Everything is Arranged for Meron — Practical Confirmation

Regarding the actual journey to Meron — I have already asked many times, and they replied to me that I can be in Meron, and they will even give us a private room. And the muleteer [המיקר, החמר — the man who operates the mule-route to Meron, who in Letter 2 was said to no longer be coming at all; evidently this has now changed] will come every day. For the eighth of Elul and for the Days of Awe [Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur], there will be a Sephardic minyan [prayer quorum] for the eighth of Elul, and for the Days of Awe, Ashkenazic chassidishe [Ashkenazic, devoutly pious] men will come. And I have now concluded in my mind — certainly, G‑d willing, G‑d willing — that I will be in Meron for the eighth of Elul and for Tishrei. And I further wish to point out to you that you should work to have some money sent to you from Jerusalem, may it be established.

And if your honor has already concluded in his mind to come — let him come by the eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul [the day before the new month of Elul], that is: arrive here on Wednesday already, and we will go together with people to Meron, and we will arrange everything in its proper order. And from when it will be Sunday — that is, the 4th of the month of Elul — we will travel, with G‑d's help, to Meron, with life and peace and success, without any disturbance or obstruction. And I believe that there will certainly be no mental confusion [בלבול הדעת — inner disorientation and agitation], and no obstacles and disturbances — particularly since my father, may he live, has also given his consent that I be in Meron, and all my friends agree [i.e., no one is objecting this time] — even though in truth I do not ask them at all [a characteristic Breslov declaration of independence from others' opinions when one is clear about one's spiritual path].

And my longing, desire, and wish to be together with your honor in Meron — there is no way to measure or assess it; it truly touches my very life [נוגע בחיי — lit. "it touches my life": a strong idiom meaning it is vital to my existence]. And we will be together in a private room set aside for us, and I will bring everything we need — cooking vessels, etc.

And regarding the matter of his small daughter — Mrs. Adel Sarah daughter of Hindeh Rachel, may she live — I am always praying that she should have a complete recovery soon. So may it be His will. Amen.[מרת אדיל שרה בת הינדע רחל שתחי' — "Mrs. Adel Sarah daughter of Hindeh Rachel, may she live." מרת = Mrs. / the honorable. שתחי' = שתחיה — "may she live / may she have long life." The author includes the full Hebrew name formula used when praying for a sick person: first name + "daughter/son of" + mother's name. The mother's name is used (not the father's) when praying for healing — following the Talmudic tradition that divine mercy is invoked through the maternal bond.]

The Torah portion of this week — Mishpatim — has two teachings in Likutay Moharan: one is Torah 7 — "V'Eileh HaMishpatim" — where our master the Rebbe זצ"ל speaks about the greatness of faith, miracles, prayer, and the Land of Israel — that there the way of nature does not apply — for prayer changes nature. [And see in Likutay Halachos the many times[כ"פ = כמה פעמים — "many times / numerous times." Kamah pe'amim.] it brings: that one draws the holiness of the Land of Israel even into the diaspora — through the prayers and the blessings and the yearning for the Land of Israel and the charity given to the Land of Israel. And so it is brought in the books of the Kabbalists: that one who gives charity to the Land of Israel has the holiness of the Land of Israel even while in the diaspora — literally as if he were in the Land of Israel.]

And that this is the unification of the Holy One blessed be He and His Shechinah — which is truth and faith. [יחוד קוב"ה ושכינתי' — "the unification of the Holy One blessed be He and His Shechinah." קוב"ה = קודשא בריך הוא — Aramaic: "the Holy One blessed be He." The masculine divine principle in Kabbalistic thought. ושכינתי' = u'Shechinteh — "and His Shechinah" — the feminine divine presence, the immanent aspect of divinity that dwells within creation. Their unification is the ultimate goal of all spiritual work. Here the Rebbe identifies this unification with the union of Truth (Emes — the masculine, Torah-Torah) and Faith (Emunah — the feminine, the Shechinah).]

For the Shechinah alone — [without joining with Truth, which is the holy Torah] — she is Justice — strict judgments — may G-d have mercy. But when she joins with Truth — then she is called Faith — in the aspect of Judgment-of-Mercy — the middle pillar — as brought in the Zohar and in the opening of Elijah.[עמודא דאמצעיתא — Aramaic: "the middle pillar." A central Kabbalistic concept from the Zohar: the three pillars of the spiritual structure — right (Chesed/Mercy), left (Din/Judgment), and middle (Rachamim/Compassion / Tiferes). The middle pillar unifies and balances the two extremes. When the Shechinah (left/Judgment) joins with Truth/Torah (right), they produce the middle pillar — the balanced quality of Mercy-Justice (mishpat) rather than pure strict judgment. This is the deeper meaning of "Mishpatim" — not harsh verdicts but the merciful divine justice of the middle pillar. The "opening of Elijah" (Petach Eliyahu) is the famous prayer from the Tikkunei Zohar recited before morning prayer, describing the divine structure.]

