# סא
סא
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/alim-litrufa/2/61
## Segment 1
בָּרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם, יוֹם א' וַיֵּרָא תקצ"ב.
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.
## Segment 2
אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי, עַתָּה אֲבַשֶּׂרְךָ, שֶׁבְּיוֹם ו' עֶרֶב שַׁבַּת קֹדֶשׁ הֶעָבַר קִבַּלְתִּי אִגֶּרֶת מִידִידֵנוּ רַבִּי נַפְתָּלִי נֵרוֹ יָאִיר, שֶׁתּוֹדָה לָאֵל כְּבָר נִמְדַּד הַפְּלַאץ [הַמָּקוֹם] בְּאוּמַאן, בָּרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם אֲשֶׁר עֲזָרָנוּ עַד כֹּה, כִּי אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ גֹּדֶל הַיִּסּוּרִים, וְכִלְיוֹן עֵינַיִם שֶׁהָיָה לִי עַל זֶה בְּלִי שִׁעוּר. וְעַתָּה עַד הֵנָּה עֲזָרוּנִי רַחֲמָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁכְּבַר הַפְּלַאץ בְּחֶזְקָתֵנוּ בְּתֹקֶף גָּדוֹל בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְקָרוֹב שֶׁאֶסַּע לְמָחָר אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם לְאוּמַאן, לְהַנִּיחַ הַיְסוֹד. אַךְ עֲדַיִן יֵשׁ לִי סְפֵקוֹת, אִם אַמְתִּין עַד שָׁבוּעַ הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה, אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם, וַה' יוֹלִיכֵנוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר וְהָאֱמֶת, בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁאֶזְכֶּה לְהַתְחִיל וְלִגְמֹר הַבִּנְיָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַזֶּה, חִישׁ קַל מְהֵרָה. וּבְחַסְדֵי ה' שָׂמַחְנוּ הַרְבֵּה בְּשַׁבָּת הֶעָבַר בְּשִׂמְחָה וְרִקּוּדִין הַרְבֵּה בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, כִּי הָיוּ לָנוּ אוֹרְחִים הֲגוּנִים, וְגַם נֶכֶד הַקָּדוֹשׁ מוֹהֲרִ"י זַצַ"ל מִקַּאמִינְקָא וּמִצַּד אֶחָד נֶכֶד הָרַב הַקָּדוֹשׁ מִלִּינְץ, כַּאֲשֶׁר יְסַפֵּר לְךָ מוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה, תִּשְׁמַע וְתִשְׂמַח עַל יְשׁוּעַת ה', אֲשֶׁר עַד כֹּה עֲזָרָנוּ. מִי יִתֵּן שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לָגִיל וְלָשׂוּשׂ תָּמִיד בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ הַנִּפְלָאָה, אֲשֶׁר הִפְלִיא חַסְדּוֹ עִמָּנוּ, לְהַשְׁמִיעֵנוּ נוֹרָאוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִשְׁמְעוּ מֵעוֹלָם וְכוּ'. יָתֵר אֵין לְהַאֲרִיךְ כִּי אֲנִי טָרוּד עַתָּה מְאֹד, וּמוֹסֵר כְּתָב זֶה יְסַפֵּר לְךָ הַכֹּל: וַה' הַטּוֹב יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדֵנוּ לְטוֹבָה מְהֵרָה יִרְאוּ עֵינֵינוּ וְיִשְׂמַח לִבֵּנוּ בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ.
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.
## Segment 3
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ הַמּוֹדֶה עַל הֶעָבָר וּמְבַקֵּשׁ עַל לְהַבָּא וְלַה' הַיְשׁוּעָה.
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.
## Segment 4
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.