טז

Peace to my beloved son, may he live. The bearer of this letter will tell you everything. My wish is that you write immediately a letter to Rabbi Naftali, and so

[Hebrew: אוֹהֲבַי וְאַחַי....]

forth. And as for your crying out in every letter — I said I

would place a muzzle on my mouth and not respond to you now. But out of love for you I could not hold back — and I will respond to you a little. What you wrote — they harass you (me mutshest dich) and so forth — know that they harass everyone. As for me — they have already harassed me very greatly beyond what you can imagine. And man was created so that they should toil and afflict him — and he should strive and strengthen himself against them. For man is born to toil [Iyov 5:7]. Happy is the one who toils and labours and suffers in fleeing from the vain thoughts — for the toil itself is precious in the eyes of Hashem Yisborach like sacrifices. For this is the aspect of For Your sake we are slain all the day long — we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter [Tehillim 44:23] — as explained in his holy books (Sichos HaRan, 12). And you already know — and you must return and remember this each day and at every time — that the thought is in a person's hand to direct it as he wishes — and it is impossible for two thoughts to exist simultaneously, and so forth. And if even so, each time the thought flees to the filthy places — one must seize it like a horse by its bridle and return it to its place. And you already know that one must not look backward at all — and let the uncircumcised one stand there, and so forth (see Likutay Moharan I, 72).

And you should do your own part — in your business dealings or in words of Torah — and do not look backward at all. And also to strengthen yourself from within all the confusions and thoughts — to gladden yourself that despite everything you are not in opposition to the point of truth, to such a light, and so forth. First — what is explained in his holy books (Likutay Moharan II, 48): that correspondingly to this — know that for such a person, every single movement and shift by which he detaches himself from bad to good is exceedingly precious to Him, may He be blessed. Second — what he said (Likutay Moharan, 233): that sometimes it is allowed intentionally that the animals should battle one another — the impure animals with the pure animals — which are the good thoughts and the bad thoughts, and so forth. Third — and many more like these that we merited to receive from him, of blessed memory — all of which are counsel and strengthening very greatly. The principle is that one must strengthen himself with all his power so that the thought should be in his hand. And whatever they do to him — let him not look at that at all. And over all of them — remember and know and believe in the greatness of the power of the holy Elder in whom we take shelter for eternity. And also what he said (Chayay Moharan, 67): that Hashem Yisborach is very great and no one knows at all — and everything turns to the good through his great power, which draws wondrous new kindnesses at every time. The words of your father — Nussun of Breslov.

[Hebrew: נָתָן הַנַּ"ל...]