He should receive a letter from my distinguished son our Teacher the Rabbi Yitzchok, may he live — from the holy community of Tultshin. And I am confident in his love that he will fulfil his request — to mention him for good at the holy tziyun (resting place) — him and his wife, may she live — who needs great mercy now — that she should give birth at her proper time and in her season easily, without any difficulty of childbirth whatsoever — for length of days and good years. Amen — so may it be His will.
And easy childbirth is an aspect of Chanukah — which are days of thanksgiving — an aspect of the delight of the World to Come — an aspect of halachos (Torah laws). For through this comes easy childbirth, and so forth — as explained in the Torah teaching of the days of Chanukah (Likutay Tinyana, section 2) — as known to you.
And behold — we are obligated to walk with this Torah always — to give thanks and to praise Hashem Yisborach always — for the greatness of the kindness He has done with us in general and in particular — for our having merited to be in the portion of our Master, our Teacher and our Rebbe — the holy and awesome and most exalted new light — and so forth and so forth.
And if we accustom ourselves each day in this — to truly deepen our thoughts on the immensity of this kindness and this wondrous and awesome salvation that Hashem Yisborach has performed with us and with our children and with all Israel for all generations — and to give thanks and praise to Hashem Yisborach each day for this — through this we will be able to broaden our hearts to open our mouths to pour out before Him, may He be blessed, all that is in our heart — like a son who nestles before his father literally. For we see with our own eyes at every time that we are truly children of Hashem our G-d — for He bestows kindnesses upon us always, each day and at every time and at every hour — as a father has mercy on his children [Tehillim 103:13] and so forth.
And behold I have long discourses regarding this matter — to strengthen and urge walking with this Torah — to draw close to Hashem Yisborach at every time through the aspect of todah and thanksgiving — which is the aspect of Chanukah — the aspect of halachos — through which truth shines in the fourfold form of speech — namely the three lines of truth in the four parts of speech, and so forth and so forth. And through this one merits to draw down the joy of Shabbos, and so forth — and through this there is revealed the simple Unity from within the changing actions — which is exceedingly precious before Hashem Yisborach — in the aspect of You are One and Your Name is One — and who is like Your people Israel, one nation on the earth [Shabbos Mincha liturgy] and so forth and so forth.
How fortunate are our ears that we merited to hear such awesome things — if only our mouths were full of song as the sea [cf. Nishmas prayer] and so forth.
And behold — now it is good to give thanks to Hashem in particular for the kindness He performed with us. For, thank G-d, Hashem Yisborach was with us in His help and arranged in His wonders — and strengthened us to return to begin to engage in completing the printing of the Teffilos.
And my son Rabbi Shakhnah, may he live, already brought nine ryz (reams) of paper from Berdichev — along this ruined road. And in truth it was in the manner of a miracle and wondrous Providence from Him, may He be blessed — which it is impossible to explain in writing.
And it is good to give thanks to Hashem for the past — and to request for the future — that Hashem Yisborach be with us and help us and save us with His wonders to complete the printing of the Teffilos speedily — according to His will, may He be blessed — and according to the will of our awesome Master, of blessed memory. For we still need salvation and great mercy to complete them. For I have nothing for the expenses of completion — and also for the paper I borrowed on credit. And I also do not know where to print them — for to travel to Minkovitz the expense is great — and here I do not know the way to go about it.
And it is for this that I have come in this letter — to inform you and all our anshay shlomaynu of all this.
Also know that in these times too — thank G-d — several wondrous and awesome prayers have been completed that greatly give life to souls. And all who look upon them in truth — their soul yearns and thirsts for them to come out to the light speedily. And may Hashem complete it for us — for He, may He be blessed, has completed and will complete everything for the good speedily. Amen — so may it be His will.
Nussun of Breslov.
Overview: This Chanukah letter — written just days before the festival begins — is one of the most theologically rich in the collection. It opens with a request for intercession at Rebbe Nachman's resting place for a safe childbirth, woven into the Chanukah teaching from Likutay Tinyana 2. It then rises through the great toda (thanksgiving) meditation — the unity of G-d revealed through the fourfold form of speech — into a full Dayenu-style meditation on the privilege of having heard even one word of Rebbe Nachman's teaching. And it closes with an urgent practical disclosure: the printing of Likutay Teffilos has resumed — paper brought from Berdichev by miracle — but money and a printer are still needed.