Letter 10 י

Abundant peace, and life forever, and complete healing of soul and body — speedily, truly, from the G‑d of the heavens — and fulfillment of all his heart's desires for good — to the honor of the distinguished self of my dear friend, beloved to me as my soul and my body and my spirit and my neshamah [רו"נ = רוח ונשמה] — of whom it is said: "Make for yourself a teacher and acquire for yourself a friend" [Avos 1:6] — a good friend like your honored self, beloved, precious, and greatly cherished — cleaved and bound in the very depths of the depths of my heart — a love not contingent on anything [אהבה שאינה תלויה בדבר — Avos 5:19] — the wondrous Chassid, greatly distinguished in fear of Heaven and in Torah, who drinks living waters from Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman [מננמ"ח — the sacred acronym, appearing explicitly again], who desires in truth to serve G‑d, blessed be He. [Yiddish:] "To yet place another soldier for G‑d, blessed be He." [Hebrew:] (To stand up yet another soldier for G‑d, blessed be He.) The distinguished Torah scholar, our Master R' Alter Ben Tzion, may he live.

"Who can dare to say that he serves Hashem — even angels and fiery seraphim [heavenly beings — to say that even the highest angels cannot truly claim to "serve G-d perfectly"] [cannot claim this]! Rather, the essence is the will — that is: the yearning, the longing, and the aching desire [Three near-synonyms in Yiddish: hashtikokkus — intense inner yearning; kisufin — longing, longing to return; baynkikhts — the ache of missing, like homesickness of the soul. Together they describe a single overwhelming spiritual hunger.] . It is as though one learns, it is as though one prays — the essence is the longing. In the meanwhile one learns a little, in the meanwhile one prays a little."

"And just as the King's Daughter said to the Viceroy (the Second to the King) — as it stands in Sipuray Maasiyos [Sipuray Maasiyos: "Stories / Tales" — the famous collection of mystical stories told by Rabbi Nachman. The First Story tells of a Viceroy who sets out on a great quest to rescue the King's Daughter from a place of captivity.] from the Rebbe, in the First Story — [the Viceroy] who labored and toiled to take her out from the 'not-good place.'"

"And this is the meaning for every single Jew — and especially for one who wishes to serve Hashem: within his holiness, his soul lies, poor thing, wherever it lies — she who descended from her Father, the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He — for a word escaped from Him." [This refers to the First Story: the King's Daughter was captured because "a word escaped" the King's mouth — understood mystically to mean: it was G-d's will that the soul descend into this world, even though the soul herself did not want to leave her heavenly home.]

"That is to say: it is the will of Hashem that the soul descend to this lower world, even though she has absolutely no desire to do so — yet she carries out the will of Hashem and comes down against her will into the coarse physical body, because this is the will of her Father."

"And the soul arouses the person — that he should seek to take her out from the Sitra Achra [Sitra Achra: Aramaic for "the Other Side" — the realm of spiritual impurity, negativity, and distance from G-d. In Kabbalistic thought, it is the force that keeps the soul trapped in coarseness.] — and merit to find his supreme holiness for which he descended to the world. And she teaches him the aitsos [Aitsos: Ashkenazic pronunciation of the Hebrew עצות — "counsel, guidance, practical spiritual advice." A central Breslov concept: the Rebbe gives aitsos — pathways to help a person find his way back to G-d.] — how he may merit to reach what he must reach — as is clearly evident ["Clearly evident" — the Yiddish word voodlig (וואדליג) means "as is plainly known / as clearly emerges" — the author signals this is explicit in those sources] from the Rebbe זצ"ל, and likewise from the Arizal זצ"ל [The Arizal: Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534–1572), the greatest Kabbalist of his era, who lived in Safed. His teachings on the soul's descent and rectification deeply inform this letter.] in their writings."

"It emerges that every single Jewish soul is exceedingly, exceedingly exalted — and she constantly attains great spiritual perceptions [Hashogos: spiritual perceptions, elevated insights — experiences of closeness to G-d that the soul is always reaching toward, even while trapped in the body] — and she knows well and feels well her pain — that she is, poor thing, far from her supernal root, and lies buried in this world, poor thing. And she knows well her tikkun [Tikkun: rectification, repair, healing — each soul has a unique tikkun, a specific mission of repair and spiritual elevation that she came to this world to accomplish] — what she must do to save herself — yet she flees from the body, out of fear lest she be seized and drowned in the coarse desires of the gross physical body."

"But when the person searches for her — he searches for his supreme holiness: Where is my holiness? Where is my purity? Where am I in this world? What will become of me? Did I come to this world to spend my days in such vanity — to trade a world that endures for a world that passes — and to forfeit ["Forfeit" — the Yiddish un vern (אן ווערין) means to lose out on / to let slip away — the anguished feeling of precious spiritual treasures being wasted through inaction] such precious treasures that I can earn every single moment?"

