Another gift we received this year was that one of our students in Israel has become friends with someone named Abraham, who’s now in his 80s, and I hope to meet him on our next trip to Israel. In his younger days, Abraham was a simple person, but was close to Rav Ashlag and Rav Brandwein. At the time of Rav Ashlag’s life, he was a young man and assisted in the editing and printing of the Sulam. At Pesach, I read one of the letters Rav Brandwein wrote to this boy, to Abraham.

I received another letter last night. It’s the essence of choosing life. I know it is not coincidental we received it last night and we hear it today.

Rav Brandwein says, I am writing this letter in tremendous pain. He says yesterday Rav Ashlag sent a messenger to me and asked me to come to him. Rav Brandwein was worried; it seemed like an urgent request. I came to Rav Ashlag after Shacharit. I went to my teacher and I said hello to him. I said what is your request, what is your desire?

My teacher didn’t answer me. He just looked at my face. After a little, while he told me about this dream that he had. In his dream, he heard a voice telling him to wake up, Abraham is in great danger. Ask for mercy on him. In my dream I said, Who is this Abraham? He didn’t answer me. I fell asleep again and then heard this voice calling to me to wake up, Abraham is in danger. Then he understood it was about this young man.

Rav Ashlag said, I was shaken by this understanding. I got up and prayed and asked for mercy. That’s why I called you. I need you to find Abraham and find out if he is okay.

Rav Brandwein gave this letter to someone to give to Abraham. Rav Brandwein writes, please come quickly to Rav Ashlag and let him know you are okay. May the Creator give you goodness and protect you.

We are going to read in the reading this morning about Abraham and Sarah. The Zohar explains that all of us were in the soul of Adam, and did not choose life. Rather, we chose the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Therefore, what is known as the sin of Adam caused the suffering in our world today.

Abraham was the first to begin the process of correction. That is why today we read about Abraham and Sarah’s life. Each one of us has part of the soul of Adam. Each one of us is responsible for the pain and suffering in our world. Abraham was the first to take a truly great step in the removal of that pain.

When I read this letter, I understood it to be a dream about every single person in the world. Abraham is the code for the soul of humanity that began the correction. But we and the world are still in grave danger. There is still pain. There is still suffering. On Rosh Hashanah, today, we have the ability to plant the seed for every one of us not to connect to the sin of Adam, but to connect to the soul of Abraham. To truly do the work of choosing life, of inscribing ourselves and the world in the Book of Life by dedicating ourselves to the path of the Desire to Share and to do what we can. We have to have this consciousness today to end pain and suffering in the world.