# קלח
קלח
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/alim-litrufa/2/138
## Segment 1
קלח
For all of them revolve around the central point of the truth in its truth — to long and to yearn for Hashem and His Torah and the true tzadikim and their holy ways. Happy are we that we merited to this. May Hashem be thus with us — that we merit to complete and to bring our good intention to fruition speedily — so that we not be shamed and so forth — forever and ever. [cf. Tehillim 25:3]
## Segment 2
בָּרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם, יוֹם א' אִסְרוּ־חַג שָׁבוּעוֹת תקצ"ד לפ"ק.
The words of your father — who awaits salvation.
## Segment 3
בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי שִׂמְחַת לְבָבִי.
To: My dear son, my beloved — the joy of my heart. [Yitzchok]
I received your letter at this hour — before the sleep that is very necessary
for me now — and several of our anshei sh'lomaynu are standing over
## Segment 4
קִבַּלְתִּי מִכְתָּבְךָ בְּזֹאת הַשָּׁעָה קֹדֶם הַשֵּׁנָה הַמֻּכְרַחַת לִי עַתָּה מְאֹד, וְגַם כַּמָּה אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ עוֹמְדִים עָלַי לְקַבֵּל רְשׁוּת לָשׁוּב לְבֵיתָם לְשָׁלוֹם, וּמֵאֵלֶיךָ תָּבִין טִרְדָּתִי עַתָּה. עִם כָּל זֶה אַהֲבָתְךָ הַחֲזָקָה אִלְּצַנִי לַהֲשִׁיבְךָ מְעַט, וְאוֹדוֹת הַקַּאפְטִין הֱטִיבוֹתָ בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי כִּי הָיָה עִם לְבָבְךָ; יְשַׁלֵּם ה' פָּעָלְךָ אֲשֶׁר תְּשׁוּקָתְךָ חָזָק לְתָמְכֵנִי יוֹתֵר מִכֹּחֲךָ. אַךְ עִם כָּל זֶה אֵינִי יָכוֹל עַתָּה לְקַבֵּל טוֹבָתְךָ, גַּם אֵין בְּיָדִי הַקֶּערְבִּיל עַל הַסְּטְרַאקֶע וּשְׁאָר הִצְטָרְכוּת עַל הַקַּאפְטִין. גַּם בְּזֹאת הַשָּׁעָה הִבְטִיחוּנִי אַנְשֵׁי טֶעפְּלִיק לַעֲשׂוֹת לִי אֵיזֶה מַלְבּוּשׁ, וְצִּוִּיתִים שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ לִי קַאפְטִין טוֹב, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֻּמְשַׁךְ עוֹד אֵיזֶה זְמַן הַהֶכְרֵחַ לְהַמְתִּין, כִּי אֵין לִי כֹּחַ לִדְחֹק הַשָּׁעָה. וַה' הַטּוֹב יַעֲשֶׂה וְיַלְבִּישֵׁנִי בִּגְדֵי כָּבוֹד "בִּגְדֵי יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי", וּמַה מְּאֹד שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֶת לְבָבִי בְּאִמְרוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתָּ, שָׁמַעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי. מִי יִתֵּן שֶׁתִּזְכֶּה לְקַיֵּם בִּשְׁלֵמוּת דְּבָרֵינוּ הַנּוֹבְעִים מִסְּפָרָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים, עַד שֶׁתְּמַלֵּא רְצוֹן אֲדוֹנֵנוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ זַ"ל לְקַיֵּם דְּבָרָיו בֶּאֱמֶת, לְבַלּוֹת יָמֶיךָ עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הַתְּפִלָּה וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּבָה וְעַל הַכִּסּוּפִין וְהַגַּעְגּוּעִים וּרְצוֹנוֹת טוֹבִים וַחֲזָקִים וַחֲדָשִׁים בְּכָל יוֹם, וּלְהוֹצִיאָם מִכֹּחַ אֶל הַפֹּעַל, לְדַבֵּר הַכִּסּוּפִים בַּפֶּה וְלִצְעֹק וְלַעֲרֹג כְּאַיָּל תַּעֲרֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם, עַד יְרַחֵם ה' מִשָּׁמַיִם. עַד שֶׁתִּזְכֶּה בְּכָל פַּעַם לָבוֹא לְשִׂמְחָה גְּדוֹלָה עַל יְדֵי הַלֵּב נִשְׁבָּר וּלְהִתְחַזֵּק בְּשִׂמְחָה בְּכָל עֵת, כִּי "חֶדְוַת ה' הִיא מָעֻזֵּנוּ". יֶתֶר מִזֶּה אֵין פְּנַאי לְהַאֲרִיךְ.
me to receive permission to return home in peace. And from yourself you will
understand my pressure now.
Even so — your strong love compelled me to reply
to you a little.
