# קז
קז
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/alim-litrufa/2/107
## Segment 1
בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, יוֹם א' בְּמִדְבַּר תקצ"ג.
To: My beloved son, my dear one. [Yitzchok]
Your letter I received today — and it was a comfort to me — especially what
## Segment 2
אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי מִכְתָּבְךָ קִבַּלְתִּי הַיּוֹם וְהָיָה לִי לְנַחַת, בִּפְרָט מַה שֶּׁכָּתַבְתָּ שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְחַזֵּק בִּמְעַט טוֹב שֶׁאַתָּה חוֹטֵף בְּכָל יוֹם. יְהִי ה' עִמְּךָ וִיחַזֵּק אֶת לְבָבְךָ לְהוֹסִיף בְּכָל יוֹם אוֹר קְדֻשָּׁה וָדַעַת, כִּי חוּץ מִזֶּה הַכֹּל הֶבֶל. וּמַה שֶּׁאַתָּה כּוֹתֵב בְּכָל אִגֶּרֶת שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה עִמְּךָ הַרְבֵּה בְּכָל יוֹם, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לִי יִסּוּרִים מִזֶּה מִצַּד אֶחָד, אֲבָל זֹאת נֶחָמָתִי כִּי יָדַעְתִּי שֶׁעִם כָּל אָדָם בְּהֶכְרֵחַ שֶׁיַּעֲבֹר עָלָיו כָּל זֶה. וַאֲנִי שָׂמֵחַ בְּהַצַּד לְטוֹבָה מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי רוֹאֶה מִכָּתְלֵי דְּבָרֶיךָ שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְחַזֵּק בִּדְבָרָיו וַעֲצוֹתָיו הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת. חֲזַק בְּנִי וַחֲזַק, וְהִזָּהֵר לִזְכֹּר בְּכָל עֵת שֶׁהָעִקָּר הוּא הַשָּׁעָה הַזֹּאת, וְשֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ כְּתֵפַיִם רְחָבִים בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לִסְמֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם. וּמִמְּךָ תִּרְאֶה וְתָבִין מֶה הָיִיתָ עוֹשֶׂה אִם לֹא הָיָה לְךָ כֹּחַ כָּזֶה וְעֵצוֹת כָּאֵלּוּ אֵיךְ הָיָה בִּלְתִּי אֶפְשָׁר לִסְבֹּל מְרִירוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא, וּזְכֹר הֵיטֵב הַלָּשׁוֹן הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַזֶּה שֶׁגִּלָּה הוּא זַ"ל בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ (לִקּוּטֵי מוֹהֲרַ"ן כ"ג) שֶׁחֶמְדַּת הַמָּמוֹן הוּא מְרִירוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא, מַר מִמָּוֶת, וְהוּא נִמְשָׁךְ מִפְּגַם הַבְּרִית, וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַמְתִּיקוֹ כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי בְּרִית מֶלַח עוֹלָם שֶׁהוּא הַצַּדִּיק הָאֱמֶת. תֵּדַע וְתַאֲמִין שֶׁכָּל הָעוֹלָם מָלֵא מְרִירוּת יוֹתֵר מַאֲשֶׁר עוֹבֵר עָלֶיךָ, מַה נָּשִׁיב לַה' אֲשֶׁר אָנוּ זוֹכִים לֵידַע מֵהַצַּדִּיק הָאֱמֶת יְסוֹד הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהוּא מַמְתִּיק הַמְּרִירוּת שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ. וּבְוַדַּאי הַחוֹסִים בְּצִלּוֹ וּמִתְקָרְבִים אֵלָיו נִמְתָּק מֵהֶם הַמְּרִירוּת הַרְבֵּה יוֹתֵר, וּמִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁזּוֹכִים בְּכָל יוֹם לַחֲטֹף טוֹב וְעֵצוֹת עַל פִּי דְּרָכָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים, אַשְׁרֵינוּ מַה טּוֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ שֶׁזָּכִינוּ לָזֶה, וּבָזֶה תָּגִיל וְתָשִׂישׂ בְּכָל יוֹם וּבְכָל עֵת. וְתִבְרַח מִכָּל הָרַעְיוֹן וְתִמְהוֹן לֵבָב שֶׁעוֹבֵר עָלֶיךָ אֶל מַחְשְׁבוֹת תּוֹרָה וּתְפִלָּה וְשִׂמְחָה וּבִטָּחוֹן וְהִתְחַזְּקוּת בְּחַסְדֵי ה' וּבְחֶמְלָתוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה לָנֶצַח. וְהִנֵּה מוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה נָחוּץ מְאֹד וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַאֲרִיךְ יוֹתֵר.
you wrote that you are strengthening yourself through the little good that you
snatch each day. May Hashem be with you and strengthen your heart to add each
day light of holiness and knowledge — for outside of this everything is vanity.
And what you write in each letter that much happens with you each day — although
I have suffering from it on one side — yet this is my consolation: I know that
with every person it is inevitable that all of this will pass over him. And I
am glad on the side of good —
what I see from within the walls of your words
[מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי רוֹאֶה מִכָּתְלֵי דְּבָרֶיךָ — literally:
"from the walls of your words" — an architectural image more precise than
"reading between the lines." One reads the interior space enclosed within
the walls of the language — what the words enclose but do not directly
say. Reb Nussun can see, from within the structure of Yitzchok's very complaints,
that he is in fact strengthening himself through the Rebbe's holy counsels.
The walls of the words reveal their interior to the attentive reader]
— that you are strengthening yourself through his words and holy counsels.
