רמג

Remember — do not forget all that was done and heard on the holy and awesome past Shavuos. [זְכֹר אַל תִּשְׁכַּח — "remember — do not forget" — a phrase of the gravest urgency in Reb Nussun's vocabulary. The *Shavuos* of 5597 was clearly a *Shavuos* of extraordinary spiritual events — wondrous teachings and experiences that he wants to make sure Yitzchok imprints in his memory with permanence] And apply your heart well to the hints — through our words that flow from the flowing stream — in writing and by mouth. [הַיָּדַיִם שֶׁהֵם הָרְמָזִים — "the hands — which are the hints" — a beautiful play on the word *yadayim* (hands) and *rmazim* (hints). Through the words Reb Nussun has written and spoken — the flowing stream of the Rebbe's Torah — hints are placed in the heart of each individual] And be strong and resolute very much. And *"cheivas Hashem yih'yeh ma'uzechem"* — the joy of Hashem will be your strength — at every time. [Nechemiah 8:10] Only be strong and resolute.

The words of your father. Nussun of Breslov.

Peace and life — to the honor of my beloved son — my dear one — the veteran rabbinical scholar — our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may his light shine.

I received your letter the past week via the messenger with three gold coins. Then the following day — Rabbi Gershon from Tshehrin — who is now staying with you — was in my house — and said several times that after the afternoon nap he would return and come to my house — especially since he needed my benefit.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

