# צב
צב
Source: https://ajew.org/reader/alim-litrufa/2/92
## Segment 1
בָּרוּךְ הַשֵּׁם, יוֹם א' לֶךְ לְךָ תקצ"ג.
To: Peace to my beloved son, my dear one, our Teacher the Rabbi
Yitzchok — may he live.
## Segment 2
שָׁלוֹם לַאֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי מוֹרֵנוּ הָרַב יִצְחָק שֶׁיִּחְיֶה.
Your letter I received at this hour — along with the old small
tallis katan — and it was a great comfort to me
to hear of your Torah learning. Would that Hashem strengthen your heart — that
## Segment 3
מִכְתָּבְךָ קִבַּלְתִּי בְּזֹאת הַשָּׁעָה, גַּם הַטַּלִּית קָטָן הַיָּשָׁן, וְהָיָה לִי לְנַחַת גָּדוֹל בְּשָׁמְעִי מֵעֵסֶק תּוֹרָתְךָ. מִי יִתֵּן וִיחַזֵּק ה' אֶת לְבָבְךָ שֶׁתִּקְבַּע עַצְמְךָ עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה זוֹ תְּפִלָּה, כִּי זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם, וְחוּץ מִזֶּה גָּרוּעַ מֵהֶבֶל. וְאֵין לָשׁוֹן בָּעוֹלָם לְכַנּוֹת בּוֹ הֶבֶל הָעוֹלָם הַפּוֹרֵחַ וְרָץ וְשָׁט יוֹתֵר מִצֵּל עוֹבֵר, וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן יְכוֹלִין לַחְטֹף בּוֹ סְגֻלּוֹת יְקָרוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה נְעִימוּת כָּזֶה נְעִימוֹת נֶצַח שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לִזְכּוֹת עַל יְדֵי זֶה לִנְעִימוֹת בִּימִינוֹ נֶצַח.
you establish yourself firmly upon Torah and upon the service of prayer —
for this is the whole of a person
[זֶה כָּל הָאָדָם — Koheles 12:13: "fear G-d and keep
His commandments — for this is the whole of a person." The final verse of
Koheles — after all the exploration of vanity, the entire human being is summed
up here]
— and beyond this — one is worse than vanity. And there is no language in the
world adequate to name the vanity of this world that blossoms and runs and
floats —
faster than a passing shadow
[יוֹתֵר מִצֵּל עוֹבֵר — "faster than a passing shadow":
the biblical measure of the most fleeting thing. Tehillim 144:4: "man is like
a breath — his days are like a passing shadow"; Koheles 8:13: "his days are
like a shadow that does not last." The passing shadow was already the Psalmist's
and Koheles's image for human transience. Reb Nussun says the world moves even
faster than that shadow — blossoming, running, and floating past in a speed
that exceeds even the most fleeting biblical image of impermanence]
— and even so one can snatch from it such precious treasures — such pleasantness
— pleasantness of eternity — through which one can merit to
## Segment 4
וְזֹאת תִּזְכֹּר מַה שֶּׁדִּבַּרְנוּ בְּסָמוּךְ מִפָּסוּק (אִיּוֹב ז) "לִרְגָעִים תִּבְחָנֶנּוּ", כִּי כֵן הוּא הָאֱמֶת שֶׁהָאָדָם נִבְחָן בְּנִסְיוֹנוֹת בְּכָל רֶגַע, וְאֵין רֶגַע דּוֹמָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ, עַל כֵּן בְּכָל רֶגַע יְכוֹלִין לִזְכּוֹת הַרְבֵּה וְלַחֲטֹף טוֹב הַרְבֵּה וְלִבְרֹחַ מֵרַע הַרְבֵּה הַמִּתְגַּבֵּר וּמִתְעוֹרֵר בְּכָל רֶגַע. כִּי אֲנָשִׁים כְּעֶרְכְּכֶם הַמִּלְחָמָה הִיא בְּכָל עֵת וָרֶגַע מַמָּשׁ, וּבִפְרָט בְּעִנְיַן הַהַשְׁלָכָה וְהַנְּפִילוֹת רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְהַשְׁלִיךְ וּלְהַפִּיל אֶת הָאָדָם בְּכָל עֵת, וּצְרִיכִין הִתְחַזְּקוּת הַרְבֵּה וְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת הַרְבֵּה בְּכָל עֵת וּבְכָל שָׁעָה, וְלִפְעָמִים בְּכָל רֶגַע. וְתֵדַע נֶאֱמָנָה שֶׁבְּכָל רֶגַע נִתְחַדְּשִׁין חִדּוּשִׁים הַרְבֵּה בָּעוֹלָם, כִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, הַיְנוּ בְּכָל הַיּוֹם כֻּלּוֹ, כִּי אֵין שָׁעָה דּוֹמָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ, וְאֵין רֶגַע דּוֹמָה לַחֲבֵרְתָּהּ, כַּאֲשֶׁר מָעְתָּק אֶצְלִי מִכִּתְבֵי הָאֲרִ"י זַ"ל. וּזְכֹר אַל תִּשְׁכַּח בְּכָל עֵת אֶת הַחֲסָדִים הַנִּפְלָאִים שֶׁעָשָׂה עִמָּנוּ בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ תּוֹרוֹת כָּאֵלּוּ וּתְפִלּוֹת כָּאֵלּוּ, אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה מֵעוֹלָם, בָּהֶם עוֹלָם נוֹשָׁע, יָתֵר מִזֶּה אֵין לְהַאֲרִיךְ וְדַי בָּזֶה כָּעֵת.
eternal pleasantness at His right hand
[נְעִימוֹת נֶצַח / לִנְעִימוֹת בִּימִינוֹ נֶצַח —
Tehillim 16:11: ne'imos bimino netzach — "pleasantness at His right
hand forever." Every moment of Torah and prayer snatched from vanity leads
toward this ultimate divine closeness].
