Volume One • Letter 15

Peace and blessing and all good things, forever — to his honor, my dear, my precious soul and heart — the pious and exalted one — who yearns for the service of Hashem in truth and for the holiness of the Land of Israel — may Hashem grant him merit for this soon — our master Rabbi Avraham Yakovitch, may his light shine, may he live long, may G-d protect him and guard him.

After inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love — as for our own wellbeing — thanks be to Hashem.

I have received your letter together with the money — and likewise the letter of his wife, the modest one who fears sin, blessed among women in the tent, [מנשים באוהל תבורך — "blessed among women in the tent." A biblical phrase from the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:24): "Blessed above women is Yael, wife of Chever the Kenite — blessed above women in the tent." Applied here as a term of highest honor for the recipient's wife. The phrase praises a woman of inner domestic virtue and spiritual greatness — one who sanctifies the home and tent of Israel.] our mistress Hinda Rachel, may she live — together with the money from Hoshana Rabbah. [Hoshana Rabbah — the seventh day of Sukkos (21 Tishrei) — the day on which, according to Kabbalistic tradition, the final sealing of the judgment (begun on Rosh Hashana and sealed on Yom Kippur) is completed. It is the last opportunity for teshuvah and prayer before the decree is fully closed. The fact that the wife sent her letter specifically on Hoshana Rabbah is a detail of spiritual timing.]

And I am hereby fulfilling her request to pray each day on behalf of her nephew — the child Shraga Yehoshua son of Sarah — for a complete recovery. [לרפואה שלימה — "for a complete recovery." The standard formula of prayer for a sick person: may the healing be complete, total, and lasting — not merely partial or temporary. The child is identified by his full Hebrew name and his mother's name — both required for a healing prayer in the Jewish tradition.]

The Request and the Author's Hesitation And regarding what his honor asks of me in the letter of Parshas Noach — that I give him good counsel regarding the matter of his longing to travel to the Land of Israel — truly it is difficult to give counsel, and especially since his honor is a debtor and earns his livelihood with great difficulty — with the labor of his hands [ביגיע כפים — "with the labor of his hands / by the sweat of his hands." A biblical expression (Psalms 128:2): "when you eat of the labor of your hands — fortunate are you and it is good for you." Here it describes honest, hard-earned income — not passive income but the fruit of direct physical and mental labor. The author is noting that such a person cannot easily absorb large expenses.] — and [would need] to incur such great expenses for a journey there and back.

Yiddish Passage — Practical Counsel on the Journey to the Land of Israel [The author shifts into Yiddish for his practical counsel, then provides his own Hebrew translation immediately following in brackets.] "Nevertheless, I am responding to his honor according to my understanding. The first thing: you must see that your wife — the capable woman and G-d-fearing one — should be at peace and should agree to this with goodwill. [דאס ערשטע דארפט איהר זעהן אז אייעהר פרוא דיא אשת חיל ויראת ה' זאל זיין צוא פרידען — "The first thing: you must see that your wife — the capable woman and G-d-fearing one — should be at peace." The very first practical step before any planning for the trip: the wife must be on board, willingly and genuinely in agreement — not grudging or pressured. Eshes chayil (capable woman, Proverbs 31) + yir'as Hashem (fears G-d): both virtues cited together. Tzu friden = at peace / satisfied / agreeable.] And furthermore — you have almost a whole year to yearn and long for the holiness of the Land of Israel and to beseech and pray to Hashem about this. [בייטען השי"ת — "to beseech / to pray to Hashem." The Yiddish beytn (בייטען) — from the German bitten — means to request, to beseech, to beg, to entreat, to petition. It is used throughout this letter for direct, heartfelt prayer-as-petition: not formal liturgical prayer (davenen) but the direct personal supplication of one who urgently needs something from G-d. The word conveys active, persistent requesting — not passive hoping but earnest, repeated asking.] [And in general — to pray that there should be peace upon Israel and peace throughout the entire world.]"

