Chapter Forty-Six: New Wonders

(Rabbi Yisroel and the Chassidim on Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh,

singing songs of Breslov…)

When one sees such wonders, such stories, such conversations… one feels that the essential salvation is Rabbi Nachman!

Such stories have never yet been in the world and there are none like them. Such stories of the Ba'al Tefillah and the Seven Beggars — and every event in every story is a new Kabbalah that has not yet been revealed in the world. Such secrets of the Torah as have never yet been in the world. And all of this — for us. We are such sick ones — we need such new healings: only Rabbenu!

In any case we must strengthen ourselves — not to fall — and to renew and strengthen and always study Rabbenu's books. Not for fluency — only to serve Hashem through this. With every Torah teaching, with every story, from every conversation of Rabbenu — this is the root of all the Torah.

In any case we must strengthen ourselves — not to fall — and to renew and strengthen and always study Rabbenu's books. Not for fluency — only to serve Hashem through this. With every Torah teaching, with every story, from every conversation of Rabbenu — this is the root of all the Torah.

The Rebbi is truth — "the head of the children of Israel." Our master of the house, the master of the world — of the whole world!

It is not we who say this — our holy Rabbenu revealed this. And if he said it — then it is "the law according to Rav Nachman, the law according to Rav Nachman, the law according to Nachmani." He said it, he revealed it. He knew that we have no place that can help us — only he himself.

The Rebbi is truth — "the head of the children of Israel." Our master of the house, the master of the world — of the whole world!

He revealed in the world such wisdom as has not yet been revealed in the world. "All of them You made with wisdom" — such wisdom as has never yet been in the world. Such holy wisdom, such sublime holiness has not yet been revealed in the world.

Our holy Rabbenu the Ari says that Mashiach will be greater than Moshe Rabbenu, greater than all the tzadikim. This is in the writings of the holy Ari. Hoy — what this is, what this is…

Oy vey — if we had merited, we would be able to renew ourselves and be human beings. Not like the world today — this is not a world. The whole world runs and walks and moves around — but these are not human beings. They have hands and feet and a mouth — everything — but they are a kind of animal. So says our holy Rabbenu in the Torah: "For He who loves them will lead them" [Torah 7, Part Two]. The Talmud says: "A person does not sin unless a spirit of foolishness enters him." A spirit of foolishness is the opposite of wisdom, the opposite of knowledge. We must give our souls to emerge from the sins — this is the essential suffering and the essential pain. There is no greater suffering than sin.

Where do sins come from? Our holy Rabbenu says this does not belong to Israel — only to the gentiles. Sins, desires: these are only for the gentiles. We — "Who chose us from all the peoples." So how can we G-d forbid fall into sins and commit sins? This does not belong to us — it is not ours. It is only a lack of knowledge. We do not belong to the opposite of knowledge: "You were shown to know that Hashem is G-d."

And now is the time of the approach of the redemption. We see how the world is so submerged in desires — and our holy Rabbenu says the opposite: that one must emerge from the desires. They — all the world, all the secular — draw themselves to Rabbenu Rabbi Nachman. They should have fled from Rabbi Nachman; they should have distanced themselves. "What — he says money is nothing, honor is nothing, only to serve Hashem?" And yet everyone appreciates him and loves him and says: "Only Rabbi Nachman — Rabbi Nachman, Rabbi Nachman!"

Yes — this is a known, famous thing. All the world say that one must investigate the stories, see what this is. Such stories have never yet been in the world. And also the Torah teachings and conversations of Rabbenu — these are such wondrous matters as have not yet been revealed in the world. And all of it is for us — so that we emerge from prison. We are submerged in what we are submerged in and must emerge from all of this. And nothing can help us — only Rabbenu Rabbi Nachman! Every word and word he revealed is all our hope and all our life-force and the life-force of the entire world.

Not as we think — even if we study. In the Torah there are two medicines: a medicine of life and a medicine of death. One can study, be a great scholar — and study in the opposite direction, without the tzadik. But with the tzadik it is entirely different. The essential wisdom is the Torah and the true tzadik.

Nu, nu — the time will come. However much our holy Rabbenu becomes publicized in the world — this is the approach of the redemption. In the Sefer HaMidos [Rav Nachman's book of aphorisms] Rabbenu says: "The coming of Mashiach depends on drawing close to the tzadikim." Who are the tzadikim? Our holy Rabbenu and his people. Yes — that is it!

In any case we must nullify our opinion entirely before our holy Rabbenu, before the Torah. And give our souls to fulfill the Torah, to bring ourselves into the Torah, into emunah. Not to look at the whole world. Today this is a world of madmen, of wicked ones. But there is already one who repairs, who can help, who can bring out. So the healing and salvation is only Rabbenu: "the head of the children of Israel" — the Rebbi. "Head of the children of Israel" — the initials spell "Rabbi." Rabbenu is the Rebbi of all Israel.

What is a rebbe? He teaches the infant, the child — and tells him what is a patach, what is a kamatz, what is "in the beginning," what is "He created." He opens them, he brings a spirit, a new soul into them.

We must be heroes — warriors — to overcome. Not to look at the whole world. Only what we merit to feel and understand from some word of Rabbenu. Every word of Rabbenu is such wisdom, such light, such new goodness as has never been in the world!

