קיב

Nussun of Breslov.

And peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with great love.

To: My beloved son, my dear one — peace to you and to your household. [Yitzchok] Your letter I received at this hour — and I have no time to reply — but from

the greatness of your longing it is imperative to fulfil your wish and reply to you something at any rate.

And behold — my sorrow is very great regarding your sufferings — from the weakness of your wife — may she live — and from the matter of the debt. But I already know well — with great clarity — that the whole world is full of sufferings — as we have spoken much about this between us. And I have already heard from him — of blessed memory — that

all his own sufferings — he knew them in advance — and were it not for this it would have been hard for him to receive them. And King David — peace be upon him — said: for I am prepared for collapse — and my pain is before me always... hasten to my help [כִּי אֲנִי לְצֶלַע נָכוֹן... חוּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִי — Tehillim 38:18: the Psalm of David in physical and spiritual anguish. Ki ani l'tzela nachon — "I am prepared for collapse." Yet even from this place the prayer is launched: chusah l'ezrasi — hasten to my help] [Tehillim 38:18] and so forth. But even so — one must know that the attribute of good is greater — and the kindness of G-d is all the day [מִדָּה טוֹבָה מְרֻבָּה, וְחֶסֶד אֵל כָּל הַיּוֹם — Midah tovah m'rubah: the Talmudic principle (Sotah 11a) that the divine measure of good exceeds the measure of retribution five-hundredfold. Chesed El kol hayom: Tehillim 52:3 — "the kindness of G-d endures all the day." Together: sufferings are real but surrounded and exceeded by divine goodness that persists throughout every day] [Tehillim 52:3]. And were it not for the wondrous kindness and mercies that the great tzaddikim draw down — and especially the tzaddikim who dwell in the dust — who pray for the world [צַדִּיקֵי שׁוֹכְנֵי עָפָר שֶׁהֵם מִתְפַּלְּלִין עַל הָעוֹלָם — the departed righteous who continue to intercede for the world from their resting places. Based on the Talmud (Bava Metzia 85a and Brochos 18b) that the righteous even in death pray on behalf of the world. The Rebbe in his resting place in Uman is foremost among these] — and were it not for the salvations and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that are drawn through their awesome prayer every day — certainly a person would not have been able to sustain themselves. And one who has a heart to understand can see this almost every day through the things and adventures that pass over him — and what he sees a little and what he hears a little — apart from the multitude of things and adventures that happen in the world each day in every city — and with each person individually — which are beyond the mind's ability to estimate. Only the wise person understands from his own understanding — from what he sees and hears a little — to understand from this: in the other provinces of the King of the Universe [בִּשְׁאָר מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ מַלְכּוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם — malko shel olam: King of the Universe — the precise rabbinic formula for divine kingship (*melech ha'olam* of the blessings; *malko shel olam* in Talmudic prose). The image is a deliberate application of logical reasoning — kal vachomer: the wise person observes a little of what happens in his small local province and reasons from the seen to the unseen — if such things happen in this one province, how much more must be happening in all the other provinces of the King of the Universe. A universe-scale extrapolation from local observation] — what happens each day — and from all of this one can understand hints — not to be frightened by his thoughts from all that passes over him — whether in livelihood — whether in health — or other matters — rather from all of them he should remember Hashem Yisborach from wherever he may be — however he is — for even in the deepest depths of the underworld one can be close to Hashem Yisborach and remember oneself in Hashem Yisborach at every time — especially through the changes and adventures that pass over him — for all of them are only for this purpose — to hint to him — and so forth — as is known to us — as we have already spoken much about this. And however one is — prayer and crying out help for every matter. But it is hard to cry out and pray — except through the above path — when one is not so frightened — but rather knows that this is how Hashem Yisborach conducts the world — and this is the trial of each person in the world — that whatever passes over him each day should pass over him. And all is according to the

person and the time. This one is tested through great poverty and this one through extraordinary wealth — and this one through one kind of livelihood and this one through another — and so forth — and all the changes that happen to a person and in time — each day and each person — are beyond counting — for this particular person on this particular day — according to his deeds and according to his soul — must be tested in this specific matter — and that one in an entirely different matter. But the common denominator of all of them — is that all of them are full of worries and griefs and sufferings beyond measure — and all of them have nothing with which to revive and console themselves — except through what they snatch each day of something holy — Torah and prayer and charity and acts of kindness — through which they will succeed forever. And outside of this — everything is vanity. Even if he had all the wealth and all the world of all the world's people — all the more so since there is no one who will have all this world. Until now His mercies have helped us to write these few words that hold much [דְּבָרִים הַמֻּעָטִים הַמַּחֲזִיקִים הַרְבֵּה — a precise Talmudic aesthetic: few words that contain great holding-power. The style of the pithy utterance with great weight — the Mishnaic and Talmudic ideal of concentrated wisdom. Reb Nussun marvels that what came to him to write is precisely of this quality: the few words that hold much. And he adds: what had not entered my mind to write — it was from Hashem. The quality of the writing, its brevity and weight together, is itself a divine gift] — which had not entered my mind to write — and it was from Hashem. Wondrous — the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge — the kindnesses and salvations that Hashem Yisborach performs with us each day and at every time. And in this we trust — that in the end our end will be good. And may He not abandon us and not forsake us — in His great kindness — Yisborach His Name — forever. The words of your father — who writes from the point within the heart [הַכּוֹתֵב מִנְּקֻדָּה שֶׁבַּלֵּב — the *nekudah shebalev* of the *azamra* Torah (Likutay Moharan I:282) — the innermost point of the soul that can never be fully extinguished. Reb Nussun signs as one who writes from that very deepest place — a self-inscription of rare intimacy in the entire collection] — and who awaits salvation. Nussun of Breslov. [Translator's Note: Overview: Parshas Va'eschanan, Sunday after midday. *Malko shel olam*: now identified as the precise rabbinic formula for divine kingship, with the *kal vachomer* logic: from what one observes in one's small local province, extrapolate to all the other provinces of the King of the Universe. *D'varim hamu'atim hamachazikim harbeh*: now identified as the Talmudic aesthetic of the pithy utterance with great weight — few words, great holding-power — and Reb Nussun marvels that this quality came to him as a divine gift, writing what had not entered his mind. The *tzaddikim shochnei afar*. The *harpatka'os* as divine hints. The *nisayon* of each person. *Hakosei minkudah shebalev*. Key Themes Malko Shel Olam — King of the Universe / Kal Vachomer The precise rabbinic formula for divine kingship, used here as the basis for *kal vachomer* reasoning: observe what happens in your small local province — then reason to what must be happening in all the other provinces of the King of the Universe. A universe-scale logical extrapolation.]

Nussun of Breslov.