Ullim LeTroofah – Letter Eleven | Reb Nussun Returns from Eretz Yisroel

Ullim LeTroofah

עלים לתרופה

Leaves for Healing

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

LETTER ELEVEN

Tuesday, 19th of Kislev, Parshas Vayeshev · Year 5583 (1822)
Written from Breslov

Blessed be Hashem

To Peace to the honor of my beloved, the friend of my soul and my heart — he who is the veteran and outstanding scholar, and so forth — our Teacher the Rabbi Naftali — may his light shine and radiate — and to all our anshay shlomaynu — peace and abundant salvation.

Know, my dear friends, that thank G-d I arrived home in peace on Thursday of last week's portion of Vayishlach. Until now His great mercies have helped us — and all that passed over us, there is no time to explain at present. And there is yet a vision for the appointed time, if G-d wills it.

But my grief is very great on account of his eye pain. And I marvel at him — wonder upon wonder — that he saw fit to go after worthless physicians and to engage in medical treatments with hot applications for the eye pain — which were his undoing, and which worsened his eyes through their treatment even further. And he did not recall all the holy words that issued from the mouth of our holy Master — may the memory of the righteous one be for a blessing — (Sichos HaRan, 50) — to distance oneself from medical treatments with every manner of distancing, to the very last extreme.

My view is that he imagines in his heart that those words were not said regarding eye pain — but in truth, my beloved brother,

⚠ Manuscript Incomplete — Text Breaks Off The original text breaks off here mid-sentence with the notation: (missing — chaser). The letter was not preserved in its entirety.

Editor's Note — Original Square Brackets It appears that there were further words here at length, but I did not find any more — alas for what is lost. It also appears clearly that this was the letter in which he announced his return from Eretz Yisroel. I have noted this so that there should be a clear record of the year of his journey and his return — and with the help of Hashem Yisborach it will be needed for various matters.

Overview: This brief fragment — preserved only in part — is Reb Nussun's letter announcing his safe return from his first journey to Eretz Yisroel. It was written on the 19th of Kislev 5583, Parshas Vayeshev — a date freighted with Breslov significance, as the 19th of Kislev is the yahrzeit and liberation of the Alter Rebbe of Chabad and a general day of Chassidic celebration. The letter breaks off in the middle of a passionate rebuke to his dear friend Rabbi Naftali for seeking doctors for his eye trouble — a teaching Reb Nussun considered binding without exception.

Key Themes

Distance from Doctors — Without Exception Reb Nussun's rebuke is rooted in Sichos HaRan 50 — one of Rebbe Nachman's most uncompromising teachings: to distance oneself from medical treatments to the very last extreme. Reb Nussun insists this applies even to eye pain, even to someone who thinks himself exempt. The teaching admits no loopholes.

The Treatment Made Things Worse Reb Nussun does not merely invoke principle — he points to the practical outcome: the hot applications recommended by the physicians actually worsened Rabbi Naftali's eyes. The proof is in the experience. This is characteristic of Reb Nussun: he argues from both faith and from observable reality.

Alas for What Is Lost The editor's lament — "alas for what is lost" — is one of the most poignant editorial notes in the entire collection. The letter breaks off mid-rebuke, mid-argument, mid-sentence. Whatever Reb Nussun wrote next — we will never know.

19th of Kislev The letter is written on the 19th of Kislev — a day of celebration in the Chassidic world. Reb Nussun arrives home from Eretz Yisroel and immediately turns to the welfare of his community. The joy of return and the concern of a teacher are simultaneous.

Note on "There Is Yet a Vision for the Appointed Time"

The phrase "there is yet a vision for the appointed time" — drawn from Chabakuk 2:3 — is Reb Nussun's way of promising a fuller account of his journey at a future time, if G-d wills it. He does not elaborate here on what he experienced in Eretz Yisroel. The editor's note confirms that this letter is the primary evidence for the dating of Reb Nussun's first journey and return, making its preservation — even in fragmentary form — historically significant.