נט

My beloved son — may he live. Peace to you and to your household and to those who come forth from you — may Hashem grant them life and length of days and years in abundance of true and eternal good. Omain, so may it be His will.

Your letter I received twice — and it was a great comfort to me. And I have no time at all now to reply to you — for I need urgently to travel today, with the help of Hashem Yisborach, to Tshehin. And I was already ready to travel on Wednesday, Parshas Bishalach, as I wrote to you — but from Heaven it is that I was delayed until now [מֵאֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא דְּעִכְּבוּנִי — a Talmudic idiom: me'eis hashamayim hu — "it is from Heaven" — expressing the recognition that circumstances beyond one's control are divinely arranged rather than accidental (cf. Brochos 58a, Yoma 38b). Reb Nussun does not say merely "I was delayed" but signals that the delay itself was ordained from above. Given that he is writing from Kromintshaig — the town of the Rebbe's family — the divine delay that brought him there is itself meaningful and not coincidental]. At this time I do not know what to write to you — but your love and your strong yearning to hear true words from my letters forced and pressed me to write whatever Hashem will set under my pen.

And I have already written you in the previous letter that the world is full of cries and groans without measure — and all of them cry out for money — and each and every person cries in strange voices as if his own lack is greater than all the world — until almost their very souls depart from the depth of their bitterness. And their vitality is by miracle — through vitality drawn in wondrous ways from the eternal covenant of salt [בְּרִית מֶלַח עוֹלָם — the eternal covenant of salt, from Bamidbar 18:19. Salt symbolises the eternal and incorruptible covenant. Reb Nussun identifies the Tzadik's vitality as this salt: the incorruptible life-force that preserves the world against its own bitterness, drawing on Brochos 5a and Rebbe Nachman's Likutay Moharan 23] — for were it not for the salt the world could not endure.

And one needs to remember this well — for the more one remembers this: that the essential vitality is from the Tzadik yesod olam who sweetens the world's bitterness at every time [צַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם — the Tzadik who is the foundation of the world [Mishlai 10:25]: the channel through which divine vitality flows into creation. Proximity to him and faith in him draws that sweetening power personally] — through this one draws upon oneself more holy vitality — and sweetens from oneself the bitterness with greater sweetening. For certainly each person according to his closeness to the Tzadik and his faith in him — so his bitterness is sweetened more. And in this we need to gladden ourselves at every time — and cast our burdens upon Hashem — and trust in Him — for all that the Merciful One does He does for good [כָּל מַה דְּעָבֵד רַחֲמָנָא לְטָב עָבֵד — Talmudic Aramaic from Brochos 60b: Nahum of Gamzu's declaration — "all that the Merciful One does, He does for good" — one of the foundational statements of Talmudic theology on divine providence, quoted here in its original Aramaic] — and all is for good. Be strong in Torah and prayer at every time — and gladden yourself in all the ways and counsels you heard — turn them over and turn them over [הֲפֹךְ בָּהֶם וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהֶם — Ben Bag-Bag in Avos 5:22: "turn it over and turn it over, for everything is in it" — applied here to the counsels of serving Hashem: examine them from every angle, return to them endlessly] and so forth. And from the greatness of my distraction my mind is not clear at all to extend the speech further. And may Hashem have mercy upon you — sweeten and nullify from you and your house all the harsh judgments — and broaden for you at every time — in a manner that you can serve Him, Yisborach, with expansiveness of heart, in joy and good-heartedness, from abundance of everything. The words of your father — who desires and yearns for your eternal success. Nussun of Breslov. And peace to all our anshei sh'lomaynu — with great love.

[Hebrew: נָתָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב...]