רנא

Section heading: Letters of the year 5598.

My beloved son — my dear one.

I received your letter just now. He intended not to reply — because of the honor of *Chol HaMoed* — but from the words of his brother-in-law — may his light shine — he understood the immensity of his yearning for his letter — and also because all their words are words of Torah pertaining to action and the salvation of the soul — it is certainly a mitzvah to write also on Chol HaMoed.

And the general principle — know that G-d forbid G-d forbid for you to think about this matter at all — neither in retrospect nor going forward — only to forget the matter from your mind. For he heard from his holy mouth — of blessed memory — that this matter is like... [כְּמוֹ... — this is left deliberately incomplete in the original — protecting the full content from wider publication. Reb Nussun uses the formula *dai l'meivin* — "it is sufficient for one who understands"] — and *dai l'meivin.* For the thought and the dark melancholy about this matter harms greatly and is of no benefit at all. And is it not so — however it is — you certainly need to speak greatly between yourself and your Creator — and express your speech before Him Yisborach every day. And certainly within your words you will feel the pains of your soul. For this matter is not drawn from itself — only from what passed over you before. But over all of this — we have One to lean on — upon the power of the holy elder — and through his great power we are still able to express our speech before Him Yisborach. And He Yisborach is full of mercy — and only He knows our inclination.

And he has already spoken greatly about this — and one must return every day to what he heard from his holy mouth — of blessed memory — (Chayyei Moharan 67): *"Hashem Yisborach is very great — and things like these are done in the world — and one does not know at all — and even what is done with you"* and so forth. And certainly you have already heard this from him — and still you need great mercy — that you merit to feel the awesomeness of the greatness of these things. And the general principle — one does not know at all — and just as one can ruin — so one can repair. And blessed be Hashem Who has wondrous-made His *chesed* with us — that we do not dispute the one who repairs. More than this it is impossible to extend for several reasons — and may Hashem Yisborach gladden you and us with the joy of this holy festival coming upon us for good — *nagila v'nismecha bishu'aso.*

[Double and triple postscript warning:] The matter is doubled with a double and triple warning — that you have no dark melancholy from this — and remove the matter completely from your mind — and not to be afraid at all — only to strengthen oneself in joy. And return to begin anew to go with the holy Torah *"azamra lelokai b'odi"* — and let it be completely new in your eyes. And through this you will be able to rejoice and to strengthen yourself — hope to Hashem and He will save you in all your matters — and *"ilmalei lo asinu l'olma ela l'mishma haTorah 'azamra' dayeinu"* — "were it not that we came into the world only to hear the Torah 'Azamra' — dayeinu." [The Torah called "Azamra" is Likutay Moharan II:112 — one of the most beloved and central teachings of the Rebbe — about finding even one good point within oneself and through it singing praise to Hashem — thereby drawing oneself back to life and joy from even the deepest depths]

And do not forget — praised be G-d — you were on this Rosh Hashanah — among such a holy and awesome congregation. And he already warned us — of blessed memory — (Chayyei Moharan 403) — that one who is with him on Rosh Hashanah must rejoice all year. And he said explicitly: *"Edlu ma'adanim u'sh'su mamtakim — ki cheivas Hashem hi ma'uzechem"* — "eat delicacies and drink sweets — for the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nechemiah 8:10] — for this verse was said about *Rosh Hashanah.*

And abundant peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with great love — and love of eternity forever.

Nussun of Breslov.

And abundant peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with great love — and love of eternity forever.

