רלד

The words of your father — whose immensity of love for you and your good yearning compelled him to write him these words now — and his eyes await Hashem Yisborach that you will give yourself life with this — un taki fort hoff — and in any case — forward with hope! [אוּן טַאקֶי פָארְט הָאפּ — Yiddish: "and in any case — forward with hope!" — one of Reb Nussun's characteristic Yiddish exclamations of encouragement: whatever has happened, whatever obstacles remain — forward with hope, always forward] For praised be G-d — we have an old Father and so forth — and we have One to lean on — praised be G-d. And all is vanity — all is vanity — but the Torah novellae that we received in this generation — true novellae such as these — they are words of the living G-d — the word of our G-d which will stand forever — and kushta ka'ei. [קוּשְׁטָא קָאֵי — Aramaic: "and truth endures" — from the Talmud (Shabbas 55a): the seal of the Holy One is truth — *emet* — and *kushta ka'ei* — truth stands and endures. The Yiddish folk saying says: *a lig shtayt nit* — a lie cannot stand — *nor kushta ka'ei* — but truth endures forever]

[Hebrew: בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי....]

Nussun the above-mentioned.

[Hebrew: דִּבְרֵי אָבִיךָ...]

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

Peace — to my beloved son — my dear one — the veteran rabbinical scholar — our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may he live. I received your letter on Tuesday, Parshas Chayei Sarah. And today I returned and read it — and greatly enjoyed the sweetness of the pleasantness of its words spoken from the walls of his heart. And there is no word in my mouth to reply to you just now — but from the immensity of his yearning for my letters — I am compelled to fulfil his requests. And he already preceded in his letter to write what is in my heart now — as you heard a little from Rabbi David regarding the matter of renewal — that every day and hour completely new things are made. And more than this there is in my heart about this. The words of your father who is compelled to conclude — for the time of Mincha has arrived — which Yitzchok Avinu established. May the Master of salvations grant us to fulfil: *"vayeitzei Yitzchok lasuach basadeh"* — "and Yitzchok went out to meditate in the field" [Bereishis 24:63] [וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה — the verse from which the Maariv prayer is derived according to one opinion — and the verse of this week's parasha Vayeitzei. Reb Nussun closes the letter with a call to multiply speech — sicha — before one's Maker: the hisbodidus — the private daily outpouring — which the Rebbe called the most essential of all practices] — to multiply speech before one's Maker every day — and to strengthen greatly in this every day anew. And if in the meantime between one day and the next what happens happens — let him know and believe that the good speech is never lost forever — "v'chad gam gabeih is'hapach" — and to refute and uproot the reasoning of "yabeshta hi" — G-d forbid [יַבֶּשְׁתָּא הִיא — "it is dried out" — from Yechezkel 37:11. The argument of despair: "our hope is lost" — that the effort is futile — the well is dry. Reb Nussun calls us to refuse this reasoning entirely and strengthen in the above] — and in this one must strengthen more to fulfil all the above hinted in the verse "vayar es hamakom mei'rachok." The words of your father — who awaits from afar complete salvation soon. Nussun of Breslov. And in His wondrous chesed Who renews in His goodness every day — I have already written about this — and all of it is included in what he warned — of blessed memory — in a loud voice and rebuked us and said in this language [Sichos HaRan 51] : *"alt tar men nit zayn"* — "one must not be old." [אַלְט טָאר מֶען נִיט זַיין — Yiddish: "one must not be old" — one of the Rebbe's most famous pronouncements — said in a loud voice as a rebuke. To be "old" in this sense means to allow one's relationship with Torah and with Hashem to become stale — familiar — routine — no longer fresh. The antidote is perpetual renewal — treating every day as if one were born today and were encountering the Torah for the first time] And with this he awakened us to pay attention to the words of our Sages — who also warned us in the parasha of Krias Shema on the verse *"asher anochi m'tzavecha hayom"* — "which I am commanding you today" [Devarim 6:6] — that in every day may they be in your eyes as new — as brought in Rashi's commentary. And so on the verse *"hayom hazeh nihyeisa l'am"* — "this day you have become a people" [Devarim 27:9] — and so they hinted to us to interpret in every place where it says *hayom* in the warning of the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvos — that the intention is as if today we were commanded anew. And this is a very great