Be strong, my son — be strong. And be careful to remember at every time that
the essential thing is this present hour — and that we have broad shoulders
with the help of Hashem Yisborach to rely upon. And from yourself — see and
understand what you would have done if you did not have such a power and such
counsels — how it would have been impossible to bear the bitterness of the
world. And remember well the holy language that he — of blessed memory —
revealed in his holy tongue
[Likutay Moharan I:23]:
the desire for money is the bitterness of the world —
bitter more than death — and it is drawn from the flaw of the covenant —
and it cannot be sweetened except through the eternal salt-covenant — which
is the true tzaddik
[חֶמְדַּת הַמָּמוֹן הוּא מְרִירוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא,
מַר מִמָּוֶת — the full teaching of Likutay Moharan I:23: the desire for
money is the world's bitterness, bitter more than death (an echo of Koheles
7:26), stemming from the flaw of the holy covenant, sweetened only by the
true tzaddik who is himself the eternal salt-covenant — the bris melach
olam. The image of salt sweetening bitterness from Letter 100 here
receives its full theological ground].
Know and believe that the whole world is filled with more bitterness than
what passes over you.
What shall we return to Hashem — that we merit to know
from the true tzaddik — the foundation of the world — who sweetens the
bitterness of the entire world. And certainly those who shelter in
his shade and draw near to him — the bitterness is sweetened for them far
more — and all the more so those who merit each day to snatch good and
counsel according to his holy ways.
How fortunate are we — how good is our portion — that we
merited to this. And through this you will exult and rejoice each day
and at every time. And flee from all the anxious thought and
confusion of heart
[תִמְהוֹן לֵבָב — a direct echo of D'vorim 28:28,
from the Tochachah: v'hikcha Hashem b'shiga'on uv'ivaron uv'simhon
levav — "and Hashem will smite you with madness and blindness and
confusion of heart." One of the most fearful verses in the Torah — from the
curses of D'vorim 28 — applied here with unsettling precision to ordinary
spiritual confusion and anxiety. The implication: the bewilderment of heart
that every person experiences in the world's bitterness is itself the
timhon levav of the Tochachah — but the true tzaddik, the eternal
## Segment 3
וַאֲנִי מְצַפֶּה בְּכָל עֵת לִישׁוּעָתוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּהַבֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁלָּנוּ בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַסָּמוּךְ הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה, נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ, וְתִפְרֹס בִּשְׁלוֹם יְדִידִי הַוָּתִיק מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב נַחְמָן נֵרוֹ יָאִיר נֶכֶד אֲדוֹנֵנוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ זַ"ל, וְתַרְבֶּה לְדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ כִּרְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁהוּא רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ.
salt-covenant, sweetens even this]
that passes over you — toward thoughts of Torah and prayer and joy and trust
and strengthening in the kindnesses of Hashem and His great compassion
forever. And behold — the bearer of this letter is in urgent need — it is
impossible to extend further.
And I wait at every time for His great salvation — that we merit to pray in
our house of study on the coming holy Rosh Hashana — let us be glad and
rejoice in His salvation. And convey peace to my longstanding friend our
Teacher the Rabbi Nachman — may his light shine — grandson of our Master,
our Teacher and Rebbe — of blessed memory — and speak much with him as his
desire — which is His desire, Yisborach.
## Segment 4
הָרַב הֶחָסִיד וְכוּ' מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב רַבִּי יוּדְיל נֵרוֹ יָאִיר מִמֶּעדְוֶועדוּבְקֶא בָּא לְפֹה עַל שַׁבָּת, וְיִסַּע מִפֹּה מָחָר אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם, וּבָרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם הַכֹּל עַל נָכוֹן בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, וּבָרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם חֲתָנִי שֶׁיִּחְיֶה מוֹצֵא חֵן וְכוּ' בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹקִים וָאָדָם. הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ יַעַזְרֵנוּ וְיִגְמֹר חַסְדּוֹ עִמָּנוּ לְטוֹבָה בְּכָל הָעִנְיָנִים, וְגַם בָּזֶה רוֹאִים כַּמָּה גָּדוֹל חַסְדּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְכַמָּה גָּדוֹל כֹּחַ הַתְּפִלָּה, כִּי אֶחָד מֵהַמִּתְנַגְּדִים הוֹדָה בֶּאֱמֶת שֶׁזֶּה נַעֲשֶׂה רַק עַל יְדֵי תְּפִלָּה.
The words of your father — who waits for your salvation at every time.
Nussun of Breslov.
[Translator's Note: Overview: Parshas B'midbar. *Mikisley devarecha*: now
identified as the architectural image of reading the interior space enclosed
within the walls of the words — more precise than "between the lines." The
full Likutay Moharan I:23 teaching. *Timhon levav*: now identified as D'vorim
28:28 from the Tochachah — the bewilderment of heart from the most fearful
curses of the Torah applied to ordinary spiritual anxiety: the true tzaddik
sweetens even this. *Ashrenu mah tov chelkenu*. Son-in-law finding favour —
Mishlai 3:4. One Misnaged acknowledges the power of prayer.
Key Themes
Mikisley Devarecha — Walls of Words
"From within the walls of your words" — the architectural image of reading
the interior space enclosed by the structure of the language. Reb Nussun
sees in the structure of Yitzchok's very complaints that he is in fact
## Segment 5
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ הַמְצַפֶּה לִישׁוּעָתְךָ בְּכָל עֵת.
strengthening himself.
The walls of the words reveal their interior.]
## Segment 6
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.