Hebrew Translation of §6 [The first thing: you need to see that your wife — the capable woman and G-d-fearing one — should be satisfied and should agree to this with goodwill. And furthermore: you have almost a full year to yearn and to long for the holiness of the Land of Israel, and to pray to Hashem about this. (And in general: to pray that there should be peace upon Israel and peace in the entire world.)] And as for the actual matter of the journey itself — it would be better to travel together with a group of Chassidim, [חברה חסידים — "a group / fellowship of Chassidim." Traveling in an organized group significantly reduced the cost of a transatlantic journey in 1955. The author gives specific figures: solo travel = approximately 900 dollars; group travel = approximately 600 dollars. The difference of 300 dollars is described as a "large sum" (cheshbon gadol) — significant for a person earning his living with difficulty.] for whom the price of the journey would be only 600 dollars — as opposed to traveling alone, which would require about 900 dollars. And for you, 300 dollars is a large sum. And whereas his honor could be here the entire months of Av and Elul — with the group he could be here only from the days of the Selichos [ימי הסליחות — "the days of the Selichos / the penitential prayers." The Selichos are the special supplications for forgiveness recited in the period before Rosh Hashana. Ashkenazic Jews begin reciting them the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana (or earlier if Rosh Hashana falls early in the week). This is approximately two weeks before Rosh Hashana, in late Elul.] until after Simchas Torah — that is: only one month. But in my opinion this one month alone is more important than several other months — because it includes all the awesome Days: Rosh Hashana [ר"ה = ראש השנה — "Rosh Hashana." The standard two-letter abbreviation for the Jewish New Year — rosh (head) + hashana (the year).] , the Ten Days of Teshuvah, Yom Kippur, the Festival of Sukkos, and Simchas Torah — to fulfill the commandment of the pilgrimage. [מצות עולה רגל — "the commandment of the pilgrimage / the going-up-by-foot." The three pilgrimage festivals (shalosh regalim) — Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos — were the occasions on which all Jewish men were commanded to appear before G-d in Jerusalem. The word regel means both "foot" and "festival." To be in the Land of Israel during Sukkos is to fulfill this ancient pilgrimage commandment in its most direct sense.] Only the essential thing is: whether the administrators of the Torah school where his honor teaches will agree to this. And if they do not agree — or if there is a concern that it might damage your livelihood through this — then there is no alternative but to travel alone during the vacation period of Av and Elul until after Rosh Hashana — as his honor wrote. "And in general — the matter of whether his honor should exert himself to overcome the obstacles — and particularly the obstacle of money for the journey to the Land of Israel — who could counsel you in such a matter? Only — this is the principle we have from our holy Rebbe R' Nachman of Breslov זצ"ל: that money is not an obstacle. The essential thing is the obstacle of the mind and the heart. When the heart yearns and one truly desires — there is nothing that stands against the will. 'The essential thing is the will.' [דער עיקר איז דער רצון — "The essential thing is the will / the desire." One of the most fundamental Breslov teachings, appearing in various forms throughout the Rebbe's writings: ratzon (will / desire) is the highest human faculty and the most powerful spiritual force. Where genuine will is present — where the heart truly wants something — obstacles dissolve. Money, distance, circumstances — all of these are secondary. The primary obstacle to the Land of Israel is not financial but inner: the lack of genuine, consuming desire.] So you have almost a whole year to yearn and to desire and to hope and to pray to Hashem — that you should merit the great and holy commandment of coming to the Land of Israel — even if only to walk four cubits there — that too is very great — and it is most worthwhile and worthwhile to break all the types of obstacles in the world on account of this." Hebrew Translation of §9 [Only this is what we have as a principle from our holy Rebbe R' Nachman of Breslov זצ"ל — that money is not an obstacle. The essential thing is the obstacles of the mind and the heart. When the heart yearns and one truly desires — there is nothing that stands against the will. "The essential thing is the will." So you