warning — and one must return to this many times every day and every hour. For also in every hour wonderful new things are made — all the more so in every day and every week and month — all the more so in every year and shemitah and so forth. And perhaps you heard what I said in these times on the verse [Eichah 3:23] : *"chadashim labekarim rabbah emunasecha"* — "they are new every morning — great is Your faithfulness" — that it speaks of the matter of the renewal of the da'as every day — and I said in His chesed — Yisborach — that even if a person does not merit to see and understand the immensity of the wonders of the renewal every morning — he must at any rate believe with great faith that certainly wonders are renewed every day — as we say "oseh chadashot" — and this is "chadashim labekarim rabbah emunasecha" — that one must have great faith to believe that every day and every morning He Yisborach makes many new things in the aspect of "chadashim labekarim" — and understand. And one must go very much in this and pay great attention to what we say every day: *"u'v'tuvo m'chadesh b'chol yom tamid ma'aseh bereishis"* — and especially what we say *"oseh chadashot ba'al milchamot"* and so forth. And certainly Hashem Yisborach will complete everything as is fitting — and will do much good with us His eternal goodness — but one must await salvation every day. And also in all likelihood you heard a little what I spoke on the verse *"vayar es hamakom mei'rachok"* — "and he saw the place from afar" [Bereishis 22:4] — that one must see the salvation as if seeing the thing with one's own eyes — but it is "mei'rachok" — from afar. For this is the interpretation of this verse regarding Avraham Avinu when he led his son Yitzchok to the Akeidah — that the Samech-Mem [סַמֶּ"ך מֶ"ם — the Samech-Mem — the Adversary — the force of spiritual opposition — wanted to confuse Avraham greatly with many incitements and enticements during the journey to the Akeidah ] wanted to confuse him greatly with many incitements and enticements — until in the end he said to him: I heard from behind the curtain — the sheep for the burnt offering and not Yitzchok for the burnt offering. And he replied to him: such is the punishment of a liar — that even if he says a true thing — they do not listen to him — as our Sages said in the Gemara and Midrash. See and understand and look well and pay attention to all the things said there regarding the trial and the Torah in every person and every time — and every person must take for himself hints and mussar according to his way. How many and how many times the Baal Davar surrounds with his strategies with each person — even with the smallest of the small — to push him away — G-d forbid — and one must strengthen against him with the force of the hope and the leaning that we lean upon the power of the holy elder — for in the immensity of our weakness we have no strength except through this. And one must be strong as if we are seeing the good hope with our own eyes — but it is from very far — in the aspect of vayar es hamakom — that he saw the place — which is the place of the Beis HaMikdash — that the seed of Yitzchok is destined to inherit — but it is from afar. For at present he was leading him to the Akeidah — to do His will — Yisborach — without any extraneous thought — and even though it is tartei d'satrei very much [תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי — Aramaic: "two contradictories" — two seemingly irreconcilable realities simultaneously present: he sees the place where his son's descendants will inherit greatness — and in this very moment is walking him toward slaughter] — even so he did not entertain doubts about His ways — G-d forbid. For this is the essential — to uproot and remove all the questions and confusions and crookedness that are in one's heart — and to do one's part — and to snatch good all that one can — much or little — for one who does much and one who does little — and to be strong in good wills and longings — and to be leaning upon the power of the true tzaddikim who will certainly complete with us what they began. And if what happens happens — one must know the truth that we do not know at all — for *"amarti echkamah v'hi rechokah mimeni"* — "I said I will be wise and it is far from me" [Koheles 7:23] — which is itself in the aspect of "vayar es hamakom mei'rachok." And *"vateitatzav achoso mei'rachok"* [Shemos 2:4] — "his sister stood from afar" — which is also from this aspect — that at first she prophesied about Moshe that he would save Israel — and afterwards she saw that they were throwing him into the river. And as brought in the Ramban there — that the verse hints at this — that she stood from afar to see and to hope for the end and the good hope — only it is from afar. And this is [Mishlei 31:14] : *"mimmerchak tavi lachmah"* — mimmerchak daika — that the bread of Torah cannot be received except from afar daika. [מִמֶּרְחָק תָּבִיא לַחְמָהּ מִמֶּרְחָק דַּיְקָא — " mimmerchak daika " — specifically from afar — the word daika (Aramaic: "precisely — specifically") adds precision: it is not merely that the bread comes from a distance — the distance itself is essential and necessary. One cannot receive the bread of Torah in any other way than from afar] And also the bread in the physical — the livelihood — one must know that it comes from very far — each one according to his livelihood. And then certainly strong in bitachon — that Hashem Yisborach will provide as is fitting — and if it is far from him — so is the matter — for certainly mimmerchak tavi lachmah — mimmerchak daika — for "kashim mezonos kik'riat yam suf" [קָשִׁין מְזוֹנוֹת כִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף — "the earning of one's livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds" — Talmud, Pesachim 118a. Yet: just as the Sea of Reeds was split — certainly the livelihood comes as well. The very difficulty is the proof of the miracle] — and even so tavi — certainly she brings. It emerges that both in the physical and in the spiritual one must fulfil "vayar es hamakom mei'rachok" — to see the hope truly — but it is from afar. And then specifically it can be that the hope will come in a moment of inattention — immediately and quickly in a short time — as was the case with Avraham Avinu — upon him be peace — that immediately the judgment was sweetened — and it was said to him "al tishlach yadcha" — "do not send your hand." But immediately afterwards he needed to strengthen in bitachon and hope for another salvation — to find the match for Yitzchok. As it is written there *"vay'hi acharei had'varim ha'eileh"* — and Rashi explained: after the thoughts regarding the match of Yitzchok. And Hashem Yisborach helped him that he was informed also about this — that Rivka was born. And even though it is wonderful good news — even so it is still very far — Yitzchok is thirty-seven years old and Rivka his match is one day old. And afterwards he came home and found that his first righteous wife — Sarah our mother — had died — and also did not find a place to bury her. And as brought in the Midrash — that all this was included in the trials of Avraham Avinu. And still — still — now — also now — the hope of Avraham Avinu and of all our forefathers has not yet been fulfilled — for we are now on the lowest level in the force of the bitterness of the exile in body and soul and money. What shall we say — what shall we speak. Were it not that Hashem helped us — that He sent us His true tzaddikim in every generation — our hope would have been almost entirely lost — G-d forbid. But now — in the force of their immense power — the true tzaddikim — through whom Hashem made known His salvation — praised be G-d — our hope is very very strong that certainly Hashem Yisborach will complete what He began. And in our smallness and poverty we need to enlarge our da'as to receive hints from all the above — and to see the place from afar as above. And it is impossible to express in writing everything — but it is sufficient in this for one who pays attention to the truth. And know — my beloved son — that you gave me life — that you brought out from my heart onto writing these words — through the immensity of your good yearning. For even though these words are fixed in my heart from before — more than what I wrote — and I have already spoken about them greatly — even so these words were aroused anew with me — for even though we speak to fulfil "in every day may they be in your eyes as new" — but also these words themselves must not grow old — and so forever. *Ashreinu* that we have such vessels to speak with them — how many and how many we have to thank for the past — if only our mouths were filled with song — and through this we will have strength to cry out and to ask for the future every day — and most of the day will be in joy. And praised be G-d — we have with which to rejoice over all the chesed that He did with us and that He is destined to do with us — for also now we see from afar our hope and our salvation forever as above. And understand the matters well — for gladness and joy — to turn everything into joy. And peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with fierce love. To all of them were these words said — each one according to his place and his time — and if they wish — we give them permission to read these words — for praised be G-d we have nothing to be ashamed of in these words before the entire congregation of Israel — but the machloket covers — and just as it is a mitzvah to say what will be heard — but one who desires to hear the truth — give to the wise and he will become wiser — for "sfas emes tikon la'ad" — "the lip of truth endures forever." [Mishlei 12:19]