קנז

Overview: Thursday night, Parshas Bereishis. Sufferings and humiliations during the holidays — yet joy greater than all previous years. Isru Chag: Rabbi Shmuel Tzoreif completed a Torah — Reb Nussun carried it in — great dancing. *Chedvas Hashem hi ma'uzenu* (Nechemiah 8:10): now with the grammatical emphasis restored — the feminine pronoun *hi* — she — identifies the joy of Hashem as a living presence, a personified fortress who stands between the community and all that seeks to overwhelm it. Yitzchok rose for *chatzos* from the humiliations — the right response — with the balance of joy for the greater part of the day. *Lulei Hashem ezrasah lanu* (Tehillim 124:2). *Atzas Hashem asher l'olam ya'amodu* (Tehillim 33:11).

[Hebrew: אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי....]

Blessed is the One who makes new things at every time [בָּרוּךְ עוֹשֶׂה חֲדָשׁוֹת בְּכָל עֵת — echoing the da

My beloved son. [ Yitzchok ]

Your letter I received just now at the dead of night — and it was a great comfort to me. But I have no time now to reply at length — for the messenger arrived in the middle of my writing words of Torah that are very urgently needed to be written immediately — and they will also reach you for good — with the help of Hashem Yisborach — in the coming days in peace — when you will merit to see them in His kindness, Yisborach. And behold — you have already heard of the sufferings and humiliations [יִסּוּרִים וּבִזְיוֹנוֹת — the paired afflictions of the holiday period — *yissurim* (sufferings) and *bizyonos* (humiliations) — arising from the *machloket* directed at the Breslov community] that befell us in the days that have passed — and even so — His kindness prevailed over us — and through His wondrous salvation, Yisborach — I was in joy in these days more than in all other years — and also on Isru Chag — Hashem Yisborach arranged through His wonders — that Rabbi Shmuel Tzoreif completed a Torah scroll — and he honored me to carry the Sefer Torah into the synagogue. And we were in joy — praised be G-d — on Isru Chag toward evening — outside the synagogue — and inside within the synagogue — and we danced greatly in joy. And this too was from Hashem — for all our joys are salvations of Hashem and His great wonders — for the joy of Hashem — she is our stronghold [חֶדְוַת ה' הִיא מָעֻזֵּנוּ — Nechemiah 8:10: the verse of Ezra and Nechemiah on the first Rosh Hashana of the return from Babylon — the people weeping at hearing the Torah read publicly — and the leaders commanding: do not weep — for *chedvas Hashem hi ma'uzchem* — "the joy of Hashem — **she** — is your strength." The feminine pronoun *hi* — she — is emphatic and personalizing: the joy of Hashem is not merely an abstraction but a living presence — *she* herself is the fortress and stronghold. The grammatical emphasis transforms joy from a state into a person: a *ma'oz* — a fortified tower — who stands between the community and all that seeks to overwhelm it. Even in the face of the *bizyonos* and *yissurim* — she holds] [Nechemiah 8:10] .

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

And now — my son — how greatly you revived my soul with what you wrote — that you were aroused to rise at midnight because of the humiliations directed at us. This is the right way — and this is how it is fitting for us to break our hearts through this — but even more so one must prevail to strengthen oneself in joy for the great part of the entire day — over the greatness of His kindness, Yisborach — that we merited to be saved from being among those who oppose the points of truth like these. Were it not that Hashem helped us — we would almost — G-d forbid — have been among them [לוּלֵא ה' עֶזְרָתָה לָנוּ — Tehillim 124:2: the Psalm of rescue — "were it not that Hashem was with us when people rose against us — they would have swallowed us alive." Here applied to the spiritual danger: were it not for Hashem's help, one might have ended up among the opponents of the truth. The gratitude is for being rescued from a spiritual fate] [Tehillim 124:2] . Blessed is Hashem who separated us from them — and illuminated for us the truth in its truth. May Hashem thus be with us — that we merit to fulfil His holy words — and to walk in His awesome ways and holy counsels — which are the counsels of Hashem that stand forever [עֲצוֹת ה' אֲשֶׁר לְעוֹלָם יַעַמְדוּ — Tehillim 33:11: atzas Hashem l'olam ta'amod machsh'vos libo l'dor vador — "the counsel of Hashem stands forever." The Rebbe's holy counsels identified as *atzas Hashem* — the divine counsel that no *machloket* can overthrow] [Tehillim 33:11] . The words of your father — who intercedes on your behalf — and who awaits seeing you in joy. Nussun of Breslov. And may Hashem Yisborach strengthen your heart — and gladden your soul — and may you merit to walk in His holy ways in truth — and may your feet strengthen — and may you be among: those who hope in Hashem shall renew their strength — they shall walk and not grow weary — they shall run to serve Hashem and not be exhausted [וְקֹוֵי ה' יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ — Yeshayahu 40:31: the great verse of renewal after weakness — *ya'alu eiver kan'sharim yarutzu v'lo yig'au yeilechu v'lo yiy'afu* — "they shall soar on wings like eagles — they shall run and not grow weary — they shall walk and not grow faint." Applied specifically to Yitzchok's feet (*raglecha yitchazku*): the feet that could not carry him to Uman now strengthening to walk and run in the service of Hashem] [Yeshayahu 40:31].