The Prayers of Small Gestures

Eve of the third day of the month of divine compassion (Elul), 5726 (Aug 19, 1966), Brooklyn, NY.

May he who suspends the earth over the void, seal us for good, and among them, my dear friend…Rav Yechezkel Shraga Rubin Halberstam, Admo”r of Tzishinov (shlita) zt’’l…

With regard to one who writes to his friend during the month of Elul — the custom being to write the blessing of “a good inscription and sealing” — the question is whether this is only done if one will not write another letter to the recipient before Rosh HaShanah, but if one will write to him or see him again, then perhaps he should not give this blessing? The custom is that if one will see that person again (before Rosh HaShanah) we do not give this blessing. Should we say that this applies to letters as well, or perhaps in this case, [if he will write another letter], he should give the blessing regardless?

The source of this custom is brought in Maharil (Hil. Yamim Nora’im 3):

“Mahara”sh says: Once Elul begins, when one writes a personal letter to his friend, one must mention at the beginning that he hopes and prays that his friend will have a good year, along the lines of, ‘May you be written and sealed for a good year,’ or ‘May the one who suspends the Earth over the void give you a [good] inscription and sealing,’ or something similar. This was the practice of Maharil.”

This is cited in Mateh Ephraim (sec. 581) and in Kitzur Shulhan Arukh (128:2). Since Maharil makes his statement in unqualified terms, it seems that one should include this blessing whenever one writes a letter during Elul, whether one is writing one or two or even more letters.

I believe that I can give a reason for this [need to write it each time]. When a person is writing the first letter [to his friend during Elul], he certainly must write that he is praying for his welfare, as the recipient does not know if the writer will write to him again in the month of Elul. If the letter does not contain a prayer on his behalf, the recipient will be upset with the writer, wondering why he did not pray for him. Therefore in the first letter written in the month of Elul, one certainly has to mention this prayer. This being so, should he write again and not mention that he is continuing to pray for his friend, the latter will think that the writer has stopped praying on his behalf. It is also possible that the recipient won’t remember his friend had already said he was praying for him in the first letter. In addition, if the writer never writes a second letter for whatever reason [and never wrote this greeting in the first letter], he won’t in fact pray for him at all. It seems obvious to me, therefore, that one must make mention of it in every letter.

Now, you properly note that when two people meet in the street, the practice is that one does not give this blessing if they plan on seeing each other again before Rosh HaShanah. The difference between this and writing a letter is as follows: When someone runs into his friend with some regularity, he doesn’t need to show his love and affection at every meeting. In contrast, one who writes a personal letter is specifically intending to express friendship and love for his friend and therefore, he needs to mention that he is praying for him. This is why the Maharil specifies a personal letter, not any letter, as this would not apply to a business letter. For the same reason, Maharil only rules that one should say this prayer in a letter of greeting, not when meeting face to face. Nonetheless, when two friends meet and will not see one another again before Yom Tov, they must say to each other “…[May you be inscribed] for a good year, etc.”

Your friend, in heart and soul,
Menashe Klein