{
  "bookId": "michtevay-shmuel",
  "part": "2",
  "torah": "64",
  "title": "Greetings to R' Shlomo Veksler — The Betrothal; the Enclosed Letter for R' Alter",
  "hebrewTitle": "מכתב 64",
  "sourceUrl": "/reader/michtevay-shmuel/2/64",
  "plainUrl": "/reader-plain/michtevay-shmuel/2/64/",
  "segments": [
    {
      "index": 1,
      "he": "ט\"ו\nב\"ה יום ו' עש\"ק דברים [תרפ\"ג] \nבין המצרים יזרח אור לישרים ותמימים עובדי ה' באמת ותמים מע\"כ הרה\"ג החסיד ירא אלקים מתהלך בתמימות וחסידות תם וישר עובד ה' שותה מים חיים מננמ\"ח. ידידי יקרי אהובי יקרת נפשי וחמדת לבבי הצמוד ודבוק בעמקי לבי כש\"ת כמהר\"ר שלמה וקסלר שליט\"א. \nאחדשה\"ט ושלום ב\"ב שיחי' באה\"ר הנני מתכבד ג\"כ להודיעו משלומי גם אני תלי\"ת כי החיים והשלום אתי כה יתן ה' וכה יוסיף לשמוע תמיד זה מזה בש\"ט בתוך כל אנש\"ש וכל אחב\"י אכי\"ר. \nאת כבודו הסליחה על בלי הודיע לכבודו משלומי עד הנה, וידינני לכף זכות. מסתמא שמע כבר כבודו כי כבר נתקשרתי בשדוכין עם בת הרה\"ג יר\"א תם וישר כמה\"ר עמרם ואלינשטיין נ\"י בן הרב הג' ר' משה נחום ואלינשטיין ז\"ל שהי' האב\"ד בירושלים עה\"ק. וב\"ה השידוך הוא על צד היותר טוב ויתן ה' שהזיוג יהא עולה יפה ויצא ממנו דור ישרים יבורך עובדי ה' באמת וכו' אכי\"ר. הנני שולח פה רצוף מכתב נחוץ מאד ומבקש מכת\"ר בקשה רבה שיעשה מצוה זו וימחול בכבודו בעצמו למסור מכתב זה הרצוף פה ליד הרה\"ח מאנש\"ש ר' אלטר בן ציון לידו ממש מבלי להראותה לשום אדם וימחול כבודו לכתוב לי תשובה נכונה תיכף אם מסר זה לידו ומה שלום הר' אלטר בפרטות אם כבר יצא מבית החולים ואיך שלומו בבריאות. הכל בפרטות וכן להודיעני גם משלום כבודכם היקר ומשלום כל אנשי שלומינו ושלום חברי הבחור הנחמד החסיד יענקלי שי\"נ. והנני מחכה לתשובה טובה במהירות על אדריסתי זאת: נתן חנהס, צפת ארץ ישראל עבור שמואל הורוויץ. \nוהנני חותם בברכה ומחכה ומצפה לשמוע תמיד משלום כת\"ר. והנני דושו\"ט בלונ\"ח באבה רבה ואהבת עולם אהבה שאינה תלוי' בדבר בטל, ממני השפל והנבזה באמת שאינו ראוי להזכיר שם זעירא דאנשי שלומינו ומצפה לישועות הש\"י בזכות וכח הצדיקים האמיתים. \nשמואל בן פיגה הורוויץ.",
      "en": "Peace and blessing and all good forever — to his honor — my beloved, my dear, my precious — like my own soul[כנפשי = כנפשי — \"like my own soul.\" An unusually warm epithet — \"dear as my own soul\" — used here for R' Tzvi Vasilefsky, indicating the depth of their bond over years of correspondence.] — the revered Chassid[הרה\"ח = הרב החסיד — \"the revered Chassid.\"] — from the precious Breslover Chassidim[מאנ\"ש = מאנשי שלומינו — \"from our Chassidim.\"] — who yearn for the service of Hashem in truth — and for drawing close to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל in truth and in wholeness — his honor, his splendor, his glory, our master Rabbi Tzvi Vasilefsky, may his light shine, may G-d protect him — and all his household[כב\"ב = וכל בני ביתו — \"and all the members of his household.\"], may they live. And to his dear and exalted disciple — who desires and yearns to draw close truly to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל — his honor, his splendor, his glory, our master Rabbi... may his light shine, may G-d protect him — and all his household, may they live."
