סו

Peace — to my beloved son, my dear one, our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may his light shine.

Your letter I received together with the grape wine — may Hashem repay your deed and may your reward be complete from Hashem [יְשַׁלֵּם ה' פָּעָלְךָ וּתְהִי מַשְׂכֻּרְתְּךָ שְׁלֵמָה מֵאֵת ה' — the blessing of Boaz to Rus [Rus 2:12], previously cited in Letter 55 for Rabbi Shimshon's generous support of the building project. Reb Nussun now applies this same blessing to Yitzchok for sending the wine for Pesach — the act of providing for the holy festival elevated to the same register of sacred generosity] — and may you merit to rejoice at the joy of the festival and to be careful of even a trace of chametz in the physical and the spiritual. And on account of the distraction it is impossible to extend further — and there is yet a vision to extend the speech [וְעוֹד חָזוֹן לְהַרְחִיב הַדִּבּוּר — chazon: not merely "vision" in a general sense but the specific prophetic term for divine revelation and appointed vision, as in Chavakuk 2:3: "for the vision is yet for the appointed time — it will speak and not lie — though it tarry, wait for it." Reb Nussun frames the extended teaching he is promising as a chazon — a prophetic vision that is coming in its appointed time, not merely a plan to write more later] if Hashem wills. And peace and life and joy — and remember the words I already wrote — and may they be sweet for you forever.

And peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu — with love. And peace to the young man our Teacher the Rabbi Yaakov — his letter I received. Even though he writes the bitterness of his heart — even so I enjoyed his letter — in that, praise be to G-d, several words from the books of our Master, our Teacher and Rebbe, of blessed memory, have already entered his heart — for the sake of which alone it was worth bearing the breaking of a thousand obstacles. I hope in Hashem that in the end His holy words will accomplish among you what they need to accomplish. Only strengthen yourselves greatly at every time, each day anew — and let not your evil thoughts alarm you — for in the multitude of dreams and vanities and many words — fear G-d [כִּי בְּרֹב חֲלוֹמוֹת וַהֲבָלִים וּדְבָרִים הַרְבֵּה כִּי אֶת הָאֱלֹקִים יְרָא — Koheles 5:6. Reb Nussun specifically cites Rashi's commentary there: that over all the evil thoughts and disturbing imaginings that alarm a person — over all of them one needs to remember Hashem and to fear Him — for in the end what will become of the person? The verse's application, as Rashi reads it, is one of the most concentrated pieces of pastoral guidance in Tanach commentary] [Koheles 5:6 — see Rashi there] — namely that over all the evil thoughts and disturbing imaginings that alarm a person — one needs to remember Him, Yisborach, and to fear Him — for in the end what will become of him? For certainly everything good that one snatches from this world will be a great prize in the end when his time comes. In particular since — praise be to G-d — we have broad shoulders upon whom to lean — there is and there is [יֵשׁ לָנוּ כְּתֵפַיִם רְחָבִים עַל מִי לִסְמֹךְ, יֵשׁ וָיֵשׁ — the repeated yesh v'yesh is an emphatic Talmudic idiom meaning "there is abundantly, without question." The broad shoulders upon which one leans are those of the Tzadik — the solid foundation of the Rebbe's teaching and protection] with the help of Hashem Yisborach — only grasp yourself with both hands and with all your strength in the point of truth — and this suffices for now.

And gladness and joy shall overtake you — and to turn all the sorrow and sigh to joy — for we merited in these generations to the revelation of such awesome things — that the true Tzadik is able to atone for sins through the drinking of wine [שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק הָאֱמֶת יָכוֹל לְכַפֵּר עֲווֹנוֹת עַל יְדֵי שְׁתִיַּת יַיִן — the teaching of Likutay Moharan 177, expounded through the verse Vayomer Hashem solochs'ti kidvorecho [Bamidbar 14:20]. The Rebbe teaches that through the Tzadik's drinking of wine — and specifically through the four cups of wine at the Pesach Seder — atonement and forgiveness are drawn down. The drinking is not incidental but operative: wine in the hands of the Tzadik becomes an instrument of divine forgiveness] — as it is written: and Hashem said: I have forgiven as you spoke and so forth [Bamidbar 14:20 — Likutay Moharan 177]. And certainly the mitzvah of drinking the four cups of wine on Pesach touches on this matter.

Nussun of Breslov.

May my mouth be filled with the praise of Hashem [יִמָּלֵא פִי תְּהִלַּת ה' — Tehillim 71:8: "my mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day." One of the great verses of personal testimony and praise — here used as an expression of overwhelming gratitude that Reb Nussun merited to hear this teaching and to bring it to print] — that I merited to hear this and to bring it to print — until the light returned to me [עַד שֶׁחָזַר הָאוֹר אֶצְלִי — a striking autobiographical detail: Reb Nussun acknowledges that his grasp of the Rebbe's teachings had at a certain point become obscured — and that it returned through his students reminding him of the wonders of Hashem. The teacher receives the light back from those to whom he transmitted it] — to receive again from my students — who remind me of the wonders of Hashem at every time — which my ear heard and understood [אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעָה אָזְנִי וַתָּבֵן לָהּ — Iyov 13:1: "my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it" — a verse of personal testimony from Iyov, applied here to Reb Nussun's own hearing and understanding of the Rebbe's teachings] — for it is not an empty thing — every single word that we merited to hear from him, of blessed memory — as expressed in his holy books. Happy is the one who takes these to heart — set your hearts well upon his holy and wondrous and awesome words which have never been heard and so forth. The words of one who loves you in truth forever. Nussun of Breslov.