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The following letter was written by the Rebbe, Chanuka 5717 (1956), addressed to several bachurim who were not keeping to the sedarim of the yeshiva and displayed a lack of Kabbolas Ol towards the hanhalos of the yeshivos they were learning in:

It is most distressing that in the report I receive about what is happening in the class you study in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim – these yeshivos, with all their branches, having been founded and run by our holy Rabboseinu Nesieinu – certain students are displaying – including you – a lack of adherence to the yeshiva’s sedarim and general timekeeping, a lack of discipline, etc.

Aside from the distress at the matter itself – since time is a loss that cannot be regained – the matter of perikas ol (=casting off the yoke) is alarming.

For despite it being known and famous that Rabboseinu Nesieinu invested tremendous powers in these yeshivos, powers of the soul and powers stemming from their very essence (כוחות נפשיים וכוחות עצמיים), and [since] the foundation of every yeshiva is its students, this means that the aforementioned powers were invested within the talmidim and for their sake, and the mashpi’im, the teachers, the roshei yeshiva, and the hanhala are the intermediaries and conduits to draw down and bring these powers from the source to the recipients who are the talmidim, – there is still a student who transgresses all this brazenly and wastes his time on other matters.

The words of tzaddikim, the yeshiva’s founders, and their deeds endure forever and have their effect, but the recipient, Heaven forfend, turns his back and occupies himself with vanities – It is hard to elaborate on something so alarming, especially since the matter of perikas ol was already explained at the beginning of the sefer Derech Chaim [by the Mitteler Rebbe], which anyone who hears (and as my father-in-law the Rebbe is known to emphasize: דער הערין, to internalize) what is stated there, his hair will stand on end.

For this reason, I have held off from writing about this matter until now. But I rely on the propitious and auspicious days of Chanuka, that there will be no negative impression, heaven forfend, from the aforementioned words, and that they will only have their [desired] effect, [namely] that at least going forward you will see the situation as it truly is, and that adherence to the yeshiva’s sedarim, timekeeping, discipline, kabolas ol etc. is not doing someone a favor, but it is your true good both spiritually and materially in revealed and tangible good.

Do not delude yourself with excuses – that according to your intellect, your sublime intellect, you can arrange your time in a better way not according to the yeshiva’s seder, and that due to your great virtues, you do not need to accept the yoke of another and be subject to their discipline, as it all pertains to another, and he doesn’t need it (ווארום ניט עם מיינט מען, און ער דארף דאס ניט).

— This is only the advice of the yetzer (=the evil inclination), and one of its ruses and tricks to bring about from casting off the yoke of the mashgiach, the teacher and the rosh yeshiva – to an even worse perikas ol, as the levels of this process are explained in the sefer Derech Chaim, see there.

And may it be His will, that following the lesson of the days of Chanuka, during which we must both decrease and increase, as both opinions [regarding the order of kindling the lights of the Menorah] are the words of the Living G-d, [you should], as explained in Torah Ohr perpetually decrease in unholy matters, included in which are those explained in the beginning of Chapter Seven of Tanya [=matters which are kelipas nogah, not forbidden per se, but unnecessary if not done for the sake of Heaven], and perpetually increase in matters of holiness, and you should start this conduct immediately, decreasing from day to day, literally, those undesirable matters and specifically those mentioned above, and increasing in matters of light: “a mitzva is a candle and the Torah is light”, and the luminary within Torah itself, the inner dimension of Torah, namely the teachings of Chassidus, its guidance and customs.

And may it be His will that all those who caused pain until now should cause abundant nachas and pleasure in their behavior and studies from now on, as the advantage of light over darkness, through conduct that is transformed from one extreme to the other, and may Hashem grant them outstanding success in this.

With blessing for good news regarding all the above and soon,

(Free translation from Igros Kodesh Vol. 14, letter #4976)

The Rebbe’s edits on the letter. In the recipient line the Rebbe indicates to write the Bachurim to whom the letter is addressed as well as their mashpi’im (R’ Nissan Nemenov of Brunoy, R’ Shlomo Chaim Kesselman of Lod, Toras Emes)

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