# לט
לט
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/alim-litrufa/2/39
## Segment 1
בָּרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם, יוֹם ד' וַיְחִי [י"ג טבת] תקצ"א.
Peace — to my beloved son, the veteran scholar,
our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may he live.
## Segment 2
אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי, הָיִיתִי עוֹמֵד וּמְצַפֶּה לִרְאוֹת מִכְתָּבְךָ, כָּלוּ עֵינַי כָּל הַיּוֹם מֵחֲמַת שֶׁלֹּא רָאִיתִי מִכְתָּבְךָ זֶה כַּמָּה יָמִים. וְהִנֵּה בְּיוֹם אֶתְמוֹל בִּשְּׂרוּנִי בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁיֵּשׁ מִכְתָּב מֵאִתְּךָ, וְשַׂשְׂתִּי כְּעַל כָּל הוֹן. וּבָאתִי לְבֵיתִי וּפָתַחְתִּי אוֹתוֹ וְעָמַדְתִּי מַרְעִיד, כִּי לֹא שָׁמַעְתִּי מִקֹּדֶם כְּלָל שְׁמוּעָה לֹא טוֹבָה כָּזֹאת מֵחֲמוֹתְךָ זִכְרוֹנָהּ לִבְרָכָה, "צַדִּיק ה' בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו" וְכוּ'. וּבְוַדַּאי אֲנִי מֵבִין מֵרָחוֹק עֹצֶם צַעַרְךָ וּבִלְבּוּל דַּעְתְּךָ, אַךְ גַּם אַתָּה רָאוּי לְךָ לְהָבִין צַעֲרֵנוּ וּבִלְבּוּל דַּעְתֵּנוּ, כִּי כְּבָר הוֹדַעְתִּיךָ מַה שֶּׁהָיָה בְּבֵיתִי בְּעֵת שֶׁנִּפְטַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל זַ"ל הַמָּקוֹם יַצִּילֵנוּ מֵעַתָּה. וְהִנֵּה זֶה יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁנֵי שָׁבוּעוֹת אֲשֶׁר בָּעֲרָה אֵשׁ ה' בְּכַמָּה וְכַמָּה נְפָשׁוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת שֶׁנֶּעְדְּרוּ הַרְבֵּה בְּאֵלּוּ הַיָּמִים הַמְעֻטִּים, הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם וְיֹאמַר לַמַּלְאָךְ הֶרֶף יָדְךָ,
Your letter I received last week. And now I fear lest my friend Rabbi Chaim
precede [depart as messenger] and leave at once — therefore I am writing in haste
in the middle of prayer, before
Ashrai and
U'va L'Tzion
[i.e., mid-Shacharis, between
the Psukay D'Zimrah and the final prayers — Reb Nussun
interrupts his own davening to write] — and I do not know at all what to
write to you. And behold — no doubt you have already heard that
the light of our eyes, the beloved — Rabbi Avraham
Beer, son of Adl — may he live — has been ill for more than a week. And blessed
be Hashem he has had a turn for the better. May Hashem support him so that he
returns to his full strength in completeness speedily. And from yourself you can
understand the greatness of the anguish we had — therefore I was unable to seek
out a passerby last week to write you anything. The nekretin
[הַנֶּעקְרֶעטִין — from the Russian rekrut/recruiter:
the agents of the Czarist government charged with conscripting Jewish boys into
the Imperial Army, often for terms of twenty-five years beginning in childhood.
This was the Cantonist decree — one of the most devastating decrees ever to fall
upon Russian Jewry. The bracketed gloss in the original Hebrew text reads:
"those appointed over the conscription of the children of Israel into the army"]
from Nemrov conscripted eight [boys] — and one soldier remained.