"For one hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than all of the World to Come; and one hour of tranquility in the World to Come is greater than all of this world's life." [Ethics of the Fathers, 4:17] [This famous teaching captures the breathtaking value of every single moment in this world: it is an opportunity that does not exist even in Paradise]

"This is called hisbodidus [Hisbodidus: the central Breslov practice of private, personal prayer and self-expression before G-d — speaking to G-d in one's own words, in one's own language, pouring out whatever is in one's heart. Not formal prayer from a book, but a direct, honest, personal conversation with the Creator. Rabbi Nachman taught that everyone should practice this daily.] — when a person seeks counsel on how to save his soul, and pours out his heart before Hashem. At that moment his soul reveals herself to him — that is, he begins to hear the awakening of his own soul, who is called the Bas Melech [Bas Melech: "Daughter of the King" — the soul is called this because she is literally a part of G-d, who is the King of kings. Every Jewish soul is, at her core, royal — a princess in exile.] — for 'all Israel are the children of kings.' And she awakens him and gives him counsel how he may merit to find his supreme holiness, for which he came into the world."

"It emerges that in any case, when the person searches for her — through learning, through prayer, through performing the mitzvos [Mitzvos: commandments — the 613 commandments of the Torah, which range from prayer to charity to how one eats and conducts business. Performing mitzvos is understood as literally connecting one to G-d.] — and everything a person does for Hashem. And even material affairs — when they are done so that one may be a proper Jew, and are conducted according to Torah, in a kosher [Kosher: in accordance with Jewish law — literally "fit / proper"] fashion, in holiness and purity — that too is called searching for her."

"And in truth, in everything a person does — whether in matters of holiness or in everyday secular affairs — one must search within each thing: 'How can I, through this, draw yet closer to Hashem?' This is the meaning of the L'sheim Yichud [L'sheim Yichud: literally "For the sake of the Unification" — a short declaration of intention recited before performing a mitzvah or any meaningful act, stating that one's intention is to bring holiness into the world and draw closer to G-d. It is a way of consciously sanctifying every action.] that one recites before each thing."

"And especially: the longing, and the will, and the desire [Three words are used: baynken (longing/aching), velin (willing/wanting), gloosten (desiring/craving) — together painting a picture of the whole person reaching toward G-d with every fiber] — these are the soul of the matter; and the actual deed is the body of the matter. In any case — when he searches for her, she too searches for him. The soul draws close to the person and teaches him counsel how he may merit."

"A statement is brought in the First Story of Sipuray Maasiyos — that she [the King's Daughter] said to him [the Viceroy]: 'You cannot take me out except by longing to take me out — you must choose yourself a place, and for an entire year long and want and hope to take me out.' That is: to have hisbodidus every single day — the essence of which is the longing, and giving voice to that longing before Hashem."

"'And whenever you have time' — that is, even in the midst of all one's daily affairs, whenever one recalls — 'let your only [longing] be to take me out.' And on the last day of the year — meaning Erev Rosh Hashana [Erev Rosh Hashana: the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year — a supremely holy and important day in the Breslov calendar. The Rebbe taught that being with the Breslov community on Rosh Hashana is essential.] — 'you shall not sleep' — for the essence is to be on Erev Rosh Hashana and Rosh Hashana with the people of our fellowship [Anshay shlomaynu: literally "the people of our peace / our wholeness" — the warm Breslov term for fellow Breslov Chassidim] , and to do teshuvah." [Teshuvah: repentance / return — literally "turning back" to G-d. Not merely feeling sorry, but a genuine turning of the whole person back toward their Source.]

"It emerges: one must fulfill the general guiding principles [Hanhogos klaliyos: the three foundational daily practices that Rabbi Nachman said every person must keep — not optional extras, but the essential framework of a Breslov life] that the Rebbe זצ"ל declared — which every person is obligated to observe:"

Who can dare to say that he serves Hashem — even angels and fiery seraphim [cannot claim this]? Rather, the essence is the will — to yearn, to long, and to ache with desire. It is as though one learns, it is as though one prays — the essence is to long. In the meanwhile one learns a little, in the meanwhile one prays a little.

And just as the King's Daughter said to the Viceroy — as brought in Sipuray Maasiyos from the Rebbe, in the First Story — [the Viceroy] who labored and strove to take her out from the "not-good place." And the meaning is: for every Jew, and especially one who wishes to serve Hashem — his holiness and his soul lie, to his great sorrow, wherever they lie.

