צד

To: Life and blessing and peace and joy and gladness

[חַיִּים וּבְרָכָה וְשָׁלוֹם וְשָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה — a five-part formula drawing on the prophetic vocabulary of ultimate joy and redemption. Sasson v'simchah — joy and gladness paired — echoes Esther 8:16 (orah v'simchah v'sasson v'yekar: the joy of Purim deliverance) and Yirmiyahu 33:11 (kol sasson v'kol simchah: the prophetic vision of the restored Jerusalem filled with joyful voices).

Reb Nussun opens a letter about a joyful family occasion — a wedding — with the prophetic vocabulary of ultimate deliverance and national restoration] — may they reach the honour of my beloved, dear, and cherished one as my own soul and heart — the Rabbinic one, the well-known benefactor — our Teacher the Rabbi Ayzik — may his light shine — together with the peace of his wife, the inner princess [בַּת מֶלֶךְ פְּנִימָה — from Tehillim 45:14: "all the glory of the princess is inward." A title of honour for a woman of inner spiritual greatness], the precious righteous woman Marat Adel — may she live — and

all their dear children — each one individually — that they live to long days. Omain. Note: This letter is written partly in Yiddish with Hebrew translations provided parenthetically in the original manuscript. Both are rendered here. Your letter I received yesterday through Rabbi Simcha — son-in-law of the rav — as well as a letter from Rabbi Meir Leib and greetings from Rabbi Naftali — may his light shine. Hashem Yisborach knows that I very much wanted to come — but my obstacles I cannot write — and today too it is still very difficult for me to travel — as Hashem Yisborach knows my heart.

But as I see how greatly you cry out — I think: perhaps this is Hashem's will that I should indeed travel. Therefore today I intend — if Hashem wills — to travel after the coming Shabbos — in order that I arrive — if Hashem wills — at Rosh Chodesh Kislev in Kremenchug — and may Hashem Yisborach in His mercies guide me in peace. But my wish is that the wedding take place precisely on Rosh Chodesh Kislev if Hashem wills — not later — so that I can return home for Chanukah if Hashem wills. And may Hashem complete everything on my behalf for good —

according to His will and the will of our awesome Rebbe — of blessed and holy memory. I have not yet spoken with the rav here about this — but from what is heard from Rabbi Simcha — he cannot travel because of his business matters. No more time to extend — for the post is leaving shortly. Be well and glad — as is the soul of those who love you in truth — and who prays on your behalf — especially at the holy tziyon — you will certainly be remembered for good if Hashem wills. And may Hashem Yisborach always hear our prayers. Nussun of Breslov. To Rabbi Avraham Ber — With Love And peace to my dear one as my own soul — the delight of our eyes — the veteran, the distinguished one — our Teacher the Rabbi

Nussun of Breslov.

Avraham Ber — may he live.

But I do not understand what you mean — that you wrote no greeting at all to your wife — may she live — and to your mother-in-law and father-in-law — may they live. This is not right. And I am confident that you will certainly heed my words — for all these sensitivities are absolute vanity — and the essential thing is that you walk in the ways of your holy and awesome grandfather — he is our Master, our Teacher and Rebbe, of blessed and holy memory — that you persevere in hisbodidus each day — and in the study of the holy Torah — and do not pay attention to such vanities at all — for youth and the prime of life are vanity [הַיַּלְדוּת וְהַשַּׁחֲרוּת הֶבֶל — Koheles 11:10: already cited in Letter 68 regarding Rabbi Yaakov. Applied here to Rabbi Avraham Ber: the grievances and sensitivities of youth are themselves the vanity Koheles warns against]. And soon you will have such matters of sensitivity from your sons and daughters who will multiply for you if Hashem wills — as I informed your mother several years ago that it would be so. But my counsel is that you not be oversensitive about such matters when they arise from your sons and daughters. All the more so now — regarding yourself alone. You have no time to think of this at all — only to think of Torah and prayer — and to pour out your speech before Hashem Yisborach each day —

[Hebrew: נָתָן הַנַּ"ל...]

when will your deeds reach the deeds of your forebears [מָתַי יַגִּיעוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ לְמַעֲשֵׂי אֲבוֹתֶיךָ

The words of one who loves you in truth.