[וְנִשְׁאָר חַיָּל אֶחָד — the plain Hebrew says simply
"one soldier remained." Whether this means one boy still at risk, one quota-slot
yet unfilled, or some other unresolved aspect of the decree, Reb Nussun leaves
## Segment 3
רְאֵה בְּנִי וַחֲכַם, מַה שֶּׁעוֹבֵר עַל הָאָדָם בִּימֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלוֹ וְהַכֹּל לְטוֹבָה. בְּנִי רְאֵה גַּם רְאֵה הֶבֶל הָעוֹלָם הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים, הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים. וְאִם קֹהֶלֶת אָמַר שִׁבְעָה הֲבָלִים, רָאוּי לָנוּ לוֹמַר אַלְפֵי אֲלָפִים וְרִבֵּי רְבָבוֹת הֲבָלִים. רְאֵה בְּנִי מַה שֶּׁעוֹבֵר עַל הָאָדָם בִּימֵי חַיָּיו, וְכָכָה וְכָכָה עָבְרוּ עַל יְמֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ כַּמּוּבָא בַּסְּפָרִים כַּמָּה מִינֵי דֶּבֶר וְחֶרֶב רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן עָבְרוּ בְּכָל הַדּוֹרוֹת, לִפְעָמִים בִּמְדִינָה זֹאת וְלִפְעָמִים בִּמְדִינָה זֹאת. וְהַכֹּל בִּשְׁבִיל הַנִּסָּיוֹן וְהַבְּחִירָה, לְמַעַן הַשֵּׁם, לְמַעַן הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁנִּתְחַזֵּק וְנַעְתִּיר לַה' שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַכֹּל לְטוֹבָה, בִּבְחִינַת (מִשְׁלֵי יט) "יִרְאַת ה' לְחַיִּים", וְלֹא לְמָוֶת. הַיְנוּ שֶׁעַל יְדֵי כָּל מַה שֶּׁעוֹבֵר נִזְכֶּה לְהִתְקָרֵב יוֹתֵר לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְלִזְכֹּר בְּהַתַּכְלִית הָאֱמֶת שֶׁהַכֹּל הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים הֶבֶל נִדָּף.
unstated — the horror speaks without elaboration]
May Hashem Yisborach have mercy on His people
quickly. Bitter and most bitter — woe and alas —
to speak and write of this. May the Omnipresent have mercy on the remnant
of His people Israel. And may He place in each person's heart to look well upon himself —
what is happening in the world: troubles heaped upon troubles
in quick succession — and he still dances among them
[going about ordinary life as if unmoved, oblivious to
the spiritual urgency pressing on every side] —
it does not let us settle our spirit
[לֹא יִתְּנֵנוּ — "it does not let us": the
subject shifts here from singular to plural — from "him" to "us." Reb Nussun
steps inside the very condition he has just described. The relentlessness of
affliction does not let any of us — including Reb Nussun himself — compose our
minds to think of our end and our future]
and compose our mind to think of our end and our future.
What shall we say — what shall we speak — what shall we say
— what shall we speak
[the fourfold repetition is in the original — an expression
of wordless anguish echoing the language of Yosef's brothers: what shall
we say to my lord, what shall we speak
[B'reishis 44:16]]. But — I considered my ways and turned my feet toward Your testimonies
[Tehillim 119:59] —
we have no one to flee to except to Torah and prayer
— on the paths of truth and uprightness which we drew from the wells of
salvation. And even now we must console ourselves and gladden our souls with the