The words of your father and your lover in truth forever. Nussun of Breslov. And he changed his word — and I have still not seen him. And tell him that he did not act well — since he himself knows the greatness of the benefit that I did for him through my letters. And also now he needs my benefit with Hashem's help — and it was fitting for him to wait to see face to face with me before his departure — even if he would have lost the wagon he found. For I was waiting to write him a letter by his hand — which was very necessary for him then for his good. But in all this — we see the multitude of the immensity of the obstacles at every time that those who want to enter my house face — as is somewhat known to you — and more than this you will know in the future — until they become lax from receiving my benefit in the physical — so that they not receive in the spiritual for eternity. Even so — tell him that I forgive him everything — for all my indignation is only about the benefit he lost — and the past is nothing. Now let him see to be wiser — if he truly desires — for I love him even now as at first — and what I can do for his benefit in the physical and the spiritual — I will not withhold the good with Hashem's help. And he should choose for himself — and Hashem will do what is good in His eyes. And there is no need to extend in this — but from love of him and from love of his forefathers — our true friends — I wrote all this for his true good — and it is sufficient for one who understands. And you and your friends the *anshei sh'lomaynu* — understand how to speak with him — to draw close and not push away — G-d forbid. And regarding you yourself — we have nothing except to pour out our speech before Hashem — that He send complete healing from heaven to your son and daughter — may they live — and return them to their strength in completeness quickly — and save them from all kinds of illness and pain and ailment. And may they merit to raise them for Torah and *chuppah* and good deeds — for length of days and years — Amen so may it be His will. And to strengthen and encourage you — that your hands not weaken from all that passes over you — I have spoken greatly and greatly about this — and I have informed you in advance that it is inevitable that many kinds of fears and sufferings pass over a person — G-d forbid. For *"adam l'amal yulad"* — "a person is born for toil" [Iyov 5:7] and so forth — and there is no escape except to Hashem and to Torah and prayer. And all is through the power of the true *tzaddik.* And behold — my beloved children and brothers and friends — you have in all likelihood heard something of the greatness of the tumult that arose here against us after your departure. And I was immediately compelled to expel from my house two people who were in my house — Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and R.A.Y. — and also now — G-d forbid that a person come to my house on *Shabbas Kodesh* — only on weekdays — for they boast that they will inform on us — G-d forbid. May Hashem Yisborach have mercy and repair everything quickly. And I hoped to Hashem that all will turn to good soon — but during these days that passed — I had great fears. And also I was not in the line of health from my illness — may the Merciful One save us — and from the greatness of the pain I had from your letters — regarding your children — besides the financial distress. And over all of this Hashem Yisborach was my help — and gave the strength of iron to one as weary as me — also during these days — to flee even now to Hashem Yisborach. And in His great *chesed* He has saved me until now — and to His *chesed* I still hope that He will always save me from fears and dangers and all kinds of blows — and return me to my home in Breslov in peace quickly — for His sake and for the sake of the true *tzaddikim.* *"Lo lanu Hashem lo lanu — ki l'shimcha tein kavod"* [Tehillim 115:1] and so forth. And even now — praised be G-d — I am in a little joy over all the chesed that He did with me and with us — *"Blessed is Hashem Who did not give us as prey to their teeth"* — and which He is destined to do with me and with all of you. Only be strong and resolute — and do not forget all that was done with us — every day and every week and every year in general — and in particular what was done with each and every one. Every day they stand against us — and the Holy One blessed be He saves us from their hands. And behold — on Thursday the above-mentioned — I saw in *Midrash Rabbah* on the verse *"v'tzav es Yehoshua v'chazkehu v'amtzehu"* — and this is its language: *"according to our way we have learned — one strengthens only those who are already strong — and one urges only those who are already zealous."* [אֵין מְחַזְּקִין אֶלָּא לִמְחֻזָּקִין וְאֵין מְזָרְזִין אֶלָּא לִמְזֹרָזִין — "one strengthens only those who are already strong." From the Midrash on Devarim 3:28. Reb Nussun sees in this a profound teaching: even the divine strengthening — which flows through the true *tzaddik* — can only be received by one who has already made the effort to strengthen himself. The divine help comes as a *doubling* of the human effort — not as a replacement for it] And he has much to say about this. And it is somewhat connected to what we spoke on the past *Shavuos* — about the greatness of the strengthening — that it is forbidden to be lazy and weak-handed — but to strengthen oneself — and so forth — through which one merits to draw down livelihood and to receive the illumination of the will during eating (see Likutay Moharan Tinyana 7). But in the above-mentioned *Midrash* it is explained — one strengthens only those who are already strong. And this is included in our above-mentioned words — that even though Hashem Yisborach in His great *chesed* strengthens us greatly through the true *tzaddik* with wondrous strengthening without measure — and shows and hints to us at every time through his holy hints — for Hashem is still with us and so forth — and we will not be afraid and we will not be weakened and we will not be frightened at all — even so — it is impossible to receive all this strengthening — except for one who is already strong in himself — that is — who overcomes himself not to be lazy and weak-handed — which they call a "shleimaz'lnik" [שְׁלֵימַזְלְנִיק — Yiddish: a hopeless case — a schlemiel — one who has given up — who is spiritually inert] and so forth. And this is the statement of the above-mentioned *Midrash* — one strengthens only those who are already strong. And in truth it is from the ways of His wondrous acts Yisborach. For certainly those who are already strong in themselves — certainly it is only through the power of Hashem Yisborach Who illuminates in his heart the strengthening — through the true *tzaddik* — through whom all the strengthening comes — and if so everything is from Him Yisborach and from the true *tzaddik.