שטו

Nussun of Breslov.

[Hebrew: בְּנִי חֲבִיבִי....]

And great peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu with great love — to each one according to his lofty level. To all of you these words are said. Have pity and compassion on him and on this holy work — and stand by his help with all your strength — to help him and to assist him every time with assistance that has real substance — and you will rejoice and be glad over your share in this — forever. To the generous-hearted such as yourselves there is no need to extend. And the post is urgent. May Hashem Yisborach make you successful in the physical and the spiritual — their righteousness will stand forever — their horn will be raised in honor — Amen. Then: and peace and great salvation to all our anshei sh'lomaynu in their surroundings — and in Krakav and Kremintshak and their surroundings. To all of them these words are said. And all who add — may they have added to them from heaven — blessing and life and the treasury of the fear of heaven.

Peace — to the honor of my beloved son — my dear one — the desire of my heart — the veteran rabbinical scholar — our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok — may he live.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]

On Tuesday of Parshas Mas'ei past — he sent him his letter that he was traveling to the nearby city. And immediately on Wednesday evening — he returned here to the congregation of Lvov — and he did not accomplish anything there in the matter of their work. And certainly it was from Hashem — that he was there — in the place — the source from which we were hewn — for the ancestors of their ancestors grew up there. [מְקוֹם מְקוֹר חֻצַּבְנוּ — the place where we were hewn — from Yeshayahu 51:1 — "look to the rock from which you were hewn." Reb Nussun identifies this city with the spiritual origins of their family and tradition — and sees his visit there as providentially arranged even if it produced no material fruit] And also they spoke there with several men — and for this certainly also it was worthwhile — the journey and the wandering and the expenditures. And even though he knows a little of this — and more than this he believes. And how many *chasadim* and wonders — wonders of wonders — he saw on these journeys — connected to their matter. For the sake of one single engagement from all of this — and to speak one word of Torah with one person that he spoke with in all these journeys — certainly all his very very difficult wandering — which is beyond estimation — and all the multitude of the expenditures and the confusions — was worthwhile. Even so his mind did not rest and be quiet — for until now he had assumed — G-d forbid — that he would return empty to his home — and not accomplish anything G-d forbid for the matter of their work. And already he had strengthened himself — that even if it should be so — he would not fall in his mind at all — for he is strong — praised be Hashem — in faith — and knows a little of His chesed Yisborach — that certainly he had to be here. But *"mah gadlu ma'asecha Hashem — m'od am'ku machshevosav"* — and how wondrous are His chasadim — that He opened the eyes of his heart — to know and to believe in the awesome wonders of the greatness of the true tzaddik — until he did not despair himself of mercy — and he believed — even though the gates are closed and locked from every side and from every angle — until the erring one can err and think that there is no hope — G-d forbid — even so there is hope — there is and there is — for there is much relief and salvation before Him Yisborach — and He is great to save. And behold — on the past Friday — a man came to his inn — he is from here but had been on the road — and today Hashem made with His wonders — that he made with him a standing and a position and a connection in writing — to engage in their work. [עָשִׂיתִי עִמּוֹ מַעֲמָד וּמַצָּב וְהִתְקַשְּׁרוּת בִּכְתָב — a standing and a position and a connection in writing — the language of a formal business agreement. Reb Nussun's language is intentionally vague — this is clearly connected to the printing of the Rebbe's books — a matter of immense importance and sensitivity in the Czarist empire of that era — and he must write in veiled terms] And he has not yet given him even one small coin — only when he will begin in His chesed Yisborach shortly to engage in this — Rabbi Chayyim — may his light shine — will give him some small sum. And the manner of the matter is impossible to express at all in the open field. And also this little that he writes to him — should be in secret — and he should not reveal it except to a very few — in secret. And if Hashem wills — when they gather together — with Hashem's help — he will hear the wonders of Hashem and His immense chasadim. And to Hashem the salvation — that the matter be completed with added vigor. Let our eyes see and our hearts rejoice. And he always hopes to His chesed — until Hashem will show them His chesed and His salvation quickly. And he is now preparing himself to travel to Brod — to return home — and he is very preoccupied. And from there he will write to him still somewhat more explained. May Hashem lead him in peace. Nussun of Breslov. And on Wednesday close to Minchah — he came here to the congregation of Brod in peace. And today Thursday Parshas Devarim — he received his letter from Tuesday close to Minchah. And at the beginning of his reading of his letter — it was a great comfort to him — but immediately his mind became confused — trouble and pain doubled — in seeing in his letter the bitterness of the trouble of the conscription decree. [נֶעקְרַטִין — the Yiddish/Russian term for military conscription — the forced drafting of Jews into the Russian army — one of the most devastating decrees that fell upon the Jewish communities of the Pale in the early nineteenth century. Reb Nussun learns of this calamity in a letter from his son — at the very end of his journey — while sitting in Brod — on the very eve of Tisha B'Av ] *"Oy oy lanu al tzaroseinu — ahah b'ni hachrea hikra'atani"* — "Alas alas to us for our troubles — alas my son — you have laid me low" — his heart is broken within him from several sides. [Bereishis 27:38] For the days are close to Tisha B'Av. And even so — he strengthened himself to receive Shabbas Kodesh in joy — for this is the measure. And in the midst of this — a bad report such as this reached his ears — the trouble of the collective and the individual — may the Merciful One protect. *"Mah nomar — mah n'dabeir — Hashem hatzaddik va'anachnu hirsha'nu — hirsha'nu u'fasha'nu b'vadai."* [Bereishis 44:16 and Eichah 1:18] And we have no one to lean on except His abundant mercies and chasadim — that the tzaddikim who dwell in the dust draw down — and through this he gives himself life even now. *"Mah ashiv laHashem"* — that he merited and caused others to merit — not to oppose the one who draws down mercies and chasadim in these generations — in the flight of such troubles and distresses — *"ilmalei milcha"* — and through his power and the power of all the true tzaddikim we lean — that Hashem Yisborach will certainly not abandon us G-d forbid — and from all the troubles He will take us out and save us quickly for His name's sake Yisborach. And behold — he is sending to his hand the letters to Breslov — and there he informed them of what is possible to inform — well explained. More than this — there is no leisure at all to extend. Peace and life and all good. And peace to his dear friend the rabbinical scholar our Teacher the Rabbi Yaakov — may his light shine. Very great is his pain on hearing their trouble — may Hashem Yisborach save quickly. And he hoped to Hashem that they will be saved — with Hashem's help — and everything will be turned to good. Only be very strong and resolute — to pray to Hashem Yisborach about all of this — and to draw close to Hashem Yisborach more through all of this. For already you know well that all that passes over every person all the days of his life — all of it is for his good — in order to remind him through this to return to Hashem — and to begin from now — at any rate — with all that he can. My beloved son — everything you can inform him of some salvation — try to inform him. Also send him a greeting of peace in particular from his young sons — may they live — for they were not mentioned explicitly in the previous letters. And also inform him about their synagogue in Uman — whether it has already been opened and when it was opened. For when he left from there it was sealed — and with Hashem's help he trusted that certainly it has already been opened — but even so he desires to be informed explicitly — as a comfort.