    },
    {
      "index": 2,
      "he": "דרישת שלום באהבה רבה מעומק הלב לכבוד חברי החסיד יענקלי שיחי' פליאה לי עליך אחי יקירי איך שכחת גם אתה גם ידידי כנפשי הרה\"ח ר' אלטר נ\"י שכחתם אותי בכל מכל כל וגם אחר שכבר שלחתי כמה וכמה מכתבים ליד ר' דוד לייב קאהן ע\"ש ר' אלטר בן ציון קרסקאפ ולא קבלתי שום תשובה ושום ידיעה כלל וכלל מיום שנסע מצפת. וגם כששלח מכתבים לר' נתן חנהס לא שלח לי אפי' דרישת שלום וכן גם אתה ולפני איזה שבועות כתב לי ר' אבנר שר' אלטר נכנס בבית החולים 'ואליך' ומאז ועד הנה אין לנו שום ידיעה מכם ואין אנו יודעים כלל מה לחשוב ומאד עגמה נפשינו על זה וביותר עגמת נפשי יותר מכל הן על הקפדתכם עלי כנראה שמפני זה לא קבלתי שום ידיעה מכם והן שאינני יודע משלומו ובריאותו. ע\"כ אחי יקירי חוס וחמול עלי ואל תשכח את כל עמלינו וטרחתינו יחד תמיד בעבודת ה' הן במירון ואצל הכותל ושמעון הצדיק ורחל אמנו. ותרחם עלי ותדבר ותפייס את ר' אלטר תודיעני אם קיבל כל מכתבי ותאמר לו שהנני מחכה לתשובה על מכתבי. \nולמעה\"ש תודיעני באריכות מה שלום ר' אלטר בפרטות ואם יצא מביה\"ח. והנני מחכה בכליון עינים על תשובה. תשלח לי על אדריסת ר' נתן בעד שמואל. \nממני חברך אוהבך הדורש שלומך. \nשמואל הורוויץ בן פיגה \nאני מבקש תמיד בשבילך במירון. שמך: יעקב זאב בן שרה לאה.",
      "en": "The Omer's Final Days; Shavuos Night = The Essential; R' Nachum and the Maggid — Dancing; LM §56; The Seder Lights on Pesach; Keter through Atirutha Diletata Behold — most of the Omer days have already passed — and the holy Shavuos days are approaching. And one can still merit during the holy days of the count — to teshuvah — through reciting the Psalms propitious for teshuvah and for the purification of the soul. And also: through the yearning for the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos — and counting the Omer with intention and yearning for the receiving of the Torah — and for becoming a true human being. For barley is animal food — and we wait to become a true human being through the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos. And on Shavuos night — the essential is to be awake the entire night — [Yiddish: the essential is to be awake] — and through this one is exempted from several \"karet\" punishments[כריתות — ח\"ו = כריתות — \"karet / cutting off\" punishments. The Torah's most severe spiritual penalty — being \"cut off\" from the community of Israel. ח\"ו = חס ושלום — G-d forbid. The tradition (brought in the holy books) teaches that staying awake the entire Shavuos night atones for and protects against the spiritual severity of karet transgressions.], G-d forbid — as brought in the holy books — and one is assured for the entire year. And the spiritual direction of the person for the entire year is according to that Shavuos night — as brought in the writings of the Arizal. And if one can recite the Tikkun Leil Shavuos — this is very good — and one is called \"the companion of the Matrona\" — as brought in the holy Zohar. And one must also rejoice the entire night — as in a great celebration — as brought in the holy Zohar. And it is well known among our Chassidim in Uman — that the entire night the dancing did not stop — and shifts of men alternated to dance — and the dancing did not stop even for a moment. And I was told: the holy Tzaddik — the Maggid of Tirhovatz [הרב המגיד מטיראווצע — \"the Maggid of Tirhovatz.\" As in Letter 54: Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov (1745–1807). Note that the name Tirhovatz/Tirhovitz/Tirovitz appears in slight variants across the letters — the same person is meant throughout.] — who was a companion of the holy Tzaddik R' Nachum of Chernobyl זצ\"ל — and they were always together for Shavuos — sometimes R' Nachum traveled to the Maggid of Tirhovatz — and sometimes the Maggid of Tirhovatz came to R' Nachum זצ\"ל for Shavuos — and they danced together the entire Shavuos night. And when R' Nachum became old and weak — he sent his son R' Mordechai of Chernobyl זצ\"ל to the Maggid of Tirhovatz for Shavuos — and they danced together the entire night. And the mikveh of Shavuos is from the fiftieth gate of holiness — as brought in Likutay Moharan in Torah 56 — \"On the Day of the First Fruits.\" [תורה נ\"ו — \"וביום הביכורים\" — \"Torah 56 — 'On the Day of the First Fruits.'