קסב

Overview: Monday, Parshas Chayei Sarah. Joy at the first sparkling in Yitzchok's heart. The magnificent passage: the Rebbe's teachings as *eitzos* for every dimension of life. *B'shochbo uv'kumecho uv'lechtecho vaderech*: now identified as the *Shema* rhythm of Devarim 6:7 — the total immersion of Torah in every moment applied to the Rebbe's teachings. *Chizku v'ya'ametz levavchem ki Hashem itanu al tiraum*: now identified as Tehillim 31:25 and Bamidbar 14:9 — Yehoshua and Calev's refusal to fear the Canaanites. *Mi ha'ish hechafeitz chayim*: now identified as Tehillim 34:13 — the Psalmist's invitation to the path of life. *L'ma'an yeda dor acharon* (Tehillim 78:6). *Davar Elokeinu yakum l'olam* (Yeshayahu 40:8). *Heischalsa geimor* — Midrash Bereishis Rabbah, Chayei Sarah 60. *Asher yeshno po* (Devarim 29:14).

[Hebrew: אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי....]

Your letter I received just now. Now — my son — I will inform you of news: praised be G-d — I am prepared to travel — if Hashem wills — on Tuesday — the first day of Rosh Chodesh Kislev — to Uman.

Abundant peace to my beloved son — our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may his light shine. [ Yitzchok ]

[Hebrew: דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ...]

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

Your letter I received at this hour — also from Sunday — and you revived me with your words — with what you wrote about the matter of long-suffering. Blessed is Hashem who helped us until now — that his awesome words — of blessed memory — are beginning to sparkle and make an impression and good effect in your heart — although it is still in smallness and very great contraction — even so I magnified the joy over the sprouting of this great horn of salvation — for in these His desire lies. For his entire salvation — and his entire desire — and his entire aim — was that you merit to walk with his words — that is: to fulfil them literally — and to understand one thing from within another — and to find for yourself counsel at every day and at every time — in all that passes over a person at every time and season — in his lying down and his rising up — and in his going on the road [בְּשָׁכְבּוֹ וּבְקוּמוֹ, וּבְלֶכְתּוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ — the rhythm of Devarim 6:7 — the *Shema*'s command of total immersion: b'shivt'cha b'veisecha uv'lecht'cha vaderech uv'shochb'cha uv'kumecha — "in your sitting at home and in your going on the road — in your lying down and your rising up." The Torah is meant to accompany every moment and posture of life — no hour is outside its reach. Reb Nussun consciously applies this *Shema* rhythm to the Rebbe's teachings: just as Torah is commanded for every moment of life, so the Rebbe's teachings provide *eitzos* for every moment — the *Shema* formula applied to Breslov practice] [Devarim 6:7] — in his days of youth and in his days of maturity and in his days of old age — from his beginning to his end. Whether alone with himself — or in his conduct with his household and wife and children — or in his conduct with people near and far — with those who love and those who hate — G-d forbid — there is no matter and no affair in which we cannot draw out and find for ourselves correct counsels and straight paths — in every matter however it is — whether in the aspect of descent — G-d forbid — or in the aspect of ascent — in all types of levels and conditions in which a person stands. And the one who understands a little from this understands — and the one who does not understand — or even the one who understands a little — when he reaches a matter he does not understand — must always believe that certainly all these affairs that pass over him and over all the world — and all that he hears people speaking — certainly all of it is found within his Torah and his stories and his holy conversations. And through the faith he will merit to find also — according to his own mind and his own level — for very very deep are His thoughts — and all can revive themselves through them in everlasting life — forever and ever. How fortunate are we that we merited to all of this. Also from today's letter I had comfort and consolation over our hard sorrow from the matter of the *machloket* — after I see that you feel somewhat our words that we spoke with you in this — that one must be greatly aroused to draw close specifically through this — and that there is no greater strengthening than this. Be strong — my son — be strong — and strengthen yourselves — each with the other — each man helping his fellow — and say to his brother: be strong — and receive from one another [אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ יַעְזֹרוּ וּלְאָחִיו יֹאמַר חֲזָק — Yeshayahu 41:6] [Yeshayahu 41:6] . For not empty is the thing that is done with us at every time — in general and in particular and in most particular detail. Remember well all that has passed over us — and what is now being done with us — so that you will tell it to the coming generation — so that the coming generation will know — the children who will be born and so forth [לְמַעַן תְּסַפְּרוּ לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן — Tehillim 78:6: the verse of intergenerational transmission — what Hashem has done must be told to the children yet unborn] [Tehillim 78:6] — for as it appears — controversies of great magnitude will pass over them too. And it will be a strengthening and consolation for them when they hear and understand that all of this has already passed over us several times — and at every time they arose against us — may the Merciful One preserve us — and the Holy One Blessed be He saves us from their hands each time. For all that is done with us — much will be told from this in every generation — even when Mashiach comes speedily in our days. For such a thing has never yet occurred — that truth revealed like this — with the revelation of such novel Torahs — should be so hidden and disdained and cast to the ground. But this itself is the answer — because it is such truth and such novelties — therefore they hide and disdain so much. But the word of our G-d shall stand forever [דְּבַר אֱלֹקֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם — Yeshayahu 40:8: however suppressed — the *davar Elokeinu* stands forever] [Yeshayahu 40:8] — and truth is its own witness — and the One who began will complete. As is brought in the Midrash Rabbah on this week's Parasha [בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה פָּרָשַׁת חַיֵּי שָׂרָה סִימָן ס — the Midrash on Eliezer's prayer at the well. The principle: *heischalsa geimor* — You began — complete] — on the verse: *make kindness with my master Avraham — You have begun — complete* — and its explanation is that he said to the Holy One Blessed be He: Master of the Universe — You have begun to perform miracles for Avraham — complete them. Be strong and take courage — for Hashem is with us — do not fear them [חִזְקוּ וְיַאֲמֵץ לְבַבְכֶם כִּי ה' אִתָּנוּ אַל תִּירָאוּם — a conflation of two classic exhortations: *chizku v'ya'ametz levavchem* from Tehillim 31:25; and *ki Hashem Elokeichem holech imachem* from Devarim 20:4. The specific phrase *al tiraum* — do not fear them — echoes Bamidbar 14:9: the words of Yehoshua and Calev to the Israelites at the moment of the spies' report — refusing to be intimidated by the Canaanites: *al tiraum ki lachemnu hem* — "do not fear them — for they are our bread." Applied here to the *machloket*: the opponents, like the Canaanites in Yehoshua and Calev's eyes, are not to be feared — Hashem is with us] [Tehillim 31:25; Bamidbar 14:9] . Beyond this there is no time to extend. The words of your father and your lover in truth — forever. Nussun of Breslov. And peace to all our *anshei sh'lomaynu* — with great love. From themselves they will understand that all these words were said to all of them — and not to you alone — for those who are here and those who are not here and so forth [אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה — Devarim 29:14: Moshe's covenant that includes all future generations — the letter speaks to all, present and absent, including all future readers] [Devarim 29:14] — whoever is the person who desires life [מִי הָאִישׁ הֶחָפֵץ חַיִּים — Tehillim 34:13: mi ha'ish hechafeitz chayim oheiv yamim liros tov — "who is the man who desires life — who loves days of seeing good?" The Psalmist's invitation to the path of life. Applied here as the closing criterion: whoever truly desires life — eternal life — must know from all the above. The question is not rhetorical but a genuine invitation: this way is life, and it is open to whoever desires it] [Tehillim 34:13] — must know from all the above.