. The center itself, as mentioned, was dealing in documentation and archives. Then there was a separate thing which was a memorial monument to the unknown martyrs. Okay. Um And and by the way, it does exist. It was built. Um So, that's just a point of historical fact. Watch what the Rebbe says about this. Hinei acharei kashus l'chosei. So, first of all, forgive me. Asher ein da'ati m'kuvenes l'da'atoi. Who? Because I don't agree with you. My opinion is not the same as yours. Hineini mitzayer es mi I can just imagine es eiloh hakdoshim shenergu al kiddush Hashem. I'm imagining the martyrs who actually were killed, were killed for being Jews. T'kuvasam al inyan hakomas matzeiva l'zichron l'zichram uh v'al y'dei agudah sh'bereish oimdim chassidim avochasim d'umsa'eilam. Mah hoyu heim oimrim al s'var kazu? I'm imagining the martyrs what would they say if they could comment on the fact that some type of memorial will be built uh and the Rebbe says by non-Jews. Apparently, the idea was to have non-Jews participate in the um in the monument. Um like how would they feel about that? Like the Rebbe doesn't elaborate on it but it's almost like would that gesture be meaningful to them? Like really, that's what I mean would that be significant? Would that Is that what they would want? I think is the you know, the way that I would translate it in vernacular English. You're telling me that that's what the people who the the monument is supposedly for. That's what they want. They want a monument. They want They want some commemoration in the middle of Paris. Okay. Um You see, it's a touchy subject here because this is something obviously people feel very strongly about. There's a lot of emotions here and it's interesting the Rebbe gave money toward the main cause but then when it's like the extra thing about the memorial, the Rebbe's like, "Mm no, I can't get involved." Um U'veifrat asher atah yeishno me'eis va'alof m'ravavis mar Now, this is so poetic. Okay. Martyrer chaim living martyrs especially when today there are right now hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of living martyrs. Okay, so first of all the Rebbe says, I don't want to get involved in the memorial because I don't think that that's what the people who the memorial is for the people who are actually killed. I don't think they would appreciate it. Uh, but then second of all and maybe not second of all but more importantly there are living martyrs. Such a powerful expression. What does that mean? The Rebbe spells it out. Um, we do him and they're known. We know who they are. The memorial is for the unknown martyrs. But here the living martyrs are known. We can find them. Like they they they they You can go contact these people. They're they're living right there in Paris and and in many other communities. First of all, they need a physical loaf of bread. They're a piece of bread. They're they're starving. Okay, they're they're impoverished. We're talking about right after the war. So, these people are impoverished. The process lacking and an even greater number of them um, may not be starving materially but they're starving spiritually. They're starving spiritually. Meaning they are lacking basic Jewish education. So, the Rebbe's saying like this, you want to take money and spend it on a memorial to Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. But that same money could be spent on helping Jews who are alive right now. Who are alive right now and who who you know who they are or you could find them and and you can help them not only materially but spiritually. Now the main reason why there's why their hunger has not you know, their their spiritual and material hunger has not been satiated is simply for lack of funds. I mean, that's the main reason. We don't have the resources. So, therefore if you're able to obtain a certain amount of money the question arises. It begs the question. Should you take that money and spend it on putting up a monument in a in a city square in Paris so that somebody walking by should know how many millions of Jews were killed as martyrs? It's a very interesting thing that Rebbe's saying here. Like is that really what the money should go to? That somebody will walk by and they'll know how many Jews were killed in the Holocaust? That's the important thing? I or alternatively you could use that same money to enliven people who are literally starving and thirsty or who are spiritually starving and thirsting. So, which one should you do? Which one is better? The answer to this question to me is without a doubt. It's not even it's not even up for debate. It's like such an obvious answer. What do you do with the money? You spend it on the people who are living now and who need it now. I don't want I'm not here to give commentary and I and I don't want to editorialize and I'm going to try to refrain from adding too much of my own perspective here but I mean, I think this is indicative of the Rebbe's overall approach after the Holocaust. Like what should be the response? What