Know my dear ones — that he arrived home in peace for the past Shabbas Shirah — the night before Friday — and he found your letter and the letter of his friend Rabbi Abba son of Rabbi Shmuel — may his light shine — and he read them well — two and three times — and he stood trembling and astonished. For he saw the deeds of Hashem and His wonders — how He arranges things with him and with them. Great are the deeds of Hashem — very deep are His thoughts. And he will tell them a very little of the very little. For in truth in Uman he thought several times to set his steps on the road to travel to them — but many are the thoughts in a man's heart — and the counsel of Hashem — it will stand. And also the corruption of the road delayed him greatly. And also that he had no one to serve him who would have a travel pass. And in these times there are many guards standing on the road — and they ask for a travel pass — and it is impossible to travel without a travel pass. But even so — if your letters had reached him in Uman — certainly he would have found stratagems as to how to travel. But it was from Hashem — that your letters did not reach him until he came home — and then he found them in his home — where they had been lying more than three weeks. For in his home they were waiting every day for him to come — and in truth such was his mind — and so their friend Rabbi Nachman wrote to Tultchin when he traveled to Tirahowitz on Wednesday of Parshas Vayigash — that soon he would return home. But while he was in Tirahowitz — he remained there a second Shabbas. Somewhat because of the very bad condition of the roads — and the essential because of the very great longing of the anshei sh'lomaynu there — to gather together with them again — to speak words of the living G-d that flow — and so forth.

And now from his home — certainly he has no strength to travel in such cold. And besides — it is already close to Purim and Passover. And Hashem Yisborach knows that he relies upon Him Yisborach alone in all his movements — and in particular in the matter of his travels and his conduct with the anshei sh'lomaynu who tremble at the word of Hashem — who seek to hear words of truth. And in truth here too they had very great yearning for him to return home — for throughout all the days of the past summer he was on the road — and for Sukkos he came home. And this was his stay home a short while — and suddenly he traveled from home — which they had not expected at all — for it was not in his own mind either to travel then. Only suddenly Hashem Yisborach arranged it in his mind to travel — and he lingered there in Uman — even during Shabbas Chanukah of the past. Which from his earliest days he had never lingered on Shabbas Chanukah while traveling. And who can understand the ways of Hashem and His wonders — which He arranges with him and with them together — for their gathering is very very precious. And it is impossible to speak of this at all — in particular in the open field. And Rabbi Ephraim from Krumintchag — wrote explicitly to his father their friend Rabbi Naftali — may his light shine — that if he knows he will remain in Uman for Shabbas Chanukah — he will come himself with many of the anshei sh'lomaynu from Tshehrin and Medevedivke for Shabbas Chanukah. And they were waiting for them to come — and not one of them came.

And now he does not know from where to begin to write to them. For certainly it is impossible to explain to them all that was spoken in these days. But praised be G-d — already they have in their possession all the holy books of our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe — may his memory be for a blessing — and a little of what he has explained in them in His chesed. And also the holy prayers and conversations and the stories — hafoch bahem v'hafoch bahem — turn them over and turn them over. And siv u'vlei bahem — grow old and wear out in them — and from them you shall not move — for there is no better measure than them. For there is no counsel whatsoever in the service of Hashem that is withheld from you — that you cannot find in his holy books — for they are all filled with counsel for every person in the world — at every level and level — in every type of ascent that exists in the world — and in every type of descent that exists in the world. And they have already spoken much of this. And the essential — that you be careful to fulfil what he warned very greatly — that it is forbidden to be old. And he raised his holy voice and called out loudly and said: "Alt tar men nit zain" — "One must not be old" — as is printed on this a little in Sichos HaRa"n 51. And already our Sages warned on this several times — and said: "Every day it should be as new in your eyes" — and likewise they said: every day it should seem to you as though today you have entered into covenant with him — and so very much more. But even more and more — our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe — of blessed memory — warned on this — for his entire matter is the aspect of wondrous and very very awesome renewal — that can raise and renew souls that have descended and fallen for thousands of years — and many transmigrations have passed over them. For most of the souls of these generations are transmigrations — and what happens to them in each transmigration — it is impossible to comprehend. And he knows and believes in truth that our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe knows well — in the general and in the particular — all that happens with every single soul in every generation — from the day G-d created the human being on the earth until now — and until the very last end. And he knows all the flaws and all the rectifications of each and every one. And all this knowledge is a small thing with him — for he attained attainments of Divinity that cannot be grasped in the mind at all — as it is written: "leit machshava tefisa b'cha klal" — "no thought can grasp You at all." What shall he say — what shall he speak — his soul knows very greatly — and also the small measure of knowledge that the wretched one has illuminated in him — in His very great wonders — is very hard to convey even a little to his companions. But even so — chasdei Hashem ki lo samu — and He has already done with them and with him even more — more wonders — to inform them and to cause them to taste from the pleasantness of His holy Torah — what He informed them. Rabbos asisa Atah Hashem Elokai niflaosecha u'machshevosecha eileinu — ein eroch eilecha — agidah va'adabeirah — atzmu mi'sapper — "Many are the things You have done Hashem my G-d — Your wonders and Your thoughts toward us — none can be compared to You — I will tell and I will speak — they are too many to recount."

