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This letter was written by our Master, of blessed and holy memory, to his father-in-law from his second marriage — from the holy community of Brad.

With the help of G-d, may He be blessed

The honor of my brother, my mechutan (co-parent-in-law), the beloved of my soul — he who is the head and the exalted one, the prince, the leader and the commander, the distinguished and honored nobleman, the venerable and precious one — the glory of whose name is his splendor — our Teacher the Rabbi Yechezkel Trachtenberg.

I hereby inform you of my welfare and the welfare of all the members of my household — that, blessed be Hashem, we are here on the line of life and peace. So may Hashem grant, and so may He continue to grant, that I see all the members of my household in life and in peace. I hereby inform you of my arrival home on the above-mentioned day, and that there reached me from his illustrious eminence a letter of greeting, in which it is stated and restated that she is unable to come on account of the pasport (passport / travel documents), and that the border too is closed and sealed. And it is further stated and restated that I myself should come to Kressilov.

Therefore I hereby inform him to revert to the original arrangement, and so forth — for what has passed is gone, since the time of the wedding has already passed. And as for the future, my request is — if it is the wish of his eminence — that the bond which we have bound between us should be a bond that endures. Let his splendid eminence be so gracious as to forgo his lofty and exalted honor, and to hold the wedding close to here, near our community — so that it should be close and accessible to the holy community of Breslov. And let it not be delayed past the middle of the coming month of Elul — which comes upon us for good — for I am unable to move from my place even a single parsa (a measure of distance, approximately four kilometers). And if not — G-d forbid, the mountain will have grown high between us — and enough for the one who understands.

The request is doubled: to make every effort to send me his daughter with the bridal needs — no later than the above-mentioned time — so that the chupah (wedding canopy) should take place at the fullness of the moon, and so forth. And regarding her journey here — when she is close to here, approximately three or four parsa'os away — let him see to it to send her with an escort, and I shall write to her the fixed location of the wedding. And regarding the pasport (travel document) — let him see to finding ways to come here without my passport, particularly since it is easily possible to come here without a passport. Nothing further for now — only life and peace.

Thus speak the words of one who concludes — may Hashem add to him life and length of days and good years — and thus speak the words of one who is destined to be his son-in-law, who constantly seeks his welfare with great and mighty love, and who awaits his reply by return.

Nachman, son of our Teacher the Rabbi Simcha — may his Rock protect him and give him life.

And I say: peace and abundant salvation to his modest, distinguished wife — blessed among women in the tent is she — the wise and noble Marat [name not recorded in the manuscript] and so forth.