And how does one merit to come to Truth? Through drawing close to the Tzaddikim — and walking in the path of their counsel — that is: he should receive the words of the Tzaddik (from his books and his people) and his counsels — and engrave them in his mind — then Truth is engraved in his mind — in the aspect of "all of her seed is Truth."[כולה זרע אמת — "all of her seed is Truth" — Jeremiah 2:21: "And I planted you as a noble vine — entirely true seed." Here applied to the mind of one who has received the Tzaddik's teaching: his mind becomes entirely seeded with Truth — the divine quality of Emes.]

But there is the counsel of the wicked — the counsel of the serpent — those who distance from the true Tzaddik — so that one should not believe in his counsels, G-d forbid. The tikkun for this is the holiness of the covenant — through the commandment of Tzitzis — that one be careful with the commandment of Tzitzis — whose power is to remember all the commandments of Hashem — "and you shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes." And this is also a segula [סגולה — "a spiritual remedy / a charm / a propitious act." A segula is a practice or object that carries inherent spiritual power — not because of logical cause-and-effect but through its mystical efficacy. Here: looking at the Tzitzis is a segula specifically for the sick person — it draws down healing.] for a sick person — that he should gaze at the Tzitzis. See there in Likutay Moharan §7.

(And this is remarkable — for the simple meaning of the word "Mishpatim" is "judgments / laws" in the German tongue[פי' התיבות משפטים הוא דינים בלשון טייטש — "the meaning of the word Mishpatim is 'judgments / laws' in the German tongue." Lashon Taytsh (טייטש / Deutsch) — "the German language" — Yiddish, which is rooted in Middle High German. The author notes that the simple Yiddish understanding of "Mishpatim" = Dinim (harsh judgments / strict legal decrees) — and he used to dread this Torah portion. But drawing close to the Rebbe transformed his understanding.] — and whenever the Torah portion Mishpatim would arrive I used to feel distress that there should not be harsh judgments, G-d forbid — for the reading awakens the time. But when I drew close to our master the Rebbe זצ"ל and studied his Torah teachings — we see the greatness of the true Tzaddikim — who transform all the judgments into mercies.)

Example 1 — Torah 282, Likutay Moharan: Our master the Rebbe זצ"ל translates in Torah 282 [תורה רפ"ב = Torah 282. ר (resh = 200) + פ (pe = 80) + ב (bet = 2) = 282. A teaching in Likutay Moharan Part 1, §282.] the verse: "And yet a little while and there is no wicked one — and you will look at his place and he is not there"[Psalms 37:10] — whose plain meaning is that the wicked person will die — and so on. But in the interpretation of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל there: "and yet a little while and there is no wicked one" — search within him for a merit and a good point — and through this he is no longer wicked. "And you will look at his place and he is not there" — and then search his original place and you will see that he is not there — for he has already entered into the scale of merit and has done teshuvah — and he is no longer the person he was before.

Example 2 — Torah 6 — "Kra es Yehoshua": And in Torah 6 — "Call out to Joshua" — our master the Rebbe זצ"ל brings the Talmudic saying: "Be silent before Hashem and wait longingly for Him — He casts down corpses for you, corpses upon corpses"[Psalms 37:7, with the Midrashic addition — Talmud Berachos 10a / Avodah Zarah 5a variant] — whose plain meaning is that the enemies will die. But in the interpretation of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל there: when you hear your humiliation and are silent — from teshuvah over your sins for which the shame comes to you — through this you will kill your evil inclination that is within your heart — and this is "corpses upon corpses" — that there should be an empty void in the heart without the evil inclination — and you will subdue your evil blood that is in your heart which is the evil inclination — and through this automatically the enemies will make peace with you.

