Ullim LeTroofah

עלים לתרופה

Leaves for Healing

The Sacred Letters of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and Reb Nussun of Breslov, of blessed memory

LETTER SEVEN

Friday, Eve of the holy Shabbos, Parshas Vayishlach, 13th of Kislev · Year 5569 (1808)

With the help of G-d, may He be blessed

To Abundant peace to the honor of my beloved son-in-law, my cherished one — he who is the outstanding and celebrated scholar, the honor and peace of his Torah — our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok Ayzik — may his light shine and radiate. Together with the welfare of his precious wife — she being my daughter, my dear one, the modest, wise, celebrated, and upright Marat Sarah — may she live.

I have duly received their letter, and my innards rejoiced upon hearing of the abundance of your good welfare — and I bless Hashem who has helped us until now — for she was ill and yet gave birth to her daughter, may she live. And I hereby bestow my blessing upon them:

May it be the will of G-d that this be for them and for us a good mazal (auspicious sign). And may grandchildren also be born upon their knees — and may they be like a well-watered garden [cf. Yirmiyahu 31:11] — still bearing fruit in good old age [cf. Tehillim 92:15].

And please be so good as to inform me always of the abundance of your good welfare. And my great request of my daughter, may she live, and of my son-in-law, may he live, is that they should have no worry whatsoever — only to be always in joy. Peace and life, as their souls and the soul of their father desires — who seeks their good welfare with mighty love.

Nachman, son of our Teacher the Rabbi Simcha — may his Rock protect him and give him life.

Postscript — On His Torah Study

Also, let him see to informing me of the state of his learning — and how many pages of Gemara he studies each day — for in this I desire that he be constant and unwavering in his learning. This is my entire aspiration — and enough for the one who understands.

Greetings Conveyed

Peace to your beloved son, the wise and pleasant Yisroel Leb, may he live.

Peace to their daughter who has been born to them for a good mazal — may she live.

Peace to your father-in-law, my dear friend — he who is the distinguished and celebrated noble, the sanctifier of G-d's Name — our Teacher the Rabbi Aryeh Layb — may his light shine and radiate — together with the welfare of his modest and distinguished wife, may she live, and together with all those who have issued from their loins, may they live, and to all the members of his household — peace and blessing.

And peace to the honor of my dear and steadfast brother, our Teacher the Rabbi Yechiel — may his light shine and radiate.

Nachman, son of our Teacher the Rabbi Simcha — may his Rock protect him and give him life.

Overview: This brief, radiant letter stands apart from the others in the collection — written on the eve of the holy Shabbos, in the portion of Vayishlach, to Rebbe Nachman's own daughter Marat Sarah and her husband Reb Yitzchok Ayzik after the birth of their daughter. It is a letter of pure blessing and fatherly tenderness, built around one central charge: have no worry whatsoever — only be always in joy.

Key Themes

Always Be in Joy The command to his daughter and son-in-law — "no worry whatsoever, only always be in joy" — is not a casual wish. In Breslov, simcha (joy) is a fundamental spiritual obligation and a vessel for all blessing. Rebbe Nachman is transmitting the most essential teaching of his path directly to his own family.

My Innards Rejoiced The phrase "my innards rejoiced" — vataaloznah kilyosai — echoes the language of Mishlei 23:16 and the Psalms. Rebbe Nachman does not write "I was happy" — he writes from his innermost being. Even in a short family letter, his language is Biblical and embodied.

A Well-Watered Garden The blessing that the grandchildren should be "like a well-watered garden" draws on Yirmiyahu 31:11 — a verse of consolation and flourishing. Even in personal blessings, Rebbe Nachman reaches instinctively for the prophetic register.

Torah Study — My Entire Aspiration The postscript charge on Gemara study — "this is my entire aspiration" — echoes Letter 2's charge to the other son-in-law. For Rebbe Nachman, daily Torah learning was not optional for those close to him. It was the ground on which everything else stood.

Note on Parshas Vayishlach

The letter is written on the Erev Shabbos of Parshas Vayishlach — the portion in which Yaakov Avinu wrestles with the angel, is wounded, and emerges with the new name Yisroel. The newborn granddaughter's name is not yet mentioned, but the portion's themes of struggle, blessing, and new identity resonate quietly behind this letter of new life.