רצו

For the sake of Hashem Yisborach — strengthen yourself with all your might to be only joyful always. And trust in Hashem for He will never abandon you. And everything will be turned to good. And give yourself life through the study of the holy Torah every day — and through prayers and supplications and the saying of Tehillim with kavanah. And speak with the anshei sh'lomaynu every day — and gladden your soul with all that is possible. And I am at my post — I will stand to pray for you — and to Hashem the salvation — that He do good to you in His chesed — not according to our sins will He deal with us. For His chesed is great over us — *"chasdei Hashem ki lo samu"* — the chasadim of Hashem are not finished. And there is no leisure to extend just now. And peace and life as your soul — my beloved son — and the soul of your father who intercedes for you and awaits your salvation.

[Hebrew: אֲהוּבִי בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי....]

Nussun as above. The honor of his friend — the outstanding veteran rabbinical scholar — our Teacher the Rabbi Asher Moshe — may his light shine. His short letter arrived yesterday between Minchah and Maariv. And from yourself you will understand the immensity of his pain from this — until the soul. *"Homeh alai libi — me'ai me'ai ochilah"* — "My heart makes an uproar within me — my bowels — my bowels — I writhe in pain." [Yirmiyahu 4:19] He is very pained for them — from several sides — both from the side of the pain and the sufferings themselves that have surrounded his friend Rabbi A.B. from all sides — may Hashem have mercy and save him quickly — and more than anything from the arousal of the enemies who gnash their teeth to take revenge — G-d forbid — as it is written (Eichah 2): *"sharku va'yacharku shen — am'ru bila'nu"* — "they hissed and gnashed their teeth — they said: we have swallowed her" — may the Merciful One protect us — but Hashem will certainly not abandon us in their hands. And above all — his pain is greatest from the confusion of the mind and the smallness of the intellect that has been diminished among them because of this — for the lack of knowledge is the hardest of all. And as is explained in his holy words — that the essential pain of all kinds of afflictions and lacks is only the lack of knowledge. For if the knowledge were complete — and one knew that everything is in His Providence Yisborach for good — certainly one would not suffer at all — on the contrary one would be full of joy from all the sufferings and adventures that pass over him. For *"kol mah d'aveid Rachmana l'tav aveid"* — for His intention Yisborach is certainly for wonderful good. And in particular since we see with our own eyes that every person is full of sufferings — and as it is written in the Midrash Rabbah Parshas Mikeitz chapter 92 on the verse *"v'El Shaddai yitein lachem rachamim"*: Rabbi Alexandri said — there is no person without sufferings. Happy is the person upon whom the sufferings come from the Torah — as it is said: *"u'mitorascha t'lam'denu."* And look there at what is written there — if he comes to be upset — and *"u'mitorascha t'lam'denu."* What is written about Avraham — *"va'avarechecha va'agadlah sh'mecha"* — when he went out — famine immediately sprang upon him — and he did not get upset and did not protest. And so forth — look there. And you already know that all the obstacles are only obstacles of the mind — for one whose mind and intellect is firm in the truth to its truth — certainly his thoughts will not alarm him from any adventures and distresses that pass over him. For it will certainly never enter the mind of a Jewish person — when some trouble G-d forbid comes upon him — even in the body and children — G-d forbid — and all the more so in the easier matter of money — that this is because he put on tefillin or distributed to charity and the like. On the contrary — an upright person — even a simple person — takes to heart that all his troubles and sufferings are because he diminished in the service of Hashem — that he did not put on tefillin with the proper kavanah — and did not give charity with a whole heart as fitting. And now — understand well from this to our matter — for certainly one who inclines toward the opinion of those who oppose such a holy and awesome and exalted light as our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe — zacher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah — who revealed such Torah novellae in the world that were never heard — that give life to all souls from great to small — certainly according to their false opinion — even if one were to give great wealth to travel to Uman — one should not travel. But since in the chasadim of Hashem He opened our eyes — and informed us somewhat of the truth of the greatness of his holiness — certainly for one single movement to draw close to us — all the more so to study his holy books and to fulfil some true word from his words — to compel oneself to prayer according to his holy counsels — and to say Tehillim with kavanah — and all the more so to travel to the kever of his holy grave — where he promised us with a great promise that he will do good for us forever — it is obvious to any understanding person that for one single point from all the above — it is worthwhile and worthwhile to bear everything and to break all kinds of obstacles in the world. At any rate — not to err — G-d forbid — in the error and folly of those who oppose — as if because of this — that he traveled to Uman on Rosh HaShanah — this trouble has come upon him — G-d forbid. On the contrary — he is obligated to look at the truth to its truth — and to turn the matter to good — that all the troubles are because he is lax in the matter of drawing close to the truth. And in particular since we see that also upon all those who oppose and dispute — the cup of poison passes — the cup of troubles and distress without measure. May Hashem have mercy on all of Israel. And our life and sustaining at every day and every hour is only through wondrous and awesome miracles — as our Sages taught (Yuma 69): *"hein hein gevurosav"* — and all our life is only through the point of the true tzaddik — in the aspect of "ilmalei milcha la havei alma yachol l'misbel m'rirutha" — as it is written in the passage *"tzivisah tzedek."