רז

I received your letter on last Thursday — and it was a great comfort to me.

My beloved son — my dear one.

I received your letter through the bearer of this letter on Friday — Erev Shabbas Kodesh. And behold — regarding the letter to the rabbi — the essential intention was that a person be found in your community who would speak with him in the spirit of my words in my letter — for my benefit. And since — according to his words — such a person is not to be found there — I therefore reconsidered and returned my feet to Your testimonies [Tehillim 119:59] — to rely on Hashem Yisborach alone — and to sit and not act — for it is not at all my wish that you yourself deliver the letter — and this never entered my mind at all. Even so — I am returning to you the copy in my son Rabbi Shachna's handwriting — may he live — that it should be with you — perhaps perhaps it will be needed for you — and perhaps even so a person will be found there who will direct his heart to Heaven to involve himself in this — to diminish the *machloket* — and may the Good Hashem do. More than this there is no leisure to extend — and the bearer of this letter — Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin — will tell you face to face everything. And praised be G-d — Hashem is with us and expands greatly for us within our distresses in His kindness — Yisborach — and a little of the sufferings and the expansions Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin — the bearer of this letter — will tell you.

And I trusted in Hashem — for the attribute of good is abundant [Sotah 11a] — and certainly everything is for great good. And we need to strengthen ourselves and renew ourselves every day — to walk in His holy ways — to give ourselves life through the wonders of His kindnesses — Yisborach — that we merited to escape from being among those who oppose the point of truth — and in this alone we can live and rejoice even now — until Hashem expands for us in fullness — and we merit to come out from all our distresses entirely — and everything will turn to great good — to joy and to gladness — quickly .

The words of your father who intercedes for you all.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

Nussun of Breslov.

[שֶׁלֹּא עָשַׂנִי גּוֹי וְהִבְדִּילָנוּ מִן הַתּוֹעִים — from the morning blessings: *she'lo asani goy* — that He did not make me a gentile — and from *v'hivdilanu min hato'im* — He separated us from those who go astray.

[Hebrew: נָתָן הַנַּ"ל...]

The daily blessings of Jewish identity are themselves a source of joy] and so forth — and even so — *un taki fort* — how fortunate are we — *ashreinu*! Beyond this it is impossible to extend just now in the open field — for I do not know with whom this letter of mine will be sent. And regarding my health — know that last week I was not in good health — but everything was from the pain in the intestines [הַמֵּחוּשׁ בַּמֵּעַיִם — the *mekhush bame'ayim* — Reb Nussun suffered from an intestinal condition that he had carried for a long time — as noted below in the copyist's note — it would eventually be the cause of his death in 5605 (1844–45)] — may the Merciful One save us — which I have had for a long time — as is known to you — but never before did it last as long as it did last week. Overview: Saturday night, Rosh Chodesh Kislev — Nemirov. Received Yitzchok's letter Thursday — great comfort. Pain that he didn't acknowledge receipt of the letter sent via Rabbi Chaim Natan Tzesis traveling to Odessa via Tulchin — which also contained a letter to forward to Rabbi Efraim of Kromintchak. Surprised by the request to burn it — all words of truth — read it twice. *Mi yitein she'y'malei Hashem mish'alos libbecha.* The yearnings and longings are themselves very precious. Compel yourself to speak the holy yearnings with the mouth every day. Your single conversation surpasses all the worlds with all their service. The very distant drawn to service — more precious in His eyes. Everything said about Hashem's glory with the least of Israel — said also about you. Compel yourself to rejoice every day: *she'lo asani goy v'hivdilanu min hato'im. Un taki fort — ashreinu.* Written in the open field. Health note: last week unwell — the intestinal *mekhush* — never lasted so long before. May Hashem protect him. At every time: it is impossible to traverse this world except through the holy ways received from our master. *Ilmale lo asina l'alma ela l'mishma da dai.* The copyist's extraordinary note: Reb Nussun departed in 5605 from this very illness, which he had from before age forty. *Chaval al de'avdin v'la mishtakchin.* Our consolation: his holy letters and holy books. May Hashem Yisborach have mercy on me and protect me from now on from this illness and from all the illnesses and pains in the world. And at every time and hour one sees that it is impossible to traverse this world except through the holy ways — the ways of Torah in truth — that we received from our master our teacher and our rabbi — of blessed memory. On every single word it is fitting for us to say: *ilmale lo asina l'alma ela l'mishma da dai* — if we had come into the world only to hear this — it would be enough. What shall we say and what shall we speak — His *chesed* has overpowered us — and the truth of Hashem is forever [Tehillim 117:2] and so forth.