[Hebrew: נָתָן הַנַּ"ל...]

— the Tanna d'vei Eliyahu's daily self-challenge, here applied with particular force: Rabbi Avraham Ber is a literal descendant of the Rebbe himself] and so forth. Beyond this there is no time to extend. The words of one who loves you in truth forever — who advises you for your eternal good. Nussun as above. [Translator's Note: Overview: The most multilingual letter in the collection. The opening five-part formula — *chayyim u'vracha v'shalom v'sasson v'simchah* — is now identified as drawing on the prophetic vocabulary of Esther 8:16 and Yirmiyahu 33:11: the ultimate joy of Purim deliverance and the restored Jerusalem. Three distinct sections: to Rabbi Ayzik and Adel (the Kremenchug wedding); to Rabbi Avraham Ber (the Rebbe's grandson, rebuke about family sensitivities, *hayaldus v'hashacharus hevel*); and to Rabbi Efraim the shopkeeper — Likutay Moharan I:33, *tat b'catfei sh'tayim*, *zechor es borecha gam b'soch halavke*, *s'mach Zvulun b'tzesecha*, dance each day. *Pores b'shlomo* is now identified as the Talmudic technical idiom for extending peace through a letter or messenger. Key Themes Sasson V'simchah — Prophetic Vocabulary of Joy The opening five-part formula draws on Esther 8:16 (the joy of Purim deliverance) and Yirmiyahu 33:11 (the prophetic vision of restored Jerusalem filled with joyful voices). A letter about a wedding opens with the vocabulary My dear Rabbi Efraim — remember your Creator even inside the shop [זְכֹר אֶת בּוֹרַאֲךָ גַּם בְּתוֹךְ הַחֲנוּת — "remember your Creator" is Koheles 12:1 — z'chor es borecha — the command to remember G-d precisely in the midst of life's activities. Applied here to the specific circumstance: remember your Creator even inside the shop] — even inside the lavke [לָאוְוקֶי — a Russian-derived word for shop or stall (lavka in Russian). The letter moves between Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian. The appearance of the Russian word in a sacred letter is itself the point: there is no place, not even the Russian shop, where divine consciousness cannot be maintained] in Russian — and do not let the words of our Master, our Teacher and Rebbe — of blessed memory — seem old to you — who said [Likutay Moharan 33] that in all the languages of the nations there are letters of the Torah [בְּכָל לְשׁוֹנוֹת הַגּוֹיִים יֵשׁ אוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה — Likutay Moharan I:33: the holy letters of the Torah are present within all the languages of the nations. The divine speech from which the Torah was created permeates all language; holy sparks are embedded even in foreign tongues. Even in the Russian lavke, the letters of Torah are present] — for tat on the two shoulders [טַ\"ט בְּכַתְּפֵי שְׁתַּיִם — Likutay Moharan I:33: the term tat (adornment in a foreign language) contains the holy letters ט and ת — and from there one can attach oneself to Hashem. A foreign word becomes a point of divine contact through the Torah letters within it] — and from there you can attach yourself to Him, Yisborach. For certainly you did not come to this level — to sit in the shop all day — except in order to remember this well each day. For a coarse person who knows nothing of this does not think of it — and those who sit in the house of study all day do not need this in this particular way. And since you — blessed is Hashem — are among those who dwell in the house of study of our Master, our Teacher and Rebbe — and you are compelled to go out each day — at any rate fulfil: rejoice, Zvulun, in your going out [שְׂמַח זְבֻלוּן בְּצֵאתֶךָ — D'vorim 33:18: Moshe's blessing to Zvulun — who goes out into commerce and sustains Yissachar who studies. Rabbi Efraim goes out to the shop like Zvulun — and precisely in going out he can find a different but equally valid path to Hashem] — and dance each day in thought or in action — through remembering all the above matters — these and these and these and so forth. And then it will be good for you forever. of ultimate national redemption and joy.]