have almost a full year to yearn and to desire and to hope and to request from Hashem — that you should merit the great and holy commandment of coming to the Land of Israel — even if only to walk four cubits there — that too is very great — and it is most worthwhile and worthwhile to break all the types of obstacles in the world on account of this.] And all the more so — when his honor will be here for some weeks — he may be able to see whether he can find some livelihood that would allow his honor to establish his residence with all of his household permanently. And even if not immediately — at least in the course of time, when he pays off all the debts and has money to settle himself properly with a residence and livelihood. And perhaps he will first arrange his children here in yeshivas. In any case — when his honor is here himself — he will know what to do: whether to establish his residence or not; whether to arrange his children here in yeshivas or not. And in any case he will fulfill the teaching of our Sages of blessed memory: that all who walks four cubits in the Land of Israel is guaranteed to be a child of the World to Come. [כל ההולך ד' אמות בא"י מובטח לו שהוא בן עוה"ב — "All who walks four cubits in the Land of Israel is guaranteed to be a child of the World to Come." The Talmudic teaching (Kesubos 111a): even four cubits — approximately six feet — of walking on the sacred soil of the Land of Israel carries the guarantee of eternal life. The word מובטח (muvtach) — "guaranteed / assured" — is unusually strong: not merely rewarded but promised with certainty.] And our master the Rebbe זצ"ל said: "One cannot be a Jew without the Land of Israel." [מען קען קיין יוד ניט זיין אן א"י — Yiddish: "One cannot be a Jew without the Land of Israel." A striking and sweeping declaration attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The Land of Israel is not merely a desirable destination or a commandment to fulfill — it is constitutive of Jewish identity itself. Without the Land of Israel — in some essential sense — one cannot be fully a Jew. This may refer to the spiritual dimension: complete Jewish spiritual identity requires connection to and ultimately presence in the Land of Israel.] "The principle: you should yearn greatly and pray to Hashem — Hashem will already lead you so that you will carry out your holy will. So may it be His will. Amen. May Hashem help you that you should grab hold of the holy sanctity of the Land of Israel — even yet this year. Amen." Hebrew Translation of §12 ["The principle and the essential thing: yearn and request from Hashem greatly about this — and then Hashem will already bring you to carry out your holy will. So may it be His will. Amen. May Hashem be in your assistance — that you should merit to grab hold of the sanctity of the Land of Israel — even yet this year. Amen."] Introduction to the Torah Teaching — from R' Nossan on Parshas Vayera Now let us write a little on the matter of Parshas Vayera. R' Nossan זצ"ל brings a great strengthening: Yiddish Passage — The Teaching on Vayera "And Hashem appeared to him" [Genesis 18:1] — why does a Jew merit the revelation of G-dliness — in the aspect of "And Hashem appeared to him"? — "at the oaks of Mamre" — that is: the Jew lies, poor soul, in the lowly places. ["Mamre" — ממרא — is interpreted here through the lens of the Talmudic word play as related to תמורות (temuroth — "changes / substitutions / exchanges"). The Talmud (Eruvin 53a) brings the teaching that if someone asks you "Where is your G-d?" one can answer "in the great city that is in Rome" — meaning G-d is found even in the lowest and most impure places. Mamre — the low place of exchange and substitution — represents the spiritually impoverished state of a person who is far from G-d but is still trying.] [As brought in the Talmud — if a person says to you: "Where is your G-d?" — say to him: "In the great city that is in Rome" — meaning: even in the depths of the lowest depths (Sheol) — Hashem is also there. The essential thing is that the person holds on and does not despair of seeking Hashem — and does what he can in Jewish practice: Torah, prayer, charity, acts of lovingkindness [גמ"ח = גמילות חסדים — "acts of lovingkindness." The standard abbreviation for gemilus chasadim — one of the three pillars of Jewish life (Avos 1:2: Torah, avodah, gemilus chasadim). Gemilus chasadim encompasses all personal acts of kindness and generosity — visiting the sick, comforting mourners, giving loans, burying the dead — acts that go beyond mere charity (which is financial) into personal investment of self for another's benefit.] — whatever