And regarding the kaftan —
you have done well — my beloved son — for it was in your
heart
[הֱטִיבוֹתָ בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי כִּי הָיָה עִם לְבָבְךָ
— the formula from I Melachim 8:18 — Hashem's words to David about the
Temple he wished to build but was not permitted to: "you did well that it
was in your heart." The will and the intention are honoured even when the
act cannot be completed. Yitzchok's desire to provide a kaftan for Reb
Nussun is recognized and honoured precisely for the intention — *ki haya
im levavcha* — the fact that it was in his heart is itself the meritorious
act].
May Hashem repay your act — that your longing is strong to support me beyond
your strength. But even so I cannot accept your goodness now — for I also
do not have the coin for the lining and other necessities for the kaftan.
And at this very hour the people of Teplyk promised to make me some garment
— and I commanded them to make me a good kaftan. And although it will still
take some time — one is compelled to wait — for I have no strength to press
the hour. And may Hashem the Good clothe me in
garments of salvation — a robe of righteousness will
wrap me
[בִּגְדֵי יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי —
Yeshayahu 61:10: "I will greatly rejoice in Hashem — my soul shall exult
in my G-d — for He has clothed me in garments of salvation — He has wrapped
me in a robe of righteousness — as a bridegroom adorns himself with a
priestly crown — as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." The verse of
the ultimate spiritual clothing: garments of salvation and righteousness.
The request for a physical kaftan becomes the occasion for the prayer that
Hashem clothe Reb Nussun in the deeper garments — *bigdei yesha*, the
salvational garments of Yeshayahu's vision]
[Yeshayahu 61:10].
And how greatly you have gladdened my heart with what you wrote —
I heard — I heard
[שָׁמַעְתִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי — the doubled *sham'ti* —
I heard, I heard — is an emphatic affirmation of deep reception: not merely
registering the words but receiving them into the innermost place. A doubled
hearing marks a double inwardness: the words have penetrated to where they
need to go].
Would that you merit to fulfil completely the words of ours that flow from
his holy books — until you fulfil the will of our Master, our Teacher and
Rebbe — of blessed memory — to truly fulfil his words — to exhaust your days
in Torah and in prayer and in repentance — and in
longings and yearnings and good and strong and renewed
desires each day — and to bring them out from potential into actuality —
to speak the longings with the mouth — and to cry out and to yearn
as the hart yearns for the water-brooks
[כְּאַיָּל תַּעֲרֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מַיִם — Tehillim
42:2: "as the hart yearns for the water-brooks — so my soul yearns for You,
O G-d." The Psalm of the soul in exile — the longing for the divine presence
expressed through the image of the desperately thirsty hart searching for
flowing water. The hart's longing is not calm desire but urgent, bodily,
existential need. To cry out and yearn in exactly this register — bringing
the longing from inner potential into the actuality of spoken words — is
the practice]
[Tehillim 42:2]
— until Hashem has mercy from the heavens. Until you merit each time to come
to great joy through the broken heart — and to strengthen yourself in joy
at every time — for
the joy of Hashem is our strength
[חֶדְוַת ה' הִיא מָעֻזֵּנוּ — Nechemiah 8:10: the
words of Ezra and Nechemiah to the people on Rosh Hashana: "Go, eat rich
foods and drink sweet drinks... for the joy of Hashem is your strength."
The verse that appears repeatedly throughout the collection as the essential
Breslov formulation: divine joy is not ornamental but structural — it is
*ma'uzenu* — our fortress, our strength, our place of refuge. Not the joy
of one's own achievement but *chedvas Hashem* — the joy that belongs to and
flows from Hashem]
[Nechemiah 8:10].
Beyond this there is no time to extend.
The words of your father.
Nussun of Breslov.
[Translator's Note: Overview: Isru Chag Shavuos — written before sleep while
guests depart. About the kaftan Yitzchok wished to provide: *heitivota ki
haya im levavecha* (I Melachim 8:18) — Hashem's words to David about the
Temple intention: honoured for the intention even when the act cannot be
completed. Prayer for *bigdei yesha me'il tzedaka* (Yeshayahu 61:10). *Sham'ti
sham'ti* — doubled hearing as double inwardness. The vision: bring longings
out from potential into actuality — speak the yearnings with the mouth — *k'ayal
ta'arog al afike mayim* (Tehillim 42:2) — until coming to great joy through
the broken heart. *Chedvas Hashem hi ma'uzenu* (Nechemiah 8:10).
Key Themes
Heitivota Ki Haya Im Levavecha — I Melachim 8:18
"You did well that it was in your heart." Hashem's words to David about
the Temple he wished but was not permitted to build. The intention is honoured
even when the act cannot be completed.
Yitzchok's desire to provide the
kaftan is meritorious for the intention itself.]
## Segment 5
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ.
The words of your father.
## Segment 6
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.