Overview: Night before Tuesday — 2nd day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos — Nemirov. To Yitzchok. Received his letter just now. Intended not to reply because of the honor of Chol HaMoed — but from the words of his brother-in-law he understood the immensity of his yearning — and also because all their words are words of Torah pertaining to action and the salvation of the soul — it is certainly a mitzvah to write also on Chol HaMoed. And the general principle — G-d forbid G-d forbid for you to think about this matter at all — neither in retrospect nor going forward — only to forget the matter from your mind. For the thought and the dark melancholy about this matter harms greatly and is of no benefit at all. However it is — you certainly need to speak greatly between yourself and your Creator. Within your words you will feel the pains of your soul. For this matter is not drawn from itself — only from what passed over you before. But over all of this — we have One to lean on — upon the power of the holy elder — and through his great power we are still able to express our speech before Him Yisborach. And He Yisborach is full of mercy — and only He knows our inclination. One must return every day to what he heard from his holy mouth (Chayyei Moharan 67): "Hashem Yisborach is very great — and things like these are done in the world — and one does not know at all — and even what is done with you." The general principle — one does not know at all — and just as one can ruin so one can repair. Blessed be Hashem that we do not dispute the one who repairs. Nagila v'nismecha bishu'aso. Then double and triple warning: no dark melancholy from this — remove the matter completely from your mind — not to be afraid at all — only strengthen in joy. Return to begin anew with the holy Torah "azamra lelokai b'odi." And through this rejoice and strengthen yourself — "ilmalei lo asinu l'olma ela l'mishma haTorah 'azamra' dayeinu." And do not forget — praised be G-d you were on this Rosh Hashanah among such a holy and awesome congregation. He already warned (Chayyei Moharan 403) — one who is with him on Rosh Hashanah must rejoice all year. And he said explicitly: "Edlu ma'adanim u'sh'su mamtakim — ki cheivas Hashem hi ma'uzechem" — for this verse was said about Rosh Hashanah.

I received your letter yesterday Thursday — close to Mincha — via one of the anshei sh'lomaynu who was a special messenger to me about our affairs. Hashem will complete for good. Just now we still need many prayers and supplications — that Hashem Yisborach will complete in His wondrous mercies for good quickly — and to Hashem the salvation. Until now His mercies helped us in ways that were wondrous and awesome — very very much — that were never heard and never seen. "Rabbot asita atah Hashem Elokai nifle'osecha" [Tehillim 40:6] — and so forth. Also now may He not abandon us and not forsake us — and for the sake of His great name — may He do and complete our desire for good quickly — Amen.

And it did not come to my mind yesterday to reply to him today — for the preoccupation of Shabbas is upon me as usual from Thursday. And the essential — how one merits at any rate to begin from this Shabbas — for every day and day one must begin — all the more so and all the more so on Shabbas Kodesh which is all the life-force of all the days of the week. And it is all teshuvah in love and in joy — from within the oneg Shabbas — in the aspect of "ahavah bata'anugim" and so forth. And the greatness of our distance from Shabbas — every person knows in his own soul. But even so — every individual of Israel — according to the good point that is still in him — so is the holiness of Shabbas drawn upon him. But even so — Shabbas and Yom Tov require preparation — as our Sages said (Beitzah 2b) — and the essential preparation is the will — to remember Shabbas in simplicity every day and day — and to fulfil "mei'echad b'shabbas l'shabbat'cha" [מֵאֶחָד בְּשַׁבָּת לְשַׁבָּתְךָ — from the first day of the week — already thinking of the coming Shabbas. As quoted from Beitzah 16b — the teaching of Shammai who would dedicate each day of the week to the honor of the upcoming Shabbas] — as it is written "zachor es yom haShabbas l'kadsho — zachrehu mei'echad b'shabbas" [Beitzah 16b]. All the more so and all the more so when one arrives at "tik'dama yoma kamai shabbasa" — the three days before Shabbas — and especially from Thursday — when all of Israel prepare themselves for Shabbas — and every one runs and toils to buy flour and meat for the need of Shabbas — who can assess the inner spark in his heart — what awesome delights are made from this in all the worlds. But this — all Israel fulfil with Hashem's help — and we too among them — certainly ashreinu — ashrei kulanu — that we merited to such a good and precious gift — that was hidden in His treasury — and "Shabbas" is its name. And certainly we must fulfil this in simplicity without sophistications — with great joy. But the essential is to prepare oneself in his heart and soul — to think thoughts of how one merits to draw upon oneself the holiness of Shabbas Kodesh — at any rate now — and to ask greatly from Hashem Yisborach about this.