And this remember — what we spoke about recently from the verse
He tests him at every moment
[לִרְגָעִים תִּבְחָנֶנּוּ — Iyov 7:18: "You inspect
him every morning — You test him at every moment." Iyov's cry of relentless
divine scrutiny reframed: every moment is a new testing and a new opportunity]
[Iyov 7:18]
— for it is true that a person is tested through trials at every moment — and
no moment resembles its fellow. Therefore at every moment one can merit greatly
— and snatch much good — and flee from much evil that grows stronger and
awakens at every moment. For people of your calibre — the battle is at every
time and moment literally — especially in the matter of the cast-down and the
falls — may the Merciful One protect — which seeks to cast down and fell a
person at every time. And one needs much strengthening and much awakening at
every time and every hour — and sometimes at every moment.
And know with certainty that at every moment many new
things are renewed in the world — for Hashem Yisborach renews in His goodness
each day always the works of creation
[הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם
תָּמִיד מַעֲשֶׂה בְרֵאשִׁית — the morning liturgy phrase from the
Yotzer Or blessing. Reb Nussun deepens it through the Ari's teaching:
the renewal is not merely daily but continuous at every single instant]
— meaning throughout the entire day — for no hour resembles its fellow and
no moment resembles its fellow — as I have received from
the writings of the Holy Ari, of blessed memory
[כַּאֲשֶׁר מָעְתָּק אֶצְלִי מִכִּתְבֵי הָאֲרִ\"י זַ\"ל
— a rare disclosure: Reb Nussun has himself copied and studied this teaching
directly from the Ari's writings. The Ari's kabbalistic system teaches that
creation is renewed at every single moment — each instant is a new world]
.
And remember and do not forget at every time the wondrous
kindnesses that the Master of Compassion has done with us — that we have such
Torahs and such prayers — the like of which has never existed in the world —
through them the world is saved
[בָּהֶם עוֹלָם נוֹשָׁע — the world is sustained and
saved through them: the Rebbe's teachings and prayers are not merely personal
spiritual tools but the means by which the world itself is upheld. Without
them the world would not stand].
Beyond this there is no need to extend — and this suffices for now.
## Segment 5
דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ הַמְצַפֶּה תָּמִיד לִשְׁמֹעַ טוֹב אֲמִתִּי מֵאִתְּכֶם וּמַעְתִּיר בַּעַדְכֶם.
The words of your father — who always awaits to hear true good from you —
and who prays on your behalf.
Nussun of Breslov.
[Translator's Note: Overview: A letter of compact theological intensity.
## Segment 6
נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב
Nussun of Breslov.
## Segment 7
שָׁלוֹם לְכָל אַנְשֵׁי־שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ בְּאַהֲבָה רַבָּה, חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ אַחַי וְרֵעַי, וְשִׂימוּ לְבַבְכֶם לְכָל הַדְּבָרִים הַנֶּאֱמָרִים פֹּה וַאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְנוּ כְּבָר בִּכְתָב וּבְעַל־פֶּה, כִּי לֹא דָּבָר רֵק הוּא מִכֶּם כִּי הוּא חַיֵּיכֶם לָנֶצַח.
*Zeh kol
ha'adam* (Koheles 12:13) — Torah and prayer are the whole of a person.
## Segment 8
אַל תִּשְׁכַּח לְדַבֵּר עִם רַבִּי ח"ש נֵרוֹ יָאִיר. נִמְלַכְתִּי לִשְׁלֹחַ לוֹ מִכְתָּב הָרָצוּף וְאִם תָּבִין שֶׁרָאוּי לְמָסְרוֹ לוֹ כִּרְצוֹנְךָ תַּעֲשֶׂה, וַה' הַטּוֹב יַעֲשֶׂה כִּי אֵין לִי עַל מִי לְהִשָּׁעֵן כִּי אִם עָלָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ.
The
world blossoms and runs faster than the biblical *tzel over* — the passing
shadow of Tehillim 144:4 and Koheles 8:13. *Lirega'im tivchanu* (Iyov 7:18) —
every moment is a new testing. The Ari's teaching (which Reb Nussun has himself
copied) that no hour and no moment resembles its fellow. The world is sustained
through the Rebbe's teachings. And the closing postscript cites Moshe's final
words (D'vorim 32:47) — *ki lo davar reik hu mikem ki hu chayyeichem* — applied
to the Rebbe's teachings as Moshe applied them to the Torah.
Key Themes
Tzel Over — Tehillim 144:4 / Koheles 8:13
"Faster than a passing shadow" — the biblical measure of the most fleeting
thing. The world moves even faster than the shadow that is already the
Psalmist's image for impermanence. Three verbs compressed together: blossoms,
runs, floats — all faster than the passing shadow.]