Passage extracted from Rabelais letter (5)
I believe the answer is:
aisle
'passage' is the definition.
(aisle can mean a path or passageway)
'extracted from rabelais letter' is the wordplay.
'extracted from' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'AISLE' is hidden in the letters of 'rabelais letter'.
(Other definitions for aisle that I've seen before include "channel" , "Passageway between pews" , "Passage between pews" , "Passage between blocks of chairs" , "'Passage, gangway (5)'" .)