R' Shmuel's Section — Do Not Forget Me; Family Prayer List

As we have begun to collect from the fellowship some shillings — and I am waiting to send until there is at least half a pound — therefore I said to myself that for this reason I will not delay sending this letter of ours, so that you have something for Rosh Hashana — to revive and give life to your thirsting soul, etc. And G‑d willing — the money I will send with the coming letter, G‑d willing. [Yiddish:] "My dear, precious, truly good friend — I ask of you very, very greatly: please do not forget me, just as I do not forget you. Just as I have aroused the fellowship to write to you, and blessed be G‑d I made the beginning — and I always pray for you and do not forget you — and you are baked into my heart. Therefore I ask of you also: do not forget me — and be abundant in prayer for me — that there finally be an end to my troubles. And especially if you merit to be in the Awesome Days in holy Meron, at the holy Tzion of the Holy and Awesome Nachman of the Foundation of the World, the Rashbi, of blessed memory — for the sake of Heaven: do not forget me there — and pray greatly for me at the holy Tzion. I make you my agent — to tell what is happening with me, as he himself knows — and arouse great compassion for me."

[Yiddish:] "For know, my holy, precious, dear brother — it is very bitter for me from every direction, in material and in spiritual matters. They want me to spend a lot of money — and no end comes. 'The wicked are silent in darkness' [I Samuel 2:9], etc. And the inner enemy does not keep silent — as is known. And enough is said from the affliction of a person's own body. And from the service of Hashem — I am very far, as there is no farther. And I have no idea at all where I stand in the world. And I need great compassion. I would write… but it is impossible to speak openly in the field… Therefore know for yourself the general situation — that I need great compassion. Therefore if you merit to be at Meron at the holy Tzion — do not be silent, do not be still. Tear the graves open on my behalf and yours! How long, how long, how long? Is it conceivable that we came to the world in order to waste our days in such vanity? Is it conceivable? Is it conceivable? For our days and years pass like a shadow — and we are so distant from G‑d, blessed be He, and Rabbainu the Holy one — and each day goes on and we are farther away. What will be the ultimate purpose of this? Was I created in order to waste my years and days in such foolishness and vanities? Is it conceivable? Is it conceivable?"

[Yiddish:] "My dear brother — I would not have written to you this — for I did not want to cause you anguish of soul. But I could not hold back — for 'the waters have reached the soul' [Psalms 69:2 — a verse of total immersion in distress]. And G‑d, blessed be He, knows the truth: how I wanted to come to the holy Tzion of the Rashbi, to pour out my bitter heart. For it is because I traveled to the true Tzadik, and because I desire to be truly bound to Rabbainu the Holy one — and I wanted to settle my thoughts a little: what will be the ultimate purpose? But if G‑d, blessed be He, directed it this way — I ask of you to be the messenger: speak and pray for me, and recount on my behalf — and do not be silent. And in the merit of this — may G‑d help you with complete healing, all goodness, and all your heart's desires." And I ask of you very, very greatly — for the sake of Heaven — that you have no suffering or worry, G‑d forbid. And do not let any sadness approach you — neither from me nor from your own situation. Only do your part and pray — for our strength is only in our mouths. And specifically — be in very great joy, and do not worry at all — only hope in G‑d, blessed be He. And Hashem will certainly help — in the merit and strength of the Saba d'Sabin [סד"ס — "the Elder of Elders," an Aramaic title from the Zohar used in Breslov for Rabbainu; also used as a playful acronym-image for Rabbainu in the stories] — who is the small one who holds the great [המועט מחזיק את המרובה — a Breslov expression for the paradox of the Tzadik: the small and seemingly simple vessel contains an unlimited spiritual force]. My brother — strengthen yourself greatly! And live good life truly — as the world appears today, and we are, blessed be G‑d, close to the light of the Infinite. As the Nashchizer [הנשחיזר ז"ל — R' Mordechai of Neshchiz, a leading Chassidic master; "Nashchizer" is the standard rendering in Ashkenazic pronunciation], of blessed memory, said: "If I was not created in the world for any other reason — but only that Rabbainu should pass over the threshold of my house four cubits — that would be sufficient."

And remember, from Chayay Moharan — what Rabbainu, of blessed memory, said in these words: "The great one of the generation of today — in the end he will stand at the doorway and envy greatly those who are close to Rabbainu. And all the more so one who merits to extend the fire upward to make smoke" — that is: to smoke a pipe [a characteristic and celebrated line from Chayay Moharan — Rabbainu says the greatest man of the generation will eventually stand at Rabbainu's doorway envying those who are close to him; even one who manages to hand a lit pipe (extending fire upward to make smoke — which rises) is serving this sacred function; a teaching about the infinite spiritual value of even small proximity to Rabbainu]. And also remember — do not forget — what is written in the Sipuray Maasiyos, the Seven Beggars: when they were already rejoicing very greatly — the king stood up and said to his son: "I see in the stars that you will one day descend from the kingship — so see to it then that you not have sadness. And if you are in joy — I too will be in joy. And even if you are in sadness — I too will be in joy, on account of the fact that you are no longer king. For if you are a person who cannot hold on when he descends from the kingship — you are not worthy of the kingship. But if you are in joy — I will be extraordinarily joyful." Therefore, my dear brother — strengthen yourself! And fulfill the great mitzvah of always being in joy. And the healing of the Daughter of the King is only through melody — the ten types of melody [עשרה מיני נגינה — the ten types of musical expression corresponding to the ten Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali; in Breslov, melody is a primary path of healing, joy, and spiritual ascent]. "In Your name they will rejoice all day" [Psalms 89:17] — the initial letters spell: weeping through joy [ר"ת — בכי' על ידי שמחה — an acronym found in Rabbainu's teachings: through joy one arrives at the deepest weeping before G‑d, which is itself the highest joy]. Hope in the salvation of Hashem — and do not abandon yourself. Listen: what did you lose here in this enterprise? You know of such a holy Rebbe — "were our mouths filled with song as the sea", etc. — blessed be G‑d — there will be rectification for us. How good our portion! Happy are we! Happy are we!