## Segment 4
אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי יֵשׁ בְּלִבִּי הַרְבֵּה לְדַבֵּר אַךְ גָּבַהּ טוּרָא בֵּינָן, לְמַעַן הַשֵּׁם חֲזַק וְהִתְחַזֵּק וּזְכֹר אֶת בּוֹרַאֲךָ בְּכָל עֵת בֵּין בְּטִיבוֹ בֵּין בְּעָקוּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם; וְקַיֵּם מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תְּהִלִּים נו) "בַּה' אֲהַלֵּל דָּבָר בֵּאלֹקִים אֲהַלֵּל דָּבָר". כִּי כָּל הַמְּאֹרָעוֹת הַכֹּל לְטוֹבָתֵנוּ, וְזֶה מֵעֵין עוֹלָם הַבָּא וְכוּ' כַּמְבֹאָר בְּסִימָן ד', רְאֵה גַּם רְאֵה כַּמָּה הִפְלִיא הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ חַסְדּוֹ הַגָּדוֹל עִמָּנוּ שֶׁהִקְדִּים רְפוּאוֹת נִפְלָאוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה לְמַכּוֹתֵינוּ הָאֲנוּשׁוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה, שֶׁהוֹדִיעָנוּ בְּרַחֲמָיו תּוֹרוֹת נוֹרָאוֹת וְנִפְלָאוֹת וְנִשְׂגָּבוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִשְׁמְעוּ מֵעוֹלָם, שֶׁנּוּכַל לְהַחֲיוֹת נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ בָּהֶם גַּם בָּעִתִּים הַלָּלוּ בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים הָאֵלּוּ, אֲשֶׁר עָלֵינוּ נִבְּאוּ כָּל קַדְמוֹנֵינוּ הַצַּדִּיקִים וְהַנְּבִיאִים הָאֲמִתִּיִּים; לְמַעַן הַשֵּׁם חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזֵּק, וְאַל תִּשְׁכַּח בְּכָל עֵת מִי הָיָה בָּעוֹלָם וּמִי מְקַיֵּם הָעוֹלָם עַתָּה; בַּה' בָּטַחְנוּ לֹא נִמְעַד, חֲטֹף וֶאֱכֹל חֲטֹף וֶאֱכֹל בְּנִי גַּם עַתָּה תּוֹרָה וּמִצְווֹת וּתְפִלָּה וְהִתְבּוֹדְדוּת כָּל מַה שֶּׁתּוּכַל. כִּי גַּם יָמִים אֵלּוּ הֵם יָמִים, וְנֶחֱשָׁבִים בִּימֵי חַיֵּינוּ, וְגַם עֲלֵיהֶם נֶאֱמַר "הַיּוֹם אִם בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָעוּ" הַיּוֹם דַּיְקָא. וְאָז טוֹב לְךָ וּלְבֵיתְךָ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים וְשָׁנִים אָמֵן.
greatness of the wonders of the salvations — which the Master of Mercy performed
for us: to have preceded for us such remedies before these
blows
[Reb Nussun refers to the Breslov teachings and practices —
the segulos and paths of
emunah — which were given to the community before
these terrible decrees fell. The order of mercy: the remedy first, the blow
after]. For were it not for Hashem Who was with us
[Tehillim 124:1] — nearly, nearly our hope would
have been lost entirely, G-d forbid.
Therefore it is upon us to praise the Master of All
and so forth — every day and every time — and to gladden our souls in this —
so that through this very thing — specifically
[עַל יְדֵי זֶה דַּיְקָא — davka: precisely,
specifically through praise. Not that praise is a preliminary to petition —
rather, praise is itself the mechanism through which the heart opens and the
words of prayer flow as naturally as a child's speech before its father.
The davka is the theological point]
— we merit to pour out our speech before Him, as a child
who beseeches before his father. For He has already drawn us near in His
mercy as beloved and precious children — and shown us such treasuries upon
treasuries of goodness and preciousness — such wondrous and beloved and awesome
segulos
[propitious remedies and spiritual treasures].
Enclosed — A Letter from Rabbi Aizik of Ladizhin
And receive the letter enclosed here — from our friend Rabbi Aizik of Ladizhin —
so that you may see the strength of the longing of our people
toward the truth — to come to the Land of Israel and so forth. And I have
already written him a fine reply to this. If G-d wills it — if you are in
Ladizhin — ask him to show you my letter. And
treasure this letter
[וְתַצְנִיעַ — hide it carefully, preserve it]
— for I have hoped in Hashem that
our letters will be precious in the days to come
with the help of Hashem Yisborach.
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.
## Segment 5
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ הַכּוֹתֵב בְּחִפָּזוֹן וּמְצַפֶּה לִישׁוּעַת ה' מְהֵרָה.
[cf. Tehillim 25:3]
The words of your father — who awaits salvation.
Nussun of Breslov.
## Segment 6
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.