The soul that descended from her Father, the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He — because a word escaped from Him. The meaning being: this is the will of G-d, that the soul descend here to the lower world — even though she has absolutely no desire to — yet she carries out the will of G-d and comes down against her will into the physical body, because this is the will of her Father. And the soul arouses the person — that he should seek to take her out from the Sitra Achra — and that he merit to find his supreme holiness, for which he descended to the world. And she teaches him the counsel how he may merit what he needs to merit. According to what our master the Rebbe זצ"ל and likewise the Arizal זצ"ל write — it emerges that every Jewish soul is exceedingly, exceedingly exalted, and she constantly attains elevated perceptions, and knows well and feels well her pain — that she is, to her sorrow, far from her supernal root, and the poor thing lies buried in this world. And she knows well what her tikkun is, and what she must do to be saved — yet she flees from the body, out of fear lest she be seized and drowned in the desires of the coarse physical body. But when the person searches for her — he searches for his supreme holiness: Where is my holiness? Where is my purity? Where am I in the world? What will become of me? Did I come to this world to spend my days in such vanity — to trade a world that endures for a world that passes — to forfeit such precious treasures that one can earn every single moment? — for: "One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is greater than all of the World to Come; and one hour of tranquility in the World to Come is greater than all of this world's life." [Ethics of the Fathers, 4:17] This is called hisbodidus — when a person seeks counsel how to save his soul and pours out his heart before Hashem. Then his soul is revealed to him — that is, he begins to hear the awakening of his soul, who is called the Daughter of the King, for "all Israel are the children of kings." And she arouses him and counsels him how he may merit to find his supreme holiness, for which he arrived here in the world. It emerges, then, that in any case — the person searches for her. The learning, the prayer, the performance of mitzvos, and everything a person does for Hashem — and even material affairs, when they are done so that he may be a proper Jew and are conducted according to Torah, in kosher fashion, in holiness and purity — that too is called searching for her. And in truth, in everything a person does — whether in matters of holiness or in secular affairs — one must search within each thing: "How can I, through this, draw yet closer to Hashem?" This is the meaning of the L'sheim Yichud that one recites before each thing. And especially: the longings, and the will, and the yearning — these are the soul of the matter; and the actual deed is the body. In any case — when he searches for her, she too searches for him — and the soul draws close to the person and teaches him counsel how he may merit. A statement is brought in the First Story of Sipuray Maasiyos — that she said to him: "You cannot take me out except by longing to take me out — you must choose yourself a place, and the entire year you shall long and want and hope to take me out." The meaning: to practice hisbodidus every day, the essence of which is the longings, and to speak those longings before Hashem. "And whenever you have time" — that is, even in the midst of all one's affairs, whenever one recalls — "let your only [longing] be to take me out." "And on the last day of the year" — meaning Erev Rosh Hashana — "you shall not sleep" — for the essence is Erev Rosh Hashana and Rosh Hashana: to be with the people of our fellowship, and to do teshuvah. It emerges: one must fulfill the general guiding principles that our master declared — which every person is obligated to fulfill: Now, my dear good precious friend — the most important thing, more than all else, is to revive ourselves and be joyful — in the fact that we are Jews, and with the good points that one snatches, and with the longings — as the Rebbe זצ"ל said: "It is a great mitzvah to always be joyful." And as R' Nossan brings in Likutay Halachos on the Torah portion of the week: "And Pharaoh commanded the midwives… every son that is born…" — the yetzer hora entices those who teach Torah to Jewish souls [as the Sages say: whoever teaches his fellow's child Torah, it is as though he bore him] — to introduce sadness into them. Wherever there is some good point — called "son" — to trample it underfoot, to turn it into nothing — [saying:] it is full of ulterior motives, etc. And all the "daughter" — that which is called "the not-good things, the transgressions" — "let them live!" — make all of that great — so that through the power of sadness they remain in its grip always — for the primary [force] through which the yetzer hora strengthens itself is sadness. But [the midwives] did not do so — rather: "and the midwives let the children live" — they lifted them up and made them joyful. And through this they were redeemed — for "with joy shall you go forth." Therefore one must do every day what one can — always long and pour out the heart every day — and always be joyful — and then there will be a very great profit and gain in this world. Amen. This first letter of Michtevay Shmuel was written in the winter of 1952–53, from Miron in the Galilee, to a man who burned with longing to serve G-d but was blocked by difficult circumstances. The author responds not with rebuke or practical advice — but with a vision: a complete map of the soul's situation and the path home. The entire letter is built around one teaching from Rabbi Nachman's First Story: "The soul is a King's Daughter, exiled far from her Father — and only yearning can bring her home." Key terms used in this letter: Hisbodidus — private daily conversation with G-d in one's own words · Kisufin / Hashtikokkus — longing, aching desire for G-d and holiness · Bas Melech / Bas HaMelech — the King's Daughter (= the soul) · Sitra Achra — the Other Side; the realm of impurity that holds the soul captive · Tikkun — each soul's unique mission of repair and spiritual elevation · Nekudos Tovos — the precious good points within every person · Simcha — joy; a religious obligation and spiritual weapon · Atzves — sadness; the yetzer hora's primary tool · Rayach — profit, spiritual gain; the fruit of joy and longing · Aitsos — practical spiritual counsel; pathways to G-d