סא

My beloved son, my dear one. [Yitzchok] Your letter I received two and three times — and no one presented himself to bring you a reply. And now I have no time at all — for it is Erev Shabbos Kodesh and I have guests, thanks be to G-d.

But the very force of your cry pressed me to find a moment and time even now. And in truth I do not know what to write to you — for I have already written you very much, and you have heard very much by word of mouth. And what shall I add to write to you? Have I not already informed you and made you hear countless times that it is impossible to pass through this world without trials, anxieties, temptations, the agitation of the adversary, and much bitterness — may the Merciful One spare us — for man is born to toil [אָדָם לְעָמָל יוּלָּד — Iyov 5:7, the book of Iyov's concentrated statement of the human condition. The Talmud [Sanhedrin 99b] uses this verse as a prooftext for the obligation of Torah study as the highest response to earthly toil] and so forth. And we have nothing with which to sustain ourselves except through the holy Torah — for there is no good in the world except the Torah — as King Dovid, peace be upon him, wrote [Tehillim 119:92]: were it not for Your Torah my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. And blessed be Hashem — your portion is among those who sit in the house of study, with the help of Hashem Yisborach. And if you do not learn as one should — truly as you have yearned — we have already spoken much that for the time being one must sustain oneself with each and every word one learns in the holy Torah — and with each and every point of good that one snatches each day — and to give thanks for the past in great joy each day — and to cry out for the future with a great voice until Hashem looks down and sees from Heaven [עַד יַשְׁקִיף וְיֵרֶא ה' מִשָּׁמַיִם — a direct quotation from Eichah 3:50, part of Yirmiyahu's great lament in the book of Eichah. The full context: "my eye streams without ceasing — without respite — until Hashem looks down and sees from Heaven." Reb Nussun applies Yirmiyahu's anguished waiting to the purpose of the great cry: persist in crying out until the moment Hashem looks down and responds]. And even the longings themselves are very good and precious. And regarding the rushing of thoughts with evil imaginings — you already know that even you — who have become very much accustomed to extraneous thoughts — even so the thought is always in your hand — and at every moment when you detach your thought from evil to good it is very precious in His eyes, Yisborach. And indeed you have seen that even so — how many, many times you have overcome your thoughts through the ways of his holy counsels. Therefore it is fitting for you to begin afresh each day to take hold of your thought in your hand — and even if it goes out, G-d forbid, to wherever it goes — take it by the reins and bridle to bring it back to the straight path [בְּרֶסֶן וְאַפְסָר — reins and bridle: vocabulary drawn from Tehillim 32:9 — "be not like horse or mule without understanding, whose spirit must be curbed with bridle and reins." Reb Nussun inverts the verse's warning: rather than the person being the unruly animal, the thought is the animal — and the person is the rider who must actively take up the reins to steer it back] — for it is in your hand at every time. And the essential thing is to accustom yourself to gladden your soul with all your might — in all the kinds of ways and counsels you have heard — in particular with milei d'shtuta u'vdichutha. And trust in Hashem and in His great and exalted power — that however it will be — your end will certainly, certainly, without any doubt, be good — for he, of blessed memory, has completed it and will certainly complete it [כִּי הוּא זַ\"ל גָּמַר וְיִגְמֹר — the double form of the same verb: gamar (past — he completed) and yigmor (future — he will complete). This is not merely sequential: the past form refers to the Rebbe's work being already perfected in a transcendent sense — accomplished beyond death; the future form refers to its unfolding and manifestation in this world. The Rebbe's work is simultaneously complete and still completing]. And we have already merited what we have merited — to know from the revelation of Torah teachings and stories such as have never been heard in the world — and this will remain with us forever in Hashem's kindnesses. And in the World to Come you will know the wonders of the delight and sweetness of these Torah teachings — and then we will understand in retrospect the immensity of the kindness He, Yisborach, did with us — that we merited to know all this in this world. And it is impossible to extend further on this now. Be strong and resolute and gladden your soul greatly — for everything will be turned to good with the help of Hashem Yisborach. And on account of the honour of the holy Shabbos it is impossible to extend further. The words of your father. Nussun of Breslov. And peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu — with great love — and in particular to my dear friend, the outstanding young man our Teacher the Rabbi Yaakov — may his light shine. Postscript — To Rabbi Yaakov I could not restrain myself from writing to you — from the very force of my love for you and the greatness of my yearning to see your eternal success. Even when you were here I heard and understood that you had slackened from persevering in study during these times — and even now I have heard such things about you. Please, my dear son — have compassion on yourself — for if not now, when? [אִם לֹא עַכְשָׁו אֵימָתַי — Hillel in Avos 1:14: "if not now, when?" — one of the most urgent exhortations in rabbinic literature, applied here to a young man at precisely the crossroads Hillel envisioned] And see and understand how many trials you have borne and how many obstacles you have broken in order to draw near to the truth — and now, after all these things and this truth that you have heard and understood from our mouths and from his holy books — it is not fitting for you or for us to slacken from words of Torah, G-d forbid — which are your life and the length of your days forever. Have pity on yourself and prevail from now on — bold as a lion — and begin afresh to overcome and to persevere in your learning each day. And do not immediately draw upon yourself the bitterness of the distraction of money. Trust in Hashem — especially now while no one is pressing you for livelihood. Remember — youth is like a crown of roses [יַנְקוּתָא כְּלִילָא כְּוָרְדָא — Talmudic Aramaic from Shabbos 152a: Rebbe Yochanan's image of youth as a rose-crown — beautiful, brief, irreversible. Reb Nussun quotes it as a spur: the crown is on your head now; wear it for Torah and prayer] — if one merits to engage in them with Torah and prayer and good deeds. For time runs and blossoms very, very much — and does not stand still even for a single moment — for there is no time at all — and youth and the prime of life are vanity [הַיַּלְדוּת וְהַשַּׁחֲרוּת הֶבֶל — a direct quotation from Koheles 11:10. The word shacharus — the black-haired prime, the dark vigour of youth — is unique to Koheles, appearing only here. Reb Nussun then immediately continues with z'chor es bor'echa from Koheles 12:1, sustaining a sequence from the same concluding passage of Koheles — the Bible's own meditation on youthful urgency and divine remembrance], vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, vanity. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth [Koheles 12:1] — and renew your youth like the eagle [Tehillim 103:5] — and walk in the ways of truth that you heard from us — and engage in Torah greatly each day. And do not also let go of multiplying supplications and requests and the saying of Tehillim — and of expressing your personal speech before Him, Yisborach, each day as a son before his father. And be modest in your conduct in every way possible.

And if even so it becomes known to the opponents — do not be ashamed before the mockers — and let your forehead be strong against them, against their evil boldness — and fulfil: be bold as a leopard [Avos 5:20]. For much azus d'kedushah is needed to stand against them and against all the obstacles that come from within oneself and from others. Happy are you if you hear these words of mine — then you will succeed and then you will act wisely forever [אָז תַּצְלִיחַ וְאָז תַּשְׂכִּיל — an echo of Yehoshua 1:8: "then you shall make your way prosperous and then you shall act wisely" — the divine promise to Yehoshua applied to Rabbi Yaakov's own path]. The words of one who loves him in truth forever. Nussun, as above.

Nussun of Breslov.