\" נ\"ו = nun(50) + vav(6) = 56. LM Part 1, §56. The verse is Numbers 28:26 — \"And on the Day of the First Fruits — when you bring a new grain offering to Hashem on your Shavuos\" — the Rebbe teaches the deep connection between Shavuos and the fiftieth gate of holiness, and the mikveh of Shavuos as an immersion into this highest level. The teaching emphasizes studying Torah specifically aloud (b'peh — with the mouth) throughout one's lifetime.] And the reading of the Ten Commandments — which contain all the 613 commandments — as is well known. And the song of longing — Akdamus. And the eating of the Shavuos dairy meal — \"honey and milk under your tongue.\" And we merit to the Crown of Torah — for on Pesach night we merited to all the Sefirot in order in the Seder of Pesach: Chochmah, Binah, Da'as — the three matzos; and the other matters of the Seder were Chesed and so on through Malchus. But the Crown — we did not merit to this — for even this was only through the arousal from above alone. But through the counting of the Omer — all forty-nine days — which is purely through the arousal from below — each one in his yearning and in his words and in his counting aloud \"today such-and-such of the Omer\" — and in his refinement throughout all the days of the count — passing through seven times seven: all kinds of ascents and descents — and greatness and smallness — and the smallness of the small — and we endure it all — and do not abandon our place — and do what is upon us — and do not lose the count — and count such-and-such — and are ashamed: how we stand — and how we are still in the aspect of an animal — \"the barley of the Omer\" — \"we have nothing to respond\" and so on. Through this we merit on Shavuos to the holiness of the Crown — which even the angels do not merit — but only human beings — Jews — through their arousal from below — and their waiting — and their endurance of all kinds of faint-heartedness and humiliations from the body's brazenness — and obstacles — and everything that passes over them — and they do not abandon their place — and do what is theirs. Through this specifically they merit to the aspect of the Crown — as brought in LM Torah 6 — \"Call out to Joshua\" — for teshuvah is in the aspect of the Crown — \"Crown — wait for me, little one\" — the aspect of waiting and so on. For Pesach is in the aspect of haste — the beginning of the drawing close — to flee from what must be fled — and also to flee to the Torah: one must do it with alacrity — for if not, one can sink, G-d forbid. But when one already merits to enter into the service of Hashem — or merits to sit and study Torah or prayer — then it is forbidden to rush and want to immediately feel and enter into holiness all at once. For \"not in haste shall you go out\" — only one must wait days and years — until one merits in truth to what one will merit — if one can endure and wait and wait — for this is the matter of the Omer count — until in the very end — if one does not lose the count and the waiting — however it may be — in the very end one merits through the waiting specifically to the highest holiness — the fiftieth gate — the Crown — the holy Shavuos. And one must engage in Torah specifically aloud — to read throughout all one's days — see Torah 56 in Likutay Moharan."
    },
    {
      "index": 3,
      "he": "",
      "en": "I am hereby enclosing a most urgent letter, and I ask of your honor with a great request — please perform this mitzvah and personally hand this enclosed letter to the hand of the distinguished talmid chacham, man of good name and reputation, R' Alter Ben Tzion — into his hands personally, without showing it to any person whatsoever. And please write me an immediate correct reply: whether you delivered it to his hands; and what is the particular welfare of R' Alter — whether he has already left the hospital [this is the clearest statement yet that R' Alter Ben Tzion has been hospitalized; the hospital is identified as \"ואליק\" — presumably a Jerusalem hospital], and how his health is. All in detail. And likewise inform me of your own precious welfare, and of the welfare of all our friends, and of the welfare of my dear friend, the charming and pious young man, R' Yankel [יענקלי], may he live forever. And I await a good swift reply — at this address: Noson Chanhas, Tzfas, Eretz Yisrael — on behalf of Shmuel Horowitz."
