שפח

Overview: Thursday, Parshas Shelach — Berdichev — 5602. To Yitzchok and all his household. He arrived here to Berdichev on the past Tuesday — and will remain for the coming holy Shabbas. Everywhere one comes — and in particular here — one hears cries and sighs and sounds of wants — almost without measure. And one who understands hears from all of them hints — that there is no place to flee from the afflictions and from all the lacks — except to Hashem — to the Torah and to the prayer. And even one who does not fulfil this as befitting — must strengthen himself to rejoice in his portion — that he knows at least something of this — and accustom himself to walk in the ways of truth that our Master brought to light. And to give thanks for the past — for all the expansions found within the troubles and the distress themselves — and to rejoice in them — and to request for the future. If he were to tell how much and how much one must go in this — pages of parchment would run out. Be strong my son — and be strong — for Hashem is still with you and thinking of your rectification — and certainly He will not abandon you. And begin now to long for the holiness of the holy Rosh Hashana — for the holiness of the holy gathering. And be very accustomed to the books of our Master — and in what they merited to explain and make new in them — and you will find rest for your soul — to strengthen yourself every day in Torah and conversation which is prayer — and in joy in all the ways of his holy counsels — and to await salvation always. For Hashem will never abandon — la shavek v'la sh'vak.

He received his letter today — and he already preceded to send him his letter from here. He did not procure money here from the city at all — only a little from his brother-in-law and from his innkeeper — and he still does not know if it will suffice for the expenses to Uman. And all that the Merciful One does — He does for good — his eyes are lifted to Him alone — until He will grace all of them in material and spiritual. What one sees on the road — one sees more — and in particular in the great cities like here. The cry of each person and his bitterness reaches to the heavens. And one who understands hears that in their inwardness they are crying: what is the purpose — and what will become of us in the end. But in their externality one hears more the cry of the finding of existence — of what each and every person finds — which is the matter: "u'motzei ani mar mi'maves es ha'ishah" — "and I find more bitter than death — the woman" — which is the livelihood — as our Sages of blessed memory said. [Yevamos 63b] [The Talmudic passage: what is the verse referring to? The ishah — the wife — the Sages interpret as the livelihood — the pursuit of one's existence — which is more bitter than death. Reb Nussun takes this teaching and applies it with great compassion to the universal human cry he witnesses in Berdichev — the great commercial city — where the bitterness of earning one's bread fills the air] And also literally — what they suffer from her — and the essential in the matter of the livelihood. And one sees with one's own senses what our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe — of blessed memory — said — that were it not for the salt — the world could not endure the bitterness — as is explained in Likutai Moharan part 1 ch. 23. And this is his consolation in his poverty — in what he knows clearly all this. And in the great chasadim of Hashem — He informed him of the covenant of eternal salt that sweetens all this. Mah nashiv laHashem kol tagmulohi aleinu.

Nussun of Breslov. Overview: Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz — Berdichev — 5602. To Yitzchok and all his household. He received his letter today — and he already preceded to send him his letter from here. He did not procure money here from the city at all — only a little from his brother-in-law and from his innkeeper — and he still does not know if it will suffice for the expenses to Uman. And all that the Merciful One does — He does for good — his eyes are lifted to Him alone. What one sees on the road — one sees more — and in particular in the great cities like here. The cry of each person and his bitterness reaches to the heavens. And one who understands hears that in their inwardness they are crying: what is the purpose — and what will become of us in the end. But in their externality one hears more the cry of the finding of existence — "u'motzei ani mar mi'maves es ha'ishah" — which is the livelihood — as our Sages said (Yevamos 63b). And also literally — what they suffer from her — and the essential in the matter of the livelihood. And one sees with one's own senses what our Master said — that were it not for the salt — the world could not endure the bitterness — as explained in Likutai Moharan part 1 ch. 23. And this is his consolation in his poverty — in what he knows clearly all this. And in the great chasadim of Hashem — He informed him of the covenant of eternal salt that sweetens all this. Mah nashiv laHashem kol tagmulohi aleinu.