is the priority? What really urgently needs to be done? And you really can see how various different factions within leadership sort of took two different paths. And the Rebbe's approach clearly is the one that says we need to help the Jews who are here now. Like and it's interesting because the Rebbe says to Yitzchak Shneerson regarding the center of of documentation and that the archives like it's a good cause. My father-in-law said it's a good cause. I'm giving you money for the cause. So, it's not like the Rebbe's saying let's just forget about the Holocaust and move on and it doesn't matter. Clearly it matters but it matters in a context. It matters in a context and as far as like memorializing it and and making it something that's like on the forefront of public consciousness like it that's a much lower priority than feeding hungry people and giving them a basic Jewish education. So, it's a very interesting approach. Okay. Now true there is an excuse or a rationalization that you could give for this svada for this um for the argument that no no no, we really should make such a monument. Uh, the the Rebbe mentioned I think it's in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek that a masla which is the Talmudic term for an excuse is uh, emes lie. It's not true. It's a rationalization. Okay, that's that's what it really is. So, the Rebbe's saying you could give a rationalization to argue that we should make such a memorial. Why? Because from a fundraising perspective. The Rebbe doesn't say this. I I added the word from a fundraising perspective but it's clear from the context as we read on that feeding people has already become it calls it a regular mice and men. It's like people are used to it. It doesn't have any like real flash. Not everyone's going to allocate funds for it. Meaning again from a from a fundraising perspective. In contrast, if you put up a monument then many Jews prominent Jews he says as well as as well as many prominent non-Jews they're going to know about it. So, then people will more willingly give money. Oh, it's going to be a well-known thing. It's going to be seen by so many people. So, the Rebbe says, I get where you're coming from. You could argue look, if I'm going to ask people for money to to feed the hungry or to give basic Jewish education people aren't going to give money but if I say we're putting up this monument and everyone's going to see it then they'll get excited. They'll give. Okay, yeah, I hear I hear that. If you want to make an argument that would be the argument. And notwithstanding all that very very strong poetic language and strong almost harsh language. It's very difficult to make the decision and to agree that we should sink money thousands of dollars into Evan and offer into stones and and earth in some corner in Paris. When at the same time When at the very same time you have tens of thousands thousands and tens of thousands of Jews both in Eretz Yisrael the holy land as well as in the diaspora who are crying out for urgent help. So, I just can't see the justification. It's very The Rebbe's not saying it's a bad thing. It's just like it's not a priority. And it's like I'm saying I'm trying to be careful not to add my commentary but I I believe it's indicative of of an approach in general. Like what is the response after the Holocaust? What is the priority? What is the emphasis? The emphasis has to be on the living. The emphasis has to be on rebuilding. The emphasis has to be on moving forward and on meeting both the material needs and spiritual needs of of those who are here with us now. Okay. And again, I want to emphasize the Rebbe told him that the center for documentation is a good thing and that he'll give money toward it. All right. I want to repeat my request for your forgiveness. I'm actually soft I wrote above shall I say who that I don't agree. I don't agree. It's my strong hope that you will not you'll not be uh how should we say mocked it? You you won't uh be uh you won't bear grudge about this. Be the Hobbit light with the zoo guy. The whole Bene base side. She have you. Share the Saudi. With a blessing. Uh and honor to you and to your wife and to all of your children. May they be well. Share the Saudi my relatives. My relatives because Yitzchak Schneerson was related to the Rebbe. And that is the letter. Again, a fascinating letter. Um really even all these years later, I think it's still extremely relevant in terms of the way that we think about the priorities, not just for allocation of funds, but our energy, our time, our consciousness, our messaging. Like what is it that we want to how do we want to represent ourselves to each other and to the world? Like what is what is the main agenda here? Is it to commemorate suffering or is it to facilitate growth and life and and and building? The Rebbe says it's not even not even a question. Okay, amazing. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow night for uh Thursday night double double portion double helping of of Igros. All right.