רי

I received your letter before last Shabbas — and I had great pain from my daughter — may she live — from her toothache — which is added upon our worries and upheavals — may Hashem Yisborach have mercy.

My beloved son — my dear one.

Know that I received from you the letter that you wrote on Wednesday of Parshas Toldos. Just now you should know that it became known to me through Rabbi Shmuel Weinberg — that the letter that I sent to you through Rabbi Chaim Natan Tzesis from Nemirov — fell into the hands of strangers [בָּא לִידֵי זָרִים — "came to the hands of strangers": Reb Nussun's private correspondence was intercepted by unknown parties. In the context of the ongoing *machloket* and legal proceedings — this is a serious matter] . For the above-mentioned Rabbi Chaim Natan forgot to deliver the letter to you — and remembered when he was already departing from Tulchin — and sent it to you through some man. And the letter had already been opened in Bartznik [בַּארְטְנִיק — a village or posting station on the road between Tulchin and Breslov] — and I do not know where it is now. And although I have some pain from this — this is my consolation: for praised be G-d I have nothing to be ashamed of in what I wrote there — for I did not speak there — G-d forbid — about any person of Israel — only I reminded them to adhere their thought to the World to Come every day — in general and in particular [לְאַדְבָּקָא מַחֲשַׁבְתֵּהּ בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי בְּכָל יוֹם בִּכְלָלִיּוּת וּבִפְרָטִיּוּת — Aramaic: to cleave one's thought to the World to Come every day — in general and in particular. The core practice of remembering *olam ha'ba* every day — in the general sense and also in the particular application to oneself] and so forth. And praised be G-d — in this we have nothing to be ashamed of at all. Even so — had I known it would come to this — I would not have entrusted my letter to a messenger. But after the fact — certainly everything is for good — and who knows the ways of Hashem and His wonders — Yisborach. Now see to write to the above-mentioned Rabbi Chaim Natan — and inform him of what happened in this matter — and ask him to write to you to whom he gave the letter — perhaps you can still manage to recover it — and may the Good Hashem do.

And praised be G-d — I am in good health with the help of Hashem Yisborach. And the days of Chanukah are approaching and coming.

And certainly every year the matter of the *chanukas habayis* — the dedication of the House — that our master our teacher and our rabbi — of blessed memory — revealed [עִנְיַן חֲנֻכַּת הַבַּיִת שֶׁגִּלָּה אֲדוֹנֵנוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה — the Rebbe's teaching connecting Chanukah with Yom Kippur and the building of the Temple — that the *s'lach na* — the divine forgiveness — of Yom Kippur is the foundation of the *chanukas habayis* — and every year the Temple is being built spiritually, little by little, through the *teshuvah* of every Jew] is being carried out — namely that according to the *s'lach na* of Yom Kippur — and so forth. For certainly in the end — the Temple will be built speedily in our days — and all its building will be through the above-mentioned aspect. And every year it is built little by little — until it will be completed speedily. And therefore every year each and every person of Israel needs to have a portion in the *chanukas habayis* — and this one attains according to the *s'lach na* of Yom Kippur. And even now one still needs to pray that the *s'lach na* of Yom Kippur be accepted — for every day one needs to return to Hashem Yisborach — this being the dimension of the holiness of Yom Kippur that one draws through the entire year. And through this one merits the *chanukas habayis* — which is the dimension of the illumination of son and student — to make known to the upper and the lower realms the greatness and the majesty of Hashem — Yisborach — and so forth. And the essential is to make this known in this lowly world — to all those who are very very lowly — for the whole earth is full of His glory [Yeshayahu 6:3] — in the dimension of *hakitzu v'rannenu shochnei afar* — awake and sing — you who dwell in the dust [Yeshayahu 26:19] and so forth and so forth.

[גִּוַואלְד בְּרוּדֶער הַארְצִיקֶער — Breslov Yiddish: "Ahh! My heartfelt brother!" — a cry of passionate astonishment and love. The word *givald* — literally "help! / what?!" — becomes here an exclamation of overwhelmed wonder. *Bruder hartziker* — my heartfelt brother — addressed to Yitzchok with a sudden warmth that breaks through the formal letter structure] Do not let such awesome new things grow old in your eyes! In truth — every day and at every time they are completely new to me — entirely. And I cannot take my mind off marvelling at such wonders — such novellae — which are absolutely necessary for every person — to give himself life — to arouse and awaken and raise him from wherever he is and so forth. How fortunate are we — that we merited to hear all of this! More than this it is impossible to extend in the open field. But I could not hold back from reminding you these few things that strengthen greatly. May it be His will that they make an impression on your hearts for good — to fulfil them simply — in truth and in wholeheartedness — so that it be good for you forever — in this world and the next.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

Nussun of Breslov.

The impulse to win arguments is a physiological-spiritual phenomenon of youth that must be overcome through the work of *temimus* — wholeheartedness and simplicity]. Accustom yourself to draw yourself toward *temimus* in truth — to engage in Torah and prayer and conversation between yourself and your Maker — and cast away the ways of childhood from your heart — and especially — do not enter into difficult questions and investigations at all.

And even about me — you are forbidden to entertain doubts — G-d forbid — for Hashem Yisborach knows that my entire intention is genuinely toward the truth in truth — to guide you in the path of Torah in truth — in the path of our forefathers from time immemorial — as I received from the mouth of our master our teacher and our holy rabbi — *zacher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah.* Direct your heart well to the truth in truth — what is my intention — and likewise the intention of all our *anshei sh'lomaynu* — in the matter of our engagements — whether our intention — G-d forbid — is for imagined honor as is the fashion now — or for wealth.

Hashem Yisborach knows — and also anyone who has a brain in his head can understand — that praised be G-d we are clean and I am clean of this and the like. More than this there is no leisure to extend. And convey peace to all our *anshei sh'lomaynu*. And especially to the grandson of our master our teacher and our rabbi — *zacher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah* — the rabbinical scholar our Teacher the Rabbi Nachman — may his light shine — strengthen and fortify him — arouse and awaken him. And through this you too will be aroused — and you will receive *dein min dein* — each one from the other. And if you wish — you can show him this letter of mine — and as your wisdom — so you shall do. I received your letter from yesterday at around midday — and it was a comfort to me. Although my heart yearns over his pain from what passes over him — yet I know that no person is clean of this. And although not all faces are alike — and not this sight is like that sight — even so they are all equal in this: that inevitably much much passes over each one every day. And in all likelihood — if in the future they will tell a person all that passed over him each day — as we have heard of this and so forth. Certainly much passes over each and every one every day — and whoever pays careful attention to the words of our Sages — of blessed memory — who expounded on the verse *vayiitzer* [וַיִּיצֶר — Bereishis 2:7: "And Hashem formed man" — the word is written with two *yuds* — unusual. The Sages in Berachos 61a derive from this that a person was created with two opposing forces — *yetzer* for creation (*yotzri*) and *yetzer* for inclination (*yitzri*) — and hence the dual cry]: *oy li miyotzri — oy li miyitzri* — woe to me from my Creator — woe to me from my evil inclination! [Berachos 61a] — it emerges that the very essence of a person's creation is to be compelled to endure this confusion and this battle every day — *oy li miyotzri — oy li miyitzri* — and so it passes over every person.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]