* Even so — the person who has free choice — is inevitably compelled to strengthen himself — and not to be a *shleimaz'lnik* — G-d forbid. And now my children my brothers and my friends — apply your hearts well to all these matters — and understand well all the holy hints that hint to us at every time in our hearts — how to strengthen in all that passes over us in the physical and the spiritual — in body and soul and money — in children and life and livelihood. In general and in particular — in the matter of peace and *machloket* — and the multitude of enemies without measure — without cause — *"tachas ahavasi yistinuni"* — "in return for my love they oppose me" [Tehillim 109:4] — and *"ani ani v'cho'eiv v'nagu'a"* — "I am poor and pained and afflicted" — from the sole of the foot to the head — nothing whole in me — in the physical and in the spiritual — and as written (Tehillim 22): *"kamayim nishpachti v'hispar'du kol atzmosai... yavesh kachers kochi"* — "like water I am poured out — and all my bones are scattered... my strength is dried up like a potsherd" — and if King David — upon him be peace — said such things — how shall we say anything? And one who feels all this in his soul in truth — until almost almost there is no spirit and breath in him — and even so — still His *chesed* has prevailed over me also — and He has mercy on me and hints in my heart — *"zos ashiv el libi al kein ochil — chasdei Hashem ki lo samu... chadashim labekarim"* [Eichah 3:21–23] — that the *chasadim* are renewed every day — and through this one strengthens oneself to pour out his speech before Hashem Yisborach — to express before Him all his heart. And specifically through this one can express his speech — when he sees in himself the immensity of his distance from complete salvation — and even so he strengthens himself through the hints — for the whole earth is full of His glory — and Hashem is still with him — and other kinds of strengthening in many kinds of delicacies that restore the soul with seven kinds of taste — and a hungry and thirsty and very very weary and tired soul will find good through his wondrous and awesome and true and strong hints — until with His *chesed* He makes the mute speak — and literally places a mouth for the mute — and creates the expression of the lips — until one can open his mouth to speak with a full mouth all his needs — and express his speech before Him Yisborach. And the more one strengthens oneself — the more Hashem Yisborach strengthens him doubly and doubly — for the attribute of good is greater. And so it goes around for good — until one merits to draw close to Him Yisborach. But even so — every day — and sometimes several times in one day — one needs to strengthen oneself anew — and remember the records of all the above-mentioned strengthening — and Hashem will save him every time — only be strong and resolute. And it is impossible to explain all this explicitly — only one who truly desires will understand from himself many good hints from all this — until he merits not to be a *shleimaz'lnik* — G-d forbid — but to be a man of valor and zealous and strong and resolute in his mind — that he will have a share in the memshalah d'kedushah — the rule of holiness [מֶמְשָׁלָה דִּקְדֻשָּׁה — the rule of holiness — a concept from Likutay Moharan Tinyana 7 — that holy boldness and spiritual courage give a person a portion in the divine *memshalah* — rulership — which enables him to draw down livelihood and to receive the illumination of the will at the time of eating. This is the *halacha* of spiritual courage: it manifests in the physical realm as well] — until he draws down livelihood and wealth — until he merits to the illumination of the will during eating — which is the sustaining of the remnant of the mind — as we spoke with Hashem's help about this. And abundant peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with great love. To all of you were these words said — *chizku v'ya'ametz l'vavchem kol ham'yachalim laHashem* — for Hashem will not abandon His people for the sake of His great name and so forth. For Hashem Yisborach knows the immensity of our love for each individual of Israel — even the small and the inferior and the least. And what can we do — there are those who kindle quarrel for nothing. *"Te'almena sifsei shaker"* — may the lips of falsehood be silenced [Tehillim 31:19] and so forth. *"Mah rav tuvcha asher tzafanta"* [Tehillim 31:20] and so forth — *"mah daika"* — in the aspect of the illumination of the will and so forth. Fortunate are the ears that heard all this — fortunate are the eyes that see all this — at any rate in his holy books with a true eye. Certainly they will understand the truth to its truth — *sfas emes tikon la'ad.* After writing this letter — Rabbi Yaakov the son-in-law of the *ba'al maggiah* [בַּעַל מַגִּיהַּ — the one who does the proofreading — a member of the community associated with the printing of the Rebbe's books] came to his house and brought his letter one more time. And in all likelihood he had pain from his letter — especially from the fact that his wife wants to engage in foolish vanities that have no benefit. And he has already replied in advance about everything — and also this must be endured — the confused mind of the masses and the women who want to engage in foolishness of remedies and incantations of vanity. And all is for good — for this too atones for sin — for no pain is lost — and all is counted as atonement for sin. Therefore my beloved son — even though your pain is great — and he is greatly pained from your sufferings — may Hashem Yisborach have mercy — even so — you are more stringent than necessary — and you magnify the pain more than necessary. And all our words are to diminish and reduce the pain and the distress — and to find expansiveness within the very distress itself — as he wrote on the verse "batzar hirchavta li" [Likutay Moharan 195; Tehillim 4:2] — and your way at every time is to magnify all kinds of pain more than necessary. And especially since you already see in your few days that have passed over you — that it is impossible to escape from sufferings almost every day — and as our Rebbe — of blessed memory — said explicitly (Likutay Tinyana 77): *"know that every day some pain must pass over each individual of Israel"* and so forth. And also from others you see the greatness of the blows and kinds of pain that pass over each one. Therefore — do not magnify the pain more than necessary — on the contrary — overcome to find expansiveness within the very distress itself — may the Merciful One save us — and through this specifically to thank Hashem for the past — and to cry out for the future — that He save you in His mercy from all kinds of pain. And take you out from distress to complete relief — and send complete healing to your son and daughter quickly — Amen. And regarding the tumult here — he has already informed him a little. And what was done in particulars — it is impossible to express. Praised be G-d — there are many who support us — and they are the majority even in the physical — besides the many who are with us also in the spiritual. But boldness and impudence — *"malchusa b'la taga"* — a kingdom without a crown. And even the brazen ones themselves regret at every time. But Hashem Yisborach desires also our prayer — and for this purpose at every time what happens happens — all to remind us to pray before Him — and within this we also pray for our own needs. And the essential is to draw close to Him Yisborach — which is the foundation of everything. And all that happens with each one — is all hints for this purpose. And the hope is to Hashem that everything will be repaired quickly. And everything will turn to good with Hashem's help.