Example 3 — Torah 82 (Part 2 / Tannina): And in Torah 82 of Part 2[פ"ב חלק ב' = Torah 82 of the second volume (Tannina). פ"ב = פ(80) + ב(2) = 82. Not to be confused with תורה רפ"ב (ר=200+פ=80+ב=2 = 282) cited in Example 1 above — which is from Part 1. This third example is from Likutay Moharan Part 2 (Tannina), Torah 82.] (Tannina) — he brings the verse in Psalms: "Altogether they have turned aside — together they have become vile"[Psalms 14:3] and so on — whose plain meaning is a curse: that they are wicked and have no merit whatsoever. But in the interpretation of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל there: even "altogether turned aside" — when I see a person of Israel who has turned aside in every way entirely from the Holy One blessed be He — nevertheless: "together" — I must bind myself with him and be with him together — to find in him a merit and a good point — and to draw him close to Hashem through this. And so too in many other places like these — where the Tzaddikim transform all the evil things to good and judgments to mercies and sins to merits — as mentioned above — in the words of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל.

And the holy Zohar[זוה"ק = זוהר הקדוש — "the holy Zohar." The central Kabbalistic text, attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.]: Mishpatim are mercies — not judgments, G-d forbid — for if one fulfills the Torah and the laws that are between one person and another — that one should not rob or oppress one's fellow — and so on — then certainly it is great mercy.)

And in Torah 10 — "V'Eileh HaMishpatim" — our master the Rebbe זצ"ל brings: to unify the Holy One blessed be He and His Shechinah — through which the judgments are sweetened — this is through the holiness of Purim — Mordechai and Esther — the holiness of the hands and the feet — the revealed Torah and the hidden Torah — the clapping of hands (patching with the hands) and dancing (and dancing) — and in the simplest sense: through dancing and clapping of hands the judgments are sweetened. And in particular on Purim — to draw upon oneself[ע"ע = על עצמו — "upon himself / upon oneself." Al atzmo — the standard abbreviation for drawing something down upon oneself.] the illumination and holiness of Purim — Mordechai and Esther — certainly it is a great commandment[מצוה ג' = מצוה גדולה — "a great commandment." The abbreviation ג' = גדולה (great) — not the numeral 3.] and an obligation to dance and to clap hand to hand — even if one has no one to dance with — then by oneself in one's house: to dance and to clap hand to hand — and to rejoice in the joy of Purim.

For then the illumination of Mordechai is revealed — which has no parallel in the entire year. And certainly one must first fulfill on Taanis Esther — "the words of the fasts and their cry"[Esther 9:31] — and to feel shame before Hashem — that one is far from Him — and that the evil inclination which is Haman-Amalek has dominion over him — [as I wrote in my previous letter which they presumably received]. And through being ashamed even to eat — which is the essential virtue of the fast — and crying out before Hashem in the selichos prayers — that Hashem should save him from the evil inclination — then certainly one merits to feel the taste of Purim — each person[כ"א = כל אחד — "each one / every person." Kol echad — the standard abbreviation for "each individual person."] according to his level.

And on Purim and always — one must give oneself life and rejoice — even with matters of foolishness and jumping and other kinds of jesting done on Purim. [במילי דשטותא וקפיצות שאר מיני שחוק שעושין בפורים — "with matters of foolishness and jumping and other kinds of jesting done on Purim." Milei d'shtusa — "matters of foolishness / nonsense." The Talmudic category of light, frivolous activities normally considered beneath dignity — on Purim these are not merely permitted but obligatory: Purim's holiness is precisely that it sanctifies even what appears foolish. Kefitzos — jumping / leaping — a specific form of joyful physical expression.] [And also: "Rejoice with trembling" — not with coarse speech, G-d forbid.]

And it is a great mitzvah to drink on Purim — at least[עכ"פ = על כל פנים — "at least / in any case." Al kol panim.] according to one's capacity. And the reading of the Megillah — with awe and fear and love and arousal and yearning for the greatness of Mordechai — who is the true Tzaddik in the aspect of the Messiah — for the illumination of Mordechai is in the Megillah — and there is his face and his mind and his soul.

And likewise to fulfill the commandments: gifts to the poor — sending portions — and the Purim feast — and the drinking of Purim — drinking is greater than eating. And through a joyous Purim one merits a kosher Pesach — through the holiness of Purim and its joy one merits to be saved from even a trace of leaven on Pesach. [ממשהו חמץ בפסח — "from even a trace of leaven on Pesach." Mashehu chametz — the halachic threshold: even the tiniest trace of leavened bread (chametz) renders Pesach-food forbidden. The author connects Purim joy directly to Pesach purity: the genuine joy of Purim generates the spiritual clarity needed to remove even the subtlest trace of chametz — the subtle pride and ego that chametz represents — from one's inner world on Pesach.] For Purim is a preparation for Pesach — as brought in Likutay Moharan, on the style of Likutay Tannina. [ע"ד לקוטי תנינא — "on the style of / in the manner of Likutay Tannina." Al derekh Likutay Tannina — the second volume of Likutay Moharan (the Tannina). The reference likely points to a teaching in that second volume connecting Purim to Pesach as successive stages of the same spiritual process.]

