רכ

I received your letter yesterday.

My beloved son — my dear one.

I received your letter yesterday — and from my love for you I am replying to you a little even on *Chol HaMoed.* My beloved son — you gave me life with your words — for I see from afar that your heart has already awakened to understand a little from the very little — the greatness of the Creator — Yisborach — even within the very distresses and adventures that pass over us — for in truth they are His mighty deeds — they are His awesome acts. And it is impossible to extend in this just now. And behold — the postman [הַפָּאסְטַיי — the government postal courier — standing in his house waiting] is still standing in my house — and this too is certainly for good. And this we must certainly believe — for He will not contend forever — and not for eternity [Yeshayahu 57:16] and so forth — and certainly the day will come when they will see our joy and they will be ashamed. And even now — praised be G-d — we have nothing to be ashamed of at all.

Please — very much — my beloved son: cast away from yourself your *marah shechorah* — and the grief and sighing — remove them from yourself according to all the ways of counsel that you know — for you are complaining and crying in your letter more than necessary. And you already know that for such matters one must set aside an hour in the day to cry out bitterly about all that passes over a person — and the rest of the day one must strengthen oneself in joy in simplicity — *she'lo asani goy* and so forth [שֶׁלֹּא עָשַׂנִי גּוֹי — "Who has not made me a gentile" — from the morning blessings. In Breslov the simplest expression of gratitude for being a Jew — the foundation of the simplest joy — available to every person in any circumstance] . And on the contrary — through the bitterness that passes over a person one can understand the immensity of His *chesed* and His wonders — Yisborach — that He gives us life and sustains us within such immense bitterness — for if not for the salt we would not be able to endure the bitterness [אִלְמָלֵא מִלְחָא לָא הֲוֵינָא יְכוֹלִין לִסְבֹּל מְרִירוּתָא — the Talmudic teaching applied by the Rebbe: the Torah and the *tzaddik* are the salt that make the bitterness of existence endurable — and the very fact of endurance is itself proof of the salt's presence] .

And this is the entire matter of the *mitzvah* of eating *maror* — to remember *"vay'mar'ru es chayyeihem"* — "and they embittered their lives" [Shemos 1:14] — that even at the time of redemption and salvation and expansiveness one must remember and not forget the bitterness — for through this one can rejoice in the salvation. For according to the immensity of the bitterness that exists in the world — as one sees with one's very senses — certainly everything is good and sweet. But if one does not remember the bitterness — and wants to fill one's desire with all the vanities of the world — one will always lack — and will not see good all one's days. And all this is from the matter of what we spoke on the night of *Shabbas HaGadol* [שַׁבַּת הַגָּדוֹל — the great Shabbas before Pesach — when special discourses are traditionally delivered. Reb Nussun delivered a special teaching that night connecting the *maror* — the bitterness — with the capacity for joy] — and certainly you will hear of it from the *anshei sh'lomaynu* and it will be sweet to you.

And now all my vitality is in this matter — and it is from the aspect of what he — of blessed memory — said on the verse *"v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha ani Hashem"* — "and you shall love your neighbor as yourself — I am Hashem" [Vayikra 19:18] [וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי ה' — The Rebbe's teaching connected the commandment of loving one's neighbor to the verse on *maror* and the bitterness of the world — that through truly feeling another's bitterness and one's own shared bitterness — the capacity to love emerges] . And also what he said on the verse: *"hineh l'shalom mar li mar v'atah chashakta"* — "behold for peace I had great bitterness — but You desired my soul" [Yeshayahu 38:17] and so forth. But *"divrei Torah aniyim bimkomam va'ashirim b'makom acher"* — "words of Torah are poor in their own place and rich in another place" [דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה עֲנִיִּים בִּמְקוֹמָם וַעֲשִׁירִים בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר — from Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah — meaning: a teaching that seems simple or even impoverished when stated briefly — reveals its extraordinary richness when extended and elaborated in its proper context. These teachings of the Rebbe on *v'ahavta l'rei'acha kamocha* and *hineh l'shalom mar li mar* are immeasurably deep — and when one extends the speech about them one feels more the counsels that flow from them] — and when one extends the speech about them one feels more the counsels that flow from them. For G-d's sake — do not let them grow old and aged in your eyes. Turn them over and turn them over — and every day and every day may they be in your eyes as completely new.

And remember well that we are passing through this world — which is full of obstacles and impediments from the many and very mighty *klippos* [קְלִפּוֹת — the shells or husks of impurity — the spiritual forces of obstruction that cling to the *olam ha'asiyah* — the world of action] that are fastened to it — for it is the world of action — but all is a passing shadow and a vanishing cloud and a blowing wind and so forth — and all our vitality and leaning is in the power of the true *tzaddikim* — who had no regard whatsoever for this world. *Kol rinnah vishu'ah b'ohalei tzaddikim* — the sound of joyful song and salvation in the tents of the righteous. [Tehillim 118:15]

The words of your father who warns you and urges you to rejoice always — and especially on this holy festival. He Who does miracles and wonders in every generation — may He do miracles with us also now — and save us from all our enemies and pursuers. *Nagila v'nismecha bishu'aso* — let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

Nussun of Breslov. And abundant peace to all our *anshei sh'lomaynu* with great love — and love of the world — forever and ever — *mayim rabbim lo yuchlu l'chabot es ha'ahavah* — many waters cannot extinguish the love [Shir HaShirim 8:7] and so forth.