Even over all of these — it was far in his eyes to reply to him immediately — especially the great pain from his affairs — he has very great yearning of eyes that he merits that it be completed for good — and also the pain from each and every one of the anshei sh'lomaynu from fear of the troubles — may Hashem Yisborach in His mercy protect each and every one — and in the shadow of Your wings conceal us. But even so — when he was reading the Parasha — twice in Scripture and once in Targum — the immensity of his yearning for his letter flashed through his mind — and he said in his heart — to fulfil with this the great mitzvah of all — which is "v'shinantam l'vanecha" and "v'hoda'atam l'vanecha v'livnei vanecha" — as he warned us explicitly — the light of our lives — of blessed memory — (Sichos HaRan 209). And he strengthened himself in this to reply to him immediately. Blessed be Hashem Yisborach that he reminded himself and you of the holiness of Shabbas Kodesh — which is the totality and root of all holinesses. And there is much to speak about this. And the essential is to strengthen oneself and to ask from Hashem Yisborach — to receive every Shabbas and Shabbas with great joy — in love and in good will — and to drive away and distance at any rate then all kinds of sadness and grief and sigh — especially the preoccupation and worry of livelihood — to forget and to remove all from one's mind — until one merits to draw the joy of Shabbas upon all the weekdays — so that also on weekdays one strengthens himself in strong bitachon always — and gladdens his soul in Hashem in his good points — in the aspect of "azamra lelokai b'odi." And praised be G-d — we have nothing to be ashamed of to mention the awesome Torah "Azamra" — thousands of times every day. For it is our life.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

And now my son — my beloved — delight of my heart — the glory of my heart and soul — before he began to reply to him in his letter. Praised be G-d in His wondrous chesed — he has already replied to him greatly — for all that he wrote to him until here — you can give yourself life always — and receive counsels from them every day — for Shabbas Kodesh is a wondrous counsel for everything — in the aspect of "Shabbas agin al adam harishon" — "Shabbas protected the first man" [Zohar II:138] — as he explained — the light of our eyes — in the awesome story of the children who were exchanged (Sipurei Ma'asiyos 11) — that when they drive a person from the holy garden — which is the secret of the aspect of Gan Eden — he must stand himself next to Shabbas — which is in the aspect of the king whose peace is His. And even though these matters are very exalted — even beyond his mind — even so — he knows clearly that the essential intention is in simplicity — to stand oneself next to Shabbas — as he wrote above. And know my beloved son — that it also seems to him that never in his life has he gone through what he went through after this Rosh Hashanah — especially during Sukkos. And the truth is so — but even so — he knows that also every time that what passed over him passed — "kol mishbareicha v'galecha alai avaru" — every time there were new changes — waves and depths — that never passed before. And so over every person at every time — new things — both in good and in difficulty. And even so — the attribute of good is greater — and His chesed has prevailed over me and over you as well.

Nussun of Breslov. And in truth he informs his beloved and precious son — that every time he reminded himself with intention of the word Tishrei with these awesome and exalted combinations — he greatly strengthened himself over all that had passed over him. For every understanding heart can understand from afar — that in Tishrei there is an immense battle for each and every one — as they preface to cry out in every month of Elul: "im tachaneh alai machaneh lo yira libi — im takum alai milchama" — "though an army should encamp against me — my heart will not fear — though war should rise against me" [Tehillim 27:3] — and so forth — but "b'zos ani votei'ach" — "in this I trust" — certainly in all that he wrote until now — about the holiness of Shabbas Kodesh and the holiness of Tishrei. And all of it is the power of the holiness of the true tzaddik who revealed all this — and is engaged in all this still — for the tzaddikim are greater in their death than in their lifetime. And as written in the holy Zohar (III:71a) that were it not for the prayer of the tzaddikim who have died — who pray for the living — the world would not be sustained for even one moment. And an extra love is made known to us — that praised be G-d — we know from the true tzaddik who is engaged in our repair — together with all the righteous who sleep in the dust — whose merit protects us always — Amen. The words of your father. And now my son — fulfil the mitzvah of love of friends — and copy this letter word for word — and send it immediately to the holy congregation of Kremintshak — to our friend Rabbi Ephraim — may his light shine — for he has no leisure to write him himself — and especially because he too is lax in writing to him as he has already reproached him greatly about this. And fulfil all this immediately — and write me immediately via the post whether you received this letter and whether you fulfilled to send to Rabbi Ephraim as above.

[Hebrew: נָתָן הַנַּ"ל...]