    },
    {
      "index": 4,
      "he": "",
      "en": "The Rebbe's Gravesite; The Author as Emissary; The Detailed Protocol for Rosh Hashana at Uman; LM Torah 4 (\"Anochi\") And regarding the merit of being at the holy gravesite of our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל — certainly this is a very great merit — the greatest that exists. And I have committed to this: that I will request on his honor's behalf that he merit to this — and other requests for his honor's benefit. And his honor — if he merits to be at the holy gravesite — will also be good to be my emissary to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל in my name — that I, Shmuel son of Piga — appoint his honor as an emissary — to say also on my behalf — [and if possible on Erev Rosh Hashana] — the Tikkun HaKelali — that is: the ten chapters of Psalms — and the piece of prayer: \"And in the merit of the Tzaddik and so on — and behold I have done what is incumbent upon me — do what is upon you\" — and to set aside a coin of charity also on my behalf — as if I myself were doing this. And also to say the verbal confession that I will confess on Erev Rosh Hashana at the holy gravesite of the Rashbi זיע\"א [רשב\"י זיע\"א — \"the Rashbi — may his merit protect us.\" Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai — the great Tannaic sage and author of the Zohar — buried in Meron, where the author lives and writes from. זיע\"א = זכותו יגן עלינו אמן — \"may his merit protect us, Amen.\" The author has a profound connection to both sites: Meron (where the Rashbi is buried) and Uman (where Rabbi Nachman is buried). When he cannot be in Uman for Rosh Hashana, he performs the Rosh Hashana rectifications at Meron — and now sends R' Aryeh as his emissary to perform the same at Uman in his name.] in Meron — shall be counted as if I confessed this at the holy gravesite of our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל in Uman — and he should accept this — [and all the Rosh Hashana rectifications] — and do through this all the rectifications exactly as if I myself were doing this at his holy gravesite itself. So should his honor do specifically on my behalf — all of the above — besides that before this his honor should do all these rectifications on his own behalf — as it is written: \"And he shall atone for himself — and afterward for others.\" Therefore: first of all — to recite the ten chapters of Psalms in connection to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל — and to set aside a coin of charity for the sake of our master the Rebbe's זצ\"ל soul — and afterward: to express all his conversation and his heart before our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל — and the essential above all: verbal confession — of all that passed over him from the day he reached awareness — as brought in Torah 4 — \"Anochi\" — in Likutay Moharan [תורה ד' \"אנכי\" בלקוטי מוהר\"ן — \"Torah 4 — 'Anochi — I am' — in Likutay Moharan.\" ד = dalet = 4. LM Part 1, §4 — a major teaching on the word \"Anochi\" — the first word of the Ten Commandments: \"I am Hashem your G-d.\" The Rebbe teaches that complete teshuvah involves confessing all of one's sins from the day one reached awareness/moral consciousness — not merely recent sins but the full accounting of one's entire moral life from childhood.] — all his sins and so on — and all that passes over his entire heart — [and all in a whisper — as on Yom Kippur in the silent prayer] — and to connect himself to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל for the entire year — and in particular on Erev Rosh Hashana — and the holy days of Rosh Hashana — that everything should be connected to our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל — and he — of blessed memory — will perform all the rectifications[תיקונים = תיקונים — \"rectifications / repairs.\" The spiritual corrective processes by which past damage to the soul is repaired. In Breslov teaching, the Rebbe stated that he would perform these rectifications for all who connect to him on Rosh Hashana — even after his passing.] from this for all of Israel in general — and for his honor in particular — [and for me as well — as above] — and to request the essential: the rectification of the soul, spirit, and higher soul — from all the incarnations until now — and that our master the Rebbe זצ\"ל should rectify them in all the rectifications until the true Infinite — and so for the general Israel — and to raise up the Shechinah from the dust."