The essential is that we must nullify our wisdom and knowledge and intellect — nullify entirely. Our holy Rabbenu Rabbi Nachman is the root and the essential of Torah, of emunah, of all our life-force. This is it — and it will be!

Oy vey — what is this? Where are we? There is in the world such light that is all our life-force and hope — and we must give our souls not to abandon this, to bring it into our hearts and not look at the whole world. Who is the world? Our holy Rabbenu, Hashem, our holy Rabbenu, the Torah — this is the world. Outside of this there is no world.

Oy — one must speak only of this, speak of this day and night. Not to sleep, not to eat — there is no time for me. One must have mercy on our children, on our generations, on ourselves — and speak only of this. Every time we merit to see ourselves and speak — we must speak only of this. Each one what he merited to find in Rabbenu's words: how to repair, how to renew, how to strengthen. Speak only of this — with friends and with the whole world. For falsehood has no permanence. We must give our souls to this and bring it into our hearts and the hearts of our children in our generations — and always speak only of this: how to merit to emerge from sins, from desires, and how to merit to repair everything…

(Rabbi Yisroel was asked: for someone who wants to draw close to Rabbenu, with which book should he specifically occupy himself at the beginning?)

Only not to do evil. Only to do everything according to the will of Hashem — then whatever one studies, even all the books: our holy Rabbenu illuminates everything and one finds in every word of the Torah what one needs — how to live, how to repair, how to draw close to Hashem. "The Merciful One desires the heart." The essential is the heart! Our holy Rabbenu said: "Give me your hearts and I will lead you on a new path." Your hearts — the heart. And also if a person seeks truth — then he merits!

Whoever seeks truth: Hashem illuminates for him that he does everything he needs. Hashem opens his eyes and he sees the truth and knows how to conduct himself, what to do, how to repair everything and how to return to Hashem, to the Torah, to emunah, to truth.

Whoever wants — now already has such Torah teachings, such prayers, such words — and such a tzadik who changes nature, changes the entire world. "There is a matter where everything turns to good" — he transforms everything to good!

How much, how much we must rejoice and always thank Hashem for this gift and kindness He performed with us — that we have our holy Rabbenu now in this darkness, in these generations. There is already our holy Rabbenu — he is the healing for everything! He heals, he repairs, he revives everything — every person who wants, at every moment and moment.

Whoever desires life, whoever wants to take the risk and be a servant of Hashem and truly serve Hashem — then only Rabbenu is the healer. This must be made known to the whole world. And we see that the whole world has understood this — they draw themselves to Rabbenu.

I see and I understand that I must always thank and believe in Hashem who performed a miracle for me. I was one individual against the entire world — father and mother and family and the whole city and the whole world. Now we sit and speak and tell of such wonders. I was so cruel to my father and mother. My father had Gehinnom in this world — he was poor and blind, in the ultimate lowliness and ultimate depression. And I was in such a house. There are miracles that I survived in such poverty. My father wept before me and said: "Oy vey, oy vey — my son, my dear son! I love you. I am your father. I know what I am talking about and you are still young — you do not understand. Have mercy on me and on yourself and do not be a Breslover. No one will want you for a match. Who will take you as a groom — who will take a Breslover? And you are poor — you have no money. You will die as a young man. You will have no children, no home, nothing. Why Breslov — I do not want Breslov. Oy — how is it possible that you should not have mercy on me and be a Breslover? Oy — what you are doing…"

And my mother wept: "Without Breslov one cannot live?! What is this — who has heard of such a thing? Yisroel Ber has become a Breslover — I don't want Breslov."

Father and mother and brothers wept over me. And I was cruel to the father and mother and said: "This will not change and no wise man, no hero can help you. I — only Breslov!"

How I was in such lowliness and humiliation — that whoever was there found it hard to know where I was, how I existed in the world, how I lived. Impossible to describe — there are no words to describe what I suffered. And blessed be Hashem I see now that this is good, very good. I long and say: "If only I had suffered more." But now even if I paid millions — it is no longer possible; the time has passed.

I remember that it was forbidden to study Breslov books — people were afraid to touch a Breslov book. I saw this. And blessed be Hashem today one can study everywhere. These are signs of the redemption.

I saw that there is such heroism in the world — that I sat in the yeshiva and studied Breslov books: Likutay Moharan, Likutay Halachos, Likutay Tfilos, and Tehillim. I saw that there was no fear. I was alone and they were all opponents and persecutors. And I had such heroism as does not exist in the world. They were very astonished at how I held on.

Now I see how the liars appear — how they look, where they are. Nothing remains of them. Only the Breslov books remain. This creates a new world — every word of Rabbenu. Oy vey — honor and pride and money: these darken the eyes and one falls. But whoever seeks truth — he fears nothing. He has no fear at all! Blessed be Hashem — we have merited that the light of our holy Rabbenu is now revealed. Every Torah teaching Rabbenu revealed in the world, every word he revealed in the world — this is all our life-force and hope. Rabbenu has already revealed to us that he can help us, that he can repair us as we are. And we must have mercy on ourselves and on our children and on our generations — and make known to all, to the whole world, that now in these generations, in this darkness, there is already such a light that can help us, take us out of sins and desires and repair everything…