You read that right. Parents wrote into the Rebbe in 1983 their concern with their child wetting the bed and the doctor doesn’t have a solution.

The Rebbe took the question (and questioner) seriously, and responded respectfully to the question, as for that person in that situation it is a real issue and stress, and Rebbe took people seriously, practically addressing the issues (free translation below):

“Well-known advice: It’s encouraged there be menuchas hanefesh (an inner calm and tranquility) and hesech hadas (distraction from the matter) in regards to this particular issue and certainly not to exaggerate the situation more than it is. Obviously, one should minimize drinking close to bed-time.”

This is a simple but important life tip about matters exacerbated by stress and anxiety. It is true for bedwetting and also applies to many other parenting matters, including some issues currently front of mind for many people and on the tips of their tongues.

Note: Many people received formal letter responses from the Rebbe, but “Maynos” was another form of response especially in the 1980’s onward. Rebbe would write a succinct, crisply worded brief response often on the side or bottom of the letter itself and this response would be communicated by Rebbe’s Secretariat to the questioner. This response above is an example of such a one or two-liner “Mayneh” that was not part of a longer fuller formal format letter.

Over the years since Gimmel Tammuz, many of these handwritten Rebbe Maynos answers have been gradually (officially and unofficially) shared and published and they are a treasure trove of insight, Rebbe’s wording and framing of things, on a huge spectrum of issues. This is of course, in addition, to the more formal publication of the Rebbe’s Igros (responsa and formal letters) of which dozens of volumes have been published, covering ranges of years, topics, and addressees.