רעא

Good and long life and peace — to his dear friend — the veteran outstanding rabbinical scholar — our Teacher the Rabbi Yaakov — may his light shine. May Hashem do good to him and his household — and complete the sealing for good — in this world and the coming world — forever — Amen so may it be His will. I received your letter yesterday — close to my arrival home from Uman — and read it very very well. And even though my pain is great from the grief of your heart — which harms greatly in the physical and the spiritual — even so I thank Hashem Yisborach for His mercies until here — without measure. And also this itself is from the immensity of the wonders of His chasadim — that you cry out at any rate about the pain of sadness. And to reply to you now as fitting is impossible — for it is just now close to the morning prayer. And a supreme chesed prevailed to write you these words just now — perhaps you will take to heart to fulfil the words of our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe — zacher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah — to turn all kinds of grief and sigh to joy — as he has already spoken greatly with you about this. And there is still much to speak about this — in a way that you will understand from yourself how to strengthen yourself — to fulfil this — to turn everything to joy — in that His chesed has prevailed over us so much — to know the truth to its truth — that nothing will remain of the person except a few good points that he snatches from this passing world — that blinks in an eye — full of anger and pains and griefs and bitterness — from various kinds of bitterness in every person — in many and many changes without number — and there is no life-force except what Hashem Yisborach in His mercies expands within the distresses — and helps to snatch every day and every time the good points of Torah and mitzvos — that every individual of Israel merits to fulfil every day. And in truth — all who come into the world live only from this. But most of them do not know from their lives — and suffer greatly over a world that is not theirs — and do not take to heart to give themselves life with the true and eternal good that Hashem Yisborach merits them within the bitterness of the grief of their hand. And "mah nashiv laHashem kol tagmulohi aleinu" — that we merited to know a little of our life-force — that there is no good and life except Torah and prayer and good deeds. And even though we know that we do not fulfil the obligation of the day even to a half and a third and a quarter — and would that we not corrupt — G-d forbid — even so He already anticipated the remedy to strengthen us and fortify us — to give ourselves life with the good points as above. And even if he has already spoken greatly about this — still one must return to this a thousand times every single day — for they are our life and the length of our days — in this world and the coming world — for us and for our generations — forever. And about the fears that pass over you from fear of your affairs — be strong and resolute and trust in Hashem Who was in your help until now — so may He complete on your behalf and save you from all of them — and your enemies will see and be ashamed. And you will exult and rejoice in the salvation of Hashem and His wondrous chasadim. Only be strong and resolute to walk in the way of truth — as he taught us: to pour out your speech before Hashem every day for some time — and afterwards to strengthen yourself with all your might to be joyful all day — and to study greatly every day — and to pray with kavanah — that you force all your thoughts to bring them into the words that you utter from your mouth in your prayer before the One Who searches hearts — and to connect the thought to the speech in a strong and firm bond — to concentrate on the meaning of the words. And even though we know how much the Baal Davar overpowers against this — even so you will snatch a little of the prayer through the efforts that you make effort with your strength to fulfil these things. And also the effort itself of making an effort to pray with kavanah — even though it does not succeed for him — even so the effort itself is very precious — and from this are made sacrifices in the aspect of "ki alecha horagnu kol hayom" [כִּי עָלֶיךָ הֹרַגְנוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם — Tehillim 44:23 — "for Your sake we are killed all the day long" — the Rebbe teaches in his holy books (Likutay Moharan I:2) that the effort of struggling with wayward thoughts during prayer — even though one does not succeed in attaining complete kavanah — is itself accounted as a form of sacrifice — a slaying of the animal soul for the sake of heaven] — as explained in his holy books. And from the immensity of the preoccupation of Erev Yom Kippur — it is impossible to extend more — but from the immensity of his love for him — he snatched time for him at such a moment — to write these words that strengthen greatly. And may Hashem Yisborach complete the sealing for true life — for us and for all of Israel — Amen. The words of your lover in truth forever. Nussun of Breslov.