English translation — יחידות אור לי"ז תמוז ב)

To a group of Bar Mitzvah boys and their parents, may they live.

May the ¹ Almighty bless and grant success to each of the Bar Mitzvah boys and to all of them together,

within the entirety of the Jewish people,

with all the blessings that one needs,

and as the Almighty knows and desires,

and may the blessings be from His full, open, holy, and ample hand ².

First of all –

each of the Bar Mitzvah boys and all of them together should resolve to accept upon themselves the yoke of Torah and the yoke of mitzvos,

with joy and a good heart.

This resolution itself ³ further increases the ability of each one to fulfill the Almighty’s mission;

for when one resolves this with special force and with determination –

it makes it easier to serve the Almighty as it should be,

and in completeness.

And one should do this based on “And you shall love your fellow as yourself” ⁴, and consequently one will also be a “lamp to illuminate” ⁵,

a living example for Jewish children and for adults around oneself,

of how to serve the Almighty,

and with joy and a good heart,

and in a manner of increasing and adding light,

from day to day and from hour to hour.

Since “the Holy One, blessed be He, helps him” ⁶ –

one is successful in this with utmost perfection.

Therefore, there is also the good custom,

that the Bar Mitzvah boy, on his Bar Mitzvah day

(and if it is on Shabbos –

on Erev Shabbos and on the morning after Shabbos)

should give charity from his own money,

for charity is indeed “equivalent to all the mitzvos” ⁷.

This gives an added blessing to his resolutions to be a chassid, G-d-fearing, and a scholar, and a Jew as the Almighty desires,

in a manner of increasing and adding light.

And particularly in the matter of love of Israel,

which, as discussed earlier ⁸, has a special connection to the current portion of the Chumash,

where it is told how the Almighty conveyed the mission to every Jew

(who receives the entire Torah as an inheritance)

“to take Hashem’s vengeance against Midian” ⁹,

to take vengeance upon matters of strife and division,

in a manner that no trace of them remains at all.

And there should be a true love of Israel,

leading to the unity of Israel.

And when Jews stand in a state of “all of us as one” –

then “Bless us, our Father” ¹⁰ is fulfilled,

“May Hashem lift His countenance to us” ¹¹,

and the Almighty blesses each of the Bar Mitzvah boys together with father and mother and brothers and sisters and grandfathers and grandmothers and all the members of the family and all the Jewish people,

with everything that is needed.

The matter of the unity of Israel, which is connected to the one Torah that was given by the One G-d –

brings about the matter of the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach, speedily and truly.

And particularly when one gives charity,

as above,

for “great is charity, for it brings the redemption closer” ¹².

Therefore, how good it is also that the parents and everyone who feels close to the Bar Mitzvah boy should also give charity for his merit –

at the appropriate time.

And in order to participate in this –

I will also give each of you,

starting with the Bar Mitzvah boys and their relatives, etc. –

a dollar to give to charity.

And through the fact that all these charities gather together ¹³,

the “bringing closer of the redemption” also becomes a very great closeness,

until it becomes the redemption immediately, truly,

speedily in our days, truly.

And in addition to the aforementioned mitzvah of charity –

each of the Bar Mitzvah boys should also learn ¹⁴ on his day of joy ¹⁵

(the day of Bar Mitzvah)

chapter 14 of the Book of Tehillim ¹⁶ from “the sweet singer of Israel” ¹⁷ David, King Moshiach,

and with joy and a good heart.

And those whose Bar Mitzvah was already before this,

should complete the matter of giving charity and learning the chapter of Tehillim today or tomorrow morning.

May it be His will,

that through the nullification of every matter of “Midian” and division among Jews,

beginning with the young ones who have just become Jews obligated in mitzvos,

they have, as a beginning, a special power in general,

and in the matter of love of Israel in particular –

one will break through the final hindrances and delays of the exile,

and the true and complete redemption will come through our righteous Moshiach.

And we will go “with our youths and with our elders, with our sons and with our daughters” ¹⁸ to our holy land,

the completeness of the people together with the completeness of the land,

together with the good resolutions of each Bar Mitzvah boy,

and of all of them together, the completeness of the Torah and its mitzvos,

to learn Torah in its completeness and to fulfill mitzvos with complete beauty.

And the resolution in this, which is accepted on a day of merit like a day of Bar Mitzvah,

a day of joy ¹⁵ –

adds that one should carry out all these matters with joy and a good heart,

for joy breaks through barriers ¹⁹.

And this will also hasten the conclusion of the exile,

as above.

And speedily, truly, may we all merit to greet the face of our righteous Moshiach,

immediately and truly,

and go to our holy land “with the clouds of heaven” ²⁰,

and there itself, in Jerusalem, the holy city,

and on the Temple Mount,

and in “the Sanctuary, Hashem, Your hands have established” ²¹,

And with joy and a good heart.