And as brought in the holy Zohar[זוה"ק = זוהר הקדוש — "the holy Zohar."]: one who is careful about even a trace of leaven on Pesach — his body is holy and his soul is holy of holies — and through this he is saved the entire year from sins — and need not fear the Day of Judgment on Rosh Hashana. And Pesach is love and will and yearning toward Hashem — the essential drawing close of Israel to Hashem.

This twenty-fourth letter — written Tuesday of Parshas Mishpatim, 5718 (February 1958) — continues directly from Letter 23 and builds its entire teaching around the word "Mishpatim" (laws/judgments) and its two appearances in Likutay Moharan (Torah 7 and Torah 10). Prayer for Adel Sarah (§3): The recipient's small daughter is ill. The author prays for her complete recovery — using the full halachic name formula (first name, mother's name) as used in prayer for the sick. Torah 7 — Faith, Miracles, Prayer, Land of Israel (§4): The Land of Israel is above nature — prayer changes nature. Charity to the Land of Israel confers its holiness even on diaspora Jews. The Shechinah alone = strict Justice (Din); Shechinah + Truth (Emes/Torah) = Faith (Emunah) = the middle pillar (amuda d'amtzaisa) = merciful judgment. Drawing close to the Tzaddik engulfs the mind in Truth. The counsel of the serpent: those who distance from the Tzaddik. Tikkun: the commandment of Tzitzis — which is also a segula for the sick (looking at Tzitzis). The Rebbe's method of reversal (§5): Three extraordinary examples of the Rebbe transforming negative verses into positive teachings: (1) Torah 282: "and yet a little while and there is no wicked one" — find the good point in the wicked person and he is no longer wicked; (2) Torah 6: "He casts down corpses" — kill your own evil inclination through silent acceptance of shame; (3) Torah 282 Part 2: "altogether they have turned aside" — even the most completely fallen Jew must be bound with and brought close. Personal note: the author used to dread Parshas Mishpatim (dinim = harsh judgments) until the Rebbe's Torah transformed the meaning. The Zohar: Mishpatim = mercies, not judgments. Torah 10 — Purim (§§6–7): The unification of the Holy One and His Shechinah sweetens the judgments — through the holiness of Purim, Mordechai and Esther, the holiness of the hands and feet, revealed and hidden Torah. Dancing and clapping = sweetening of judgments. Even alone in one's house — dance and clap. First: Taanis Esther — shame before G-d, crying out in selichos. Then Purim: the illumination of Mordechai (= the true Tzaddik in the aspect of Messiah) is in the Megillah — his face, mind, and soul. Joy even with matters of foolishness (milei d'shtusa). The Megillah: with awe, love, and yearning for Mordechai's greatness. Drinking more than eating. Joyous Purim → kosher Pesach → saved from even a trace of chametz. Chametz and Pesach (§8): The Zohar: one careful about even a trace of chametz — body is holy, soul is holy of holies — saved the entire year from sins — no fear on Rosh Hashana. Pesach = love, will, and yearning toward Hashem — the essential drawing close of Israel to Hashem. Key terms: Adel Sarah bat Hindeh Rachel — refuah sheleimah — complete recovery; name formula for praying for the sick · Kenihug — "as usual"; standard acknowledgment formula · LM Torah 7 — V'Eileh HaMishpatim — faith, miracles, prayer, Land of Israel above nature · Yichud Kudsha Berikh Hu u'Shechinteh — unification of the Holy One and His Shechinah · Amuda d'amtzaisa — the middle pillar; merciful judgment = Shechinah + Truth · Kulah zera emes — "all of her seed is Truth"; the mind engraved with the Tzaddik's teaching · Etzas hanachash — the counsel of the serpent; those who distance from the Tzaddik · Tzitzis as segula for the sick — gazing at the Tzitzis; LM §7 · LM Torah 282 — "and yet a little while and there is no wicked one" — find the good point · LM Torah 6 — "He casts down corpses" — kill your own evil inclination through shame · LM Torah 82 (Part 2 / Tannina) — "altogether