New Series of Rebbe’s English Letters Expected to Span 50 Volumes
Kehot and Sichos in English announced they will be publishing the Rebbe’s English letters in a series that is expected to contain more than 10,000 letters in 50 volumes.
by COLlive Editor · COLliveBy COLlive reporter
On Gimmel Tammuz, marking the 32nd yahrtzeit of the Rebbe, Kehot Publication Society announced the publication of the archive of the Rebbe’s English-language correspondence, a major undertaking that will preserve and publish thousands of letters written over four decades.
Prepared by the editorial team of Sichos In English, the project is expected to span one to two decades and include approximately 50 volumes containing more than 10,000 letters. The inaugural volume is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled for release after Tishrei.
The collection features letters written in English to English-speaking recipients, reflecting the Rebbe’s guidance on faith, education, family life, business, communal affairs, personal growth, and many other topics. The correspondence offers a unique view of how the Rebbe applied Torah teachings to the real-life challenges and opportunities faced by individuals throughout the postwar era.
The Rebbe generally dictated his English correspondence to his secretary, Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, who prepared the majority of these letters. The drafts were then submitted to the Rebbe for review and revision. Once his corrections had been incorporated, two final copies were prepared: one was sent to the recipient, while the other, a carbon copy, was retained for the archives. There, the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Sholom Mendel Simpson, organized and preserved the correspondence, making possible its publication now, decades later.
This project is publishing letters from that archive as well as from recipients of letters who shared the letters they received.
In 1987, as Rabbi Sholom Mendel Simpson was compiling the Hebrew and Yiddish letters for publication in Igros Kodesh, he raised the prospect of publishing the English correspondence as well, in response to the public interest. The Rebbe responded with approval of its release, yet intimated that it should be published at a later stage. The Hebrew correspondence continued to be published, in well over thirty volumes already printed.
The first volume contains 214 letters written between 1950 and 1951, a formative period surrounding the Rebbe’s acceptance of the leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch. The letters document his guidance to individuals, institutions, and communities during those pivotal years.
The publication joins the growing body of the Rebbe’s teachings already available in print, including the Hebrew and Yiddish Igros Kodesh series, and will provide readers with unprecedented access to the Rebbe’s correspondence with the English-speaking world.
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