* And through his great power — I trust — that He will certainly not abandon Rabbi A.B. — as He did not abandon me and all of us — through all the distresses that passed over us. And in particular over me — which would not be believed if told — that it would be possible to bear all that passed over me. And even so — when I think to myself — I see the truth — that all those of my generation who had a rebellious shoulder against drawing close — and tasting from his holy light — all of them passed their lives in troubles and bitterness far more than me — and most of them have died. And those who are still alive are filled with troubles from various troubles — may the Merciful One protect — and they have nothing with which to give themselves life. But the essential is the test for the moment — not to listen to the evil words of those who oppose the truth — and not to incline one's mind toward any false reasoning that is the opposite of truth — rather to look at every time at the truth to its truth — and to fulfil *"chishavti d'rachai va'ashivah raglai el eidosecha"* — "I considered my ways — and turned my feet to Your testimonies." [Tehillim 119:59] And behold — to extend words in this matter — praised be G-d there is much in his heart to speak — *"hinei vitni malei milim."* True and pure and clear words — with Hashem's help — but many sheets would not suffice to express them. And now my friend and my dear one — be strong and fortify yourself — and greatly strengthen his friend Rabbi A.B. And read this letter well — and you will understand many things from within these words. And I trust in the chasadim of Hashem — that He will certainly not abandon him — *la shaveik v'la shavik* — only be strong and resolute. And *"chatof v'echol — chatof v'echol nahama d'oraiysa b'chol yom v'yom"* — snatch and eat — snatch and eat the bread of Torah every day and day — through all the preoccupations and adventures that pass over you — for it is your life forever. [חֲטֹף וֶאֱכֹל — an Aramaic idiom drawn from the Talmud — adapted by Reb Nussun into one of his most powerful rallying cries: wherever you are — whatever difficulty surrounds you — snatch what you can of Torah. Do not wait for the perfect moment. Grab. Eat. This day will not come again] And this day on which you stand — will not be yours again forever. And very very greatly is his pain — more than everything — in what you wrote — that Rabbi A.B. is being lax in his learning. Alas Hashem — about this all who are in pain should grieve. For how much and how much we speak and cry out about this — that there is no escape from all the sufferings and adventures — except to Hashem Yisborach — and to the Torah and to prayer and supplication and request. Our Sages have already warned us (Avos 2): *"al tomar lichsh'efneh eshneh"* — "do not say: when I have leisure I will study." Turn yourself away from this path — my dear friend. And the days that you have lost without Torah — that you could have snatched in the midst of the very afflictions themselves — that is a loss that does not return. For even if you were to spend your days in wealth — it is impossible that there should not pass over a person confusions and very great preoccupations and adventures without measure — as our Sages taught — and as is explained in many verses: *"ki adam l'amal yulad"* — "for man is born to toil." [Iyov 5:7] For on the contrary — all that passes over a person — all of it is to call him to draw him close to the Torah. For the essential delight of His Yisborach is when one studies Torah in the straits of the person — through confusions and pressing. For this is the essential virtue of a person over the angels — that he has such obstacles and confusions — and the sitra achra prostrates itself every time like actual rivers and depths — as it is written (Tehillim 42): *"t'hom el t'hom korei"* — "deep calls to deep." Incline your ear well and hear my words spoken in truth — and fulfil at every time *"Hashem uzi u'meuzi u'mnusi"* — and as it is written (ibid 59): *"u'manos b'yom tzar li."* And snatch every day all the Torah and prayer that you can — and fulfil *"kavata ittim l'Torah"* — as our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe explained — to rob times for Torah from within all the preoccupations of the world. For there is not a day in which one cannot snatch from it good — little or much — for *"leit yom d'leit bei tav."* And trust in Hashem for He will not abandon you — and will turn everything to good. And see to come here with alacrity. The words of your lover in truth — and he did not address the speech to Rabbi A.B. himself because he did not write a letter to him — and from himself he will understand that all the words were said to him in particular — and also to all of you and to all of us. For all need to know and to return every day all the above. And more than they — my son — be careful to fulfil his holy words. And greet all the anshei sh'lomaynu with great love — and in particular the peace of his friend and beloved Rabbi Yisrael — may his light shine — and all his household. Is not this so — the words of one who awaits salvation and intercedes for you — and awaits to see them in joy. Nussun of Breslov.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]