שמב

My beloved son — my dear one. He will receive the letter attached here. And may Hashem Yisborach in His mercies gladden him and them with the joy of the holy festival coming upon them for good. And they will merit to draw the holy da'as upon themselves — and to make it known to their children and their children's children — and to their friends and their disciples — so that each one will illuminate the other. And they will receive from one another — to know that Hashem is G-d — there is none beside Him — to draw the illumination of son and disciple — to know at every time that "m'lo kol ha'aretz k'vodo." And to be awakened from sleep through this — in the aspect of "hakitzu v'ranenu shochnei afar" — "awaken and sing — you who dwell in the dust." For Hashem is awake — "hineh lo yanum v'lo yishan" — "behold He neither slumbers nor sleeps." [Tehillim 44:24, 121:4] And He is the Awakener of those who sleep and the Rouser of those who slumber — and He does not regard and it is not significant in His eyes at all the entire preoccupation of the desire of money — the idols of silver and the idols of gold — "to'avat Hashem asher sane" — "the abomination of Hashem which He hates." Rather His eyes are upon the faithful of the land — and so forth — and upon this He looks — upon the afflicted and the broken of spirit — and so forth. And even though neither one nor the other is in our hands — as the *Tanna* said (Avos Chapter 4): it is not in our hands neither the tranquility — and so forth — nor even — and so forth — even so it is good and fitting to review in one's mind and with one's friends every time all the above. To fulfil "al tira ki ya'ashir ish" — "do not fear when a man grows wealthy." [Tehillim 49:17] And to remember the Mishnah (there Chapter 6): "ein m'lavin lo l'adam lo kesef v'lo zahav ki im Torah u'ma'asim tovim bilivad" — "they do not escort a person — neither silver nor gold — but only Torah and good deeds alone." [Avos 6:9] And at any rate — to desire and to long for this with strong desire — every day anew — and to accustom oneself to express one's conversation through this — until one merits to arrive at joy after true brokenheartedness — according to the holy straight ways in truth that we received from him — of blessed memory. The words of your father. And be very very careful from grief and sighing — rather snatch the grief and sighing into joy. [אֶלָּא לַחֲטֹף הַיָּגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה לְתוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה — this is one of Reb Nussun's sharpest and most characteristic expressions of the Breslov teaching on joy. Not to suppress grief — but to snatch it — actively and urgently — and transform it into joy. The Yiddish sensibility is embedded in this word — chatos — to grab and run — the same urgency a hungry person brings to snatching a piece of food. Grief is there — acknowledged — but grabbed by its collar and thrown into joy] Nussun of Breslov.