    },
    {
      "index": 5,
      "he": "",
      "en": "LM Torah 21 — \"Atika\": The Seven Lamps = The Seven Senses; Eyes — Ears — Nose — Mouth; Clouds of Glory = Vessels to Receive the Divine Influx; The Mouth on Shabbos; Zohar on Parshas Shelach And regarding words of strengthening in the service of Hashem — see Torah \"Beha'alosecha — Atika\" — Torah 21 in Likutay Moharan — the matter of the seven lamps — which are the ears and the eyes and the nose and the mouth — not to speak falsehood — and so too other evil speech. [And also: to sanctify the mouth from foods that are not holy.] And the ears: not to hear vulgar speech and evil words. And the nose: to fear Hashem — and not to anger, G-d forbid — and not to be arrogant — and not to smell evil scents of licentiousness — which depend on the nose. And the essential: to close the eyes — from seeing things that bring sinful thoughts, G-d forbid. When one guards these seven lamps — which are the servants of the mind — not to introduce evil things into the mind as above — then automatically divine influx and divine overflow of the holy prophecy and the holy spirit will shine and flow upon one — in the aspect of the Sukkah — through the seven Clouds of Glory[שבעה עננים — ז' נרות = שבעת עננים — \"the seven Clouds of Glory.\" The seven clouds that surrounded Israel in the wilderness (corresponding to the seven Sefirot of Zeir Anpin and Malchus). In LM Torah 21, the Rebbe equates the seven lamps of the Menorah with the seven senses (eyes, ears, nose, mouth) — and the Clouds of Glory with the vessels formed when these senses are guarded and sanctified. The Clouds that surrounded Israel in the desert = the clouds that now surround the holy mind of the person who guards his senses — protecting from external impurity and channeling divine light inward.]. [Just as clouds cover and do not let things enter inward — and automatically they become the seven Clouds — the seven lamps — holy vessels — to receive the divine influx that encompasses from above the mind — above the intellect — and they enter into the mind. And one merits to sanctify the mind — which is entirely holy — entirely divine — the Holy of Holies — the Ark and the Tablets — all divine intellect — and sanctifying the lamps — with holy eyes to gaze upon the face of the Tzaddik — who is the divine influx itself — as brought there in the Torah on Moses our Teacher — and gazing at the holy Torah. And as the Arizal says: by gazing at the Torah when it is raised — until one can read — a great light flows upon the person. And so: gazing at the graves of the Tzaddikim — where the soul of the Tzaddik rests — and shines throughout the entire world of Asiyah — as brought in the writings of the Arizal. And so: upon the candles of Shabbos — and Chanukah — and in the house of study — and all holy matters. And this is the holiness of the eyes. And so with the ears: to hear with them the words of the wise — and to believe in them — and to hear the shofar — and the Megillah — and all the holy listenings. And so with the nose: the fear of Hashem — prayer — humility — suppressing anger and wrath — patience — and the holiness of the covenant which depends on the nose. And the mouth: to speak holy words of truth — in Torah and prayer and hisbodidus — in the aspect of \"mouth to mouth I speak to him\"[פה אל פה אדבר בו — ד\"ל = פה אל פה אדבר בו — \"mouth to mouth I speak to him\" — Numbers 12:8 — G-d's description of His relationship with Moses: direct, unmediated communication. Applied here: hisbodidus at its highest level becomes this direct \"mouth-to-mouth\" divine speech. ד\"ל = דיו לחכים — \"enough for the wise / and enough said.\"] — and enough said. And holy eating at a Shabbos meal — and in particular on the holy Shabbos — as brought in the writings of the Arizal and in LM Torah 57: \"Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma said\" — that the mouth is completed with a great light at the time of the Shabbos meal. And in LM Tannina Torah 73: the mouth is completed in the aspect of the full human stature at the time of eating — and afterward one merits to the aspect of the Supreme Human Being — the Shechinah speaks from within one's throat — see there. And one merits to burning devotion — in the aspect of \"the flame of the menorah shall rise of itself.\" May Hashem grant us merit for this. And also: see in Parshas Shelach in the holy Zohar — how sweet and pleasant the taste — of the greatness of Shabbos — and one who innovates in Torah on Shabbos — see the entire portion — and you will find it pleasing.]"
    },
    {
      "index": 6,
      "he": "",
      "en": "Postscript to Letter 15 — Heartfelt appeal to R' Yankel; prayer request with his full name"
    }
  ]
}