Therefore my brothers and my companions — my friends and my disciples and my teachers — the people of Hashem — be strong and let us strengthen ourselves. Let us mourn all our years over the bitterness of our souls that passes over us in these times and in these generations — over whom the exile has lengthened — and the subjugation has drawn long upon them. And the essential is the bitterness of the exile of the soul — which strengthens itself against each person every day — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every day a person's evil inclination renews itself against him" — and they said in tractate Kiddushin: "And moreover — all the commerce and trade of the evil inclination is with you — but as long as the poultice is upon you" — and so forth. Look there well in chapter one folio 29. For on the past Shabbas they spoke greatly of this — that just as all the commerce and trade of the evil inclination is with the person — so too must a person counter it — that all his commerce and trade should only be in Torah and prayer and conversation between himself and his Maker — and conversation with his companion in fear of heaven — and conversation with his teacher — to give and to receive only in this matter. As our Sages of blessed memory said in praise of the Torah scholars on the verse "v'heim tuku l'raglecha yisa midabrosecha" — that the Torah scholars go and wear out their feet from place to place — and they engage in commerce in the words of the Omnipresent. For they must be very careful to fulfil what is written in the Torah "v'atem tihyu li mamleches kohanim" — a kingdom of priests — [numbered 34] — to illuminate upon oneself the three points — namely: to speak between oneself and one's Maker — to illuminate the holy point from itself and in itself. And likewise to speak with one's companion in fear of heaven — in order that they illuminate for each other the good points that are in each one — which are not in his companion. And likewise to speak with one's teacher — and so forth — to receive the general point. And one must engage in this greatly every single day — and that the essential commerce and trade of each and every one be only in this. For besides this — all is vanity — utter vanity — vaporous vanity — there is nothing to it at all.

And set your heart well — and see how many times your business partners come to you every single day to investigate all the details of your commerce. Has the redemption from the stones already been made — has the payment already been made — are the craftsmen doing their work properly — have they already worked according to their hire — what kinds of stones have already been finished — and so forth — and many other types of details — for the entire day passes in this. And so it is here and in all places — in all matters of commerce — which is only temporary life. And how do we not learn from this — thousands of times over — how much and how much one must engage in commerce between himself and his Maker and with his companions — to devise strategies and to seek counsel — as to how to be saved from all evil — and to find the life of the world — eternal life — n'imos bimin'cha netzach — "pleasures at Your right hand forever." For the very seeking and the searching itself — and the commerce in this itself — is very precious — even if it seems that one finds nothing at all — which is not so in other commerce.

And behold — the time of the morning prayer has arrived — and it is impossible to extend further. And this hint is enough for those who truly desire. And now a prayer to the G-d of his life — may your horn and your fortune rise — and may He make you successful in all you turn to — and the essential — that you succeed in the true and eternal success. Set your heart well to all these words — that flow — and so forth — and to all the words that were already spoken between them — in writing and orally — and in the holy books — all of them will join for good — to strengthen your heart in Hashem — and to rejoice with all strength in His salvation and His chesed — may He be blessed — that we merited to be in His portion. Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu — u'mah na'im goraleinu — u'mah yafeh yerushasenu — ashreinu — and so forth.