Segment 1
בָּרוּךְ־הַשֵּׁם, יוֹם א' וַיֵּרָא תקצ"ו לפ"ק נֶעמְרוֹב.
My beloved son — my dear one.
Segment 2
אֲהוּבִי, בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי.
I received your letter today and was very pleased. Just now I am standing in the middle of prayer — before *U'va l'Tziyon* [קֹדֶם וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן — "before *U'va l'Tziyon*" — a section near the end of the morning *Shacharis* prayer. Reb Nussun has literally paused mid-prayer to write these lines — the urgency of communication overcoming even the constraint of the prayer service] — and it is impossible to extend. The bearer of this letter is your brother-in-law — my dear friend Rabbi Yosef — may his light shine — who will tell you everything face to face. And in all likelihood you have already received the letter that I sent yesterday to you along with the letter to the rabbi of Savran [הָרַב מִסַּאוְורַאן — the rabbi of Savran — a town in Podolia. Reb Nussun has written a letter to this rabbi as part of an effort to find intermediaries who might help quench the *machloket*] and so forth — for I commanded that a special man be sent to you for this. Just now Rabbi Shmuel Weinberg is here with all the wedding party of his brother — and I need to speak with them too — and I have no leisure at all. Only this: consult well with your brother-in-law and with our true friends — perhaps you can find a man to speak with him — perhaps some salvation will sprout that the fire will be quenched [אוּלַי יִצְמַח אֵיזֶה יְשׁוּעָה שֶׁתִּשְׁקַע הָאֵשׁ — perhaps some salvation will sprout — *yitzmach* — that the fire will be quenched — *tishka ha'eish*. The *machloket* is described as a fire — and the hope is that through human intermediaries and through divine kindness it can be quenched. The language of organic growth: *yitzmach* — will sprout — as if salvation is a seed waiting to germinate] — and may He who makes peace in His heights — make peace upon us [Iyov 25:2; Kaddish] and so forth.
Segment 3
מִכְתָּבְךָ קִבַּלְתִּי עַל־יְדֵי מוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה בְּיוֹם ו', עֶרֶב שַׁבַּת־קֹדֶשׁ. וְהִנֵּה בְּעִנְיַן הָאִגֶּרֶת לְהָרַב, עִקַּר כַּוָּנָתִי הָיָה, שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא אִישׁ בִּקְהִלַּתְכֶם שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ מֵעֵין דְּבָרַי שֶׁבְּמִכְתָּבִי לְטוֹבָתִי; וּמֵאַחַר שֶׁלְּפִי דְּבָרָיו אֵין בַּנִּמְצָא שָׁם, עַל־כֵּן חִשַּׁבְתִּי דְּרָכַי וְאָשׁוּבָה רַגְלַי אֶל עֵדֹתֶיךָ לִסְמֹךְ עַל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְבַד וְלִהְיוֹת שֵׁב וְאַל תַּעֲשֶׂה, כִּי אֵין זֶה רְצוֹנִי כְּלָל, שֶׁאַתָּה בְּעַצְמְךָ תִּמְסֹר הָאִגֶּרֶת, וְזֶה לֹא עָלָה עַל דַּעְתִּי כְּלָל, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר לְךָ הַהַעְתָּקָה שֶׁל כְּתָב־יַד בְּנִי רַבִּי שַׁכְנָא שֶׁיִּחְיֶה, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ אֶצְלְךָ, אוּלַי אוּלַי יִהְיוּ נִצְרָךְ לְךָ וְאוּלַי אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן יִהְיֶה נִמְצָא שָׁם אִישׁ שֶׁיְּכַוֵּן לְבּוֹ לַשָּׁמַיִם לְהַכְנִיס אֶת עַצְמוֹ בָּזֶה לְמַעֵט הַמַחֲלֹקֶת וְה' הַטּוֹב יַעֲשֶׂה. יֶתֶר מִזֶּה אֵין פְּנַאי לְהַאֲרִיךְ, וּמוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה יְסַפֵּר לְךָ פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים הַכֹּל. וּתְהִלָּה לָאֵל, ה' אִתָּנוּ וּמַרְחִיב לָנוּ הַרְבֵּה בְּצָרוֹתֵינוּ בְּחַסְדּוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, וּמְעַט יְסַפֵּר לְךָ מוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִטּוּלְטְשִׁין, מֵהַיִּסּוּרִים וְהַרְחָבוֹת. וּבַה' בָּטַחְתִּי, שֶׁמִּדָּה טוֹבָה מְרֻבָּה וּבְוַדַּאי הַכֹּל לְטוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה וְאָנוּ צְרִיכִין לְהִתְחַזֵּק וּלְהִתְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם לֵילֵךְ בִּדְרָכָיו הַקְּדוֹשִׁים לְהַחֲיוֹת עַצְמֵנוּ בְּנִפְלְאוֹת חֲסָדָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁזָּכִינוּ לְהִמָּלֵט מִלִּהְיוֹת מֵהַחוֹלְקִים עַל נְקֻדַּת הָאֱמֶת וְכוּ', וּבָזֶה לְבַד אָנוּ יְכוֹלִים לִחְיוֹת וְלִשְׂמֹחַ גַּם עַתָּה עַד אֲשֶׁר יַרְחִיב ה' לָנוּ בִּשְׁלֵמוּת, וְנִזְכֶּה לָצֵאת מִכָּל צָרוֹתֵינוּ לְגַמְרֵי וְיִתְהַפֵּךְ הַכֹּל לְטוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה, לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה מְהֵרָה.
And since — according to his words — such a person is not
to be found there — I therefore reconsidered and
returned my feet to Your testimonies
[Tehillim 119:59]
— to rely on Hashem Yisborach alone — and to sit and not act — for
it is not at all my wish that you yourself deliver the letter — and
this never entered my mind at all. Even so — I am returning to you
the copy in my son Rabbi Shachna's handwriting — may he live — that
it should be with you — perhaps perhaps it will be needed for you —
and perhaps even so a person will be found there who will direct his
heart to Heaven to involve himself in this — to diminish the
*machloket* — and may the Good Hashem do. More than this there is no
leisure to extend — and the bearer of this letter — Rabbi Nachman of
Tulchin — will tell you face to face everything. And praised be G-d —
Hashem is with us and expands greatly for us within our distresses in
His kindness — Yisborach — and a little of the sufferings and the
expansions Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin — the bearer of this letter —
will tell you.
And I trusted in Hashem — for
the attribute of good is abundant
[Sotah 11a]
— and certainly everything is for great good. And we need to
strengthen ourselves and renew ourselves every day — to walk in His
holy ways — to give ourselves life through the wonders of His kindnesses
— Yisborach — that
we merited to escape from being among those who
oppose the point of truth
— and in this alone we can live and rejoice even now — until Hashem
expands for us in fullness — and we merit to come out from all our
distresses entirely — and everything will turn to great good —
to joy and to gladness — quickly.
Segment 4
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ הַמַּעְתִּיר בַּעַדְכֶם
The words of your father who intercedes for you.
Nussun of Breslov.
Segment 5
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.