commandment he can, and so on.] And why? — "And he was sitting at the entrance of the tent" — that is: the Jew sits at the entrance to holiness. [He is at the threshold — not yet inside. He wants to enter holiness — to become a genuinely G-d-fearing Jew, or to fulfill a specific mitzvah or holy aspiration (such as coming to the Land of Israel, as the letter addresses throughout) — but he is still outside, sitting and waiting at the door.] [That is: he waits and hopes to become a truly G-d-fearing Jew — and even for every mitzvah and matter of holiness that he desires — such as what you desire: to come to the Holy Land of Israel.] "In the heat of the day" — Rashi explains: He [G-d] had drawn out the sun from its case — so that people could not walk in the street [Rashi's explanation on Genesis 18:1: G-d removed the sun from its "sheath" (the cloud cover that normally moderates its intensity) on that day — making the heat so intense that no one was going out, so that Abraham would not be disturbed in his recovery from his circumcision. The intense heat is the reason Abraham was alone at his tent entrance. Mystically: the intense heat of the "evil inclination and its obstacles" that burn the person so intolerably.] — that is: even though the evil inclination with its obstacles burns the person so that it is unbearable to endure — yet despite this: "and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent" — he sits at the outer door and does not want to leave — only he sits and waits at the entrance to holiness — "perhaps He will show compassion, perhaps He will have mercy" — and he does not move away. Then — the person merits in the end to enter into holiness — and he merits the revelation of the divine presence — that is: attainment of G-dliness at a high level — each person according to his level. Specifically at the oaks of Mamre — in the heat of the day — in the bitterness that the evil inclination torments the person and inflames his evil desires — and he does not move away from Hashem — specifically from this strengthening of the evil inclination with its desires and obstacles to Jewish practice — specifically from them great vessels are made to receive within them much good — and from the obstacles come pleasantness. [פון דיא מניעות ווערט נעימות — "from the obstacles comes pleasantness." A beautiful Yiddish rhyme: meni'es (obstacles / hindrances) → ne'imus (pleasantness / sweetness / delight). The obstacles are not merely overcome — they are transformed into their opposite. The resistance itself becomes the source of the sweetness, because it was the resistance that created the great vessels capable of receiving so much good.] Just as we find by Yosef the Tzaddik — because the evil inclination tormented him so with the test of Potiphar's wife — and he stood firm in the test — from this he became Yosef the Tzaddik — and he merited even in this world such greatness and honor. And all the more so in the World to Come — he is the light of lights, and so on. [הוא אור האורות — "he is the light of lights." Yosef HaTzaddik is identified in Kabbalistic literature as the supreme guardian of the covenant — the Yesod (Foundation) of all the divine emanations. His ultimate reward, after standing firm against the greatest possible temptation, is to become the central channel of all divine light flowing into the world. אור האורות — the light that illuminates all other lights.] And so too Mordecai the Tzaddik. And so too all the Tzaddikim. The essential thing is what they did: they held on firmly and did not move back — from whatever they went through. Therefore they merited what they merited. And so too every Jew who wants to be a Jew and wants to enter into holiness — what happens to him, happens to him. And the greater the person — the more he is pressed and tormented. And if he is no fool and does not let himself be cast down — and he strengthens himself with what he can — not to move away from Hashem — then in the end he will come to what he must come to — and he will merit what he will merit — each one according to how he held on and did not move away. And in the end: "all is prepared for the feast" [הכל מתוקן לסעודה — "everything is prepared for the feast." A Talmudic teaching (Avos 3:17 — attributed to R' Elazar ben Azariah) in a different form, but the phrase here recalls also the Talmudic teaching that in the World to Come a great feast is prepared for the righteous. All the suffering and obstacles of this world are the preparation for this ultimate feast — nothing is wasted, everything has its purpose in preparing the person for the great final celebration.] — all will merit a great end. So may it be His will. Amen. Regards to our friend R' Moshe Aharon, may his light shine — thank you for the money — I have made a pidyon [עשיתי פדיון — "I have made a pidyon." A pidyon nefesh — a "redemption of the soul" — a Chassidic practice of giving a sum of money to the Tzaddik along with a kvittel (written request), asking the Tzaddik to intercede in prayer for the person. The author confirms he has performed this spiritual act on behalf of R' Moshe Aharon.] on his behalf and I am urgently interceding [מעתיר — me'atir — "urgently interceding / insistently supplicating." From the root עתר — to intercede, to pray with urgent persistence, to supplicate intensely and repeatedly. A stronger word than merely "praying" — it carries the sense of insistent, fervent, repeated intercession on someone's behalf, pressing the plea before G-d with great urgency. The same root appears in Exodus 8:26-28 where Moses intercedes for Pharaoh with great urgency.] on his behalf for all good. Author's Hebrew Translation of §§14–18 [And now let us write a little on the matter of Parshas Vayera. R' Nossan זצ"ל brings a great strengthening: "And Hashem appeared to him" — why does a Jew merit the revelation of G-dliness — in the aspect of "And Hashem appeared to him"? "At the oaks of Mamre" — meaning: the Jew is lying, poor soul, in the lowly places — Mamre in the language of changes and exchanges. (As brought in the Talmud — if a person says to you: "Where is your G-d?" — say to him: "In the great city that is in Rome" — meaning: even in the depths of Sheol — Hashem is there too. The essential thing is that the person holds firm and does not despair of seeking Hashem — and does what he can in the service of Hashem: Torah, prayer, charity, acts of lovingkindness — whatever commandment he is able to, and so on.)] [Why? — "And he was sitting at the entrance of the tent" — meaning: the Jew sits and waits at the entrance to holiness (meaning: he hopes to become a truly G-d-fearing Jew — and even for every mitzvah and matter of holiness that he desires — such as what you desire: to come to the Holy Land of Israel). "In the heat of the day" — Rashi explains: He drew out the sun from its case so that people could not walk in the street — meaning: even though the evil inclination and its obstacles burn within the person unbearably — nevertheless: "and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent" — he sits at the outer door and does not want to move — only he sits and waits at the entrance to holiness — "perhaps He will have compassion, perhaps He will have mercy" — and he does not move away. Then the person merits in the end to enter into holiness — and merits the revelation of the divine presence — that is: attainment of G-dliness at a high level — each person according to his level.] [Specifically at the oaks of Mamre — within the heat of the day — within the bitterness that the evil inclination torments the person and inflames his evil desires — and he does not move and does not turn back from Hashem — specifically from this strengthening of the evil inclination and its desires and obstacles to Jewish practice — specifically from them great vessels are made to receive much good within them — and from the obstacles come pleasantness. Just as we find with Yosef the Tzaddik — because the evil inclination tormented him with the test of Potiphar's wife — and he stood firm in the test — from this he became Yosef the Tzaddik — and he merited even in this world such greatness and honor. And all the more so in the World to Come — he is the light of lights. And so too Mordecai the Tzaddik. And so too all the Tzaddikim. The essential thing is what they did: they held firm and did not turn back — from all that they went through. Therefore they merited what they merited.] [And so too every Jew who desires to be a Jew and desires to enter into holiness — what happens to him, happens to him. And the greater a person — the more he is pressed. And if he is not foolish and does not allow himself to be thrown down — and he strengthens himself with what he can — not to move away from Hashem — then in the end he will arrive at what he must arrive at — and will merit what he will merit — each one according to his holding-firm and not moving away. And in the end: "all is prepared for the feast" — all will merit a great end. So may it be His will. Amen.] [(Regards to our friend R' Moshe Aharon — and thank you for the money. I made a pidyon on his behalf and I am praying on his behalf for all good.)] His friend who wishes him all good things, forever — Shmuel Horovitz

Your friend who wishes you

Shmuel Horwitz