מו.

My eyes stream burning tears — for through my many sins Hashem has sent upon me for my benefit harsh sufferings — not upon you — and great pains in my legs and in my innards — not upon you.

And I lie in bed and weep before Hashem over the nullification of Torah and prayer. I also do not merit to go to the synagogue and to the mikveh as is my custom — to immerse in the mikveh every day.

I ask you greatly — to pray for me that Hashem send me a complete healing from Heaven.

My dearest and most beloved, Mr. Z. Shazar — who is devoted with all his heart and soul to the Tzadik, the blind Beggar who boasted: "I am still completely an infant and have not yet begun to live at all — and yet I am very old" — peace and complete healing.

Your love and your powerful longing to hear new things compelled me to remind you of the awesome wonders of Hashem. The place of the wedding canopy and the wedding was inside a large pit, which they covered with reeds and earth and dung, and the feast was from what they had gathered — bread and meat from the feast of the King Mininius (Mininius — the name as it appears in the original story). And this wedding was with a great, awesome, and wondrous joy, and they were exceedingly glad there, and the bridegroom and the bride also rejoiced greatly. And they began to recall the kindnesses that Hashem Yisburach had performed for them when they were in the forest. And they were weeping and longing greatly, asking how they could bring here the first Beggar, the blind one, who had brought us bread in the forest. And they were weeping and longing greatly to bring here the first Beggar, the blind one, who had brought us bread in the forest. And at once, in the very midst of their great longing for the blind Beggar, he answered and said: Here I am — behold, I have come to you for the wedding, and I am giving you as a gift, a Droshe-Geshank {a wedding gift-speech}, that you should be as old as I am, that you should live as long a life as I live.

And you think that I am blind? I am not blind at all — only that the entire duration of the world does not amount to the blink of an eye in my sight, and therefore the act of looking and seeing in this world has no relevance to me whatsoever. And I am very old, and yet I am still completely an infant and have not yet begun to live at all — and yet I am very old. And I do not say this myself — only I have approval of this from the great eagle. And I will tell you a story.

Israel Dov Odesser

Once, people were going on many ships upon the sea, and a storm wind came and broke the ships, and the people were saved, and they came to a certain tower and climbed the tower, and there they found all foods and drinks and garments and everything they needed, and there was all good and all the pleasures of the world. They agreed that each one would tell an old story — that which he recalls from his earliest memory, meaning from the time when his memory began. And there were old men and young men there, and they honored the eldest among them to tell first. He answered and said: What shall I tell you? I also remember when they cut the apple from the branch. And no one knew what he was saying, but there were wise men there and they said: Certainly this is a very old story. And they honored the second to tell his story. The second answered — and he was not as old as the first: Is that an old story? he asked in wonder. That story I remember — but I also remember when the candle was burning. They answered and said: That is an even older story than the first. And it was a wonder to them that this second one, who was younger than the first, remembered an older story than the first. And they honored the third to tell his story. The third answered — and he was even younger: I also remember when the construction of the fruit began, meaning when the fruit began to be formed. They answered and said: That is an even older story. The fourth answered — and he was still younger: I also remember when they carried the seed to plant the fruit. The fifth answered — and he was still younger: I also remember the sages who were thinking and inventing the seed. The sixth answered: he remembered the taste before it entered into the fruit. The seventh answered and said: he remembered the fragrance of the fruit before it entered into the fruit. The eighth answered and said: he remembered the appearance of the fruit before it was drawn upon the fruit. And may the Merciful One have mercy! And I — meaning the blind Beggar who tells all this — was then a completely small child, and I was also there, and I answered and said to them: I remember all these stories — and I remember nothing at all, un ich gedenk gor nisht. They answered and said: That is an even older story than all of them. And it was a great wonder to them that the child remembers more than all of them. In the meantime a great eagle came and told them to leave in the order of their old age — whoever is older should leave first — and he led them all out of the tower, and he led out the aforementioned child first, because in truth he is older than all of them. And likewise, whoever was younger, he led out sooner. And the eldest was led out last, for whoever was younger was in fact older — and the eldest among them was the youngest of all. And the aforementioned great eagle said to them: I will explain to you the stories that all the elders told. For the one who said he remembers when they cut the apple from the branch — meaning he remembers when they cut his navel-cord at the time of birth. The second who said he remembers when the candle was burning — meaning he remembers when he was in the womb, when a candle was burning above his head. The one who said he remembers when the formation of the fruit began — meaning he remembers when the body began to be formed, that is, at the time of the fashioning of the embryo. The one who remembers when they carried the seed to plant the fruit — meaning he remembers when the drop was drawn at the time of marital union. The one who remembers the sages who were inventing the seed — meaning he remembers when the drop was still in the brain, for the mochin (-the cerebral lights) bring forth the drop. The one who remembers the taste — that is the nefesh (-the vital soul), the fragrance — that is the ruach (-the spirit), and the appearance — that is the neshamah (-the higher soul). And the child said he remembers nothing at all — because he is above everything and he remembers even what is prior to nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, which is the aspect of ayin (-nothingness, the infinite). And he blessed them. And to me — meaning to this child, the blind Beggar who was then a small child and who is telling all this — the aforementioned great eagle said: You — come with me, for you are like me. For you are very old and yet you are still very young, and you have not yet begun to live at all, and yet you are very old. And I am likewise — for I am old and yet I am still young, etc. It turns out that I have the approval of that great eagle that I live a long life. And now I am giving you as a gift my long life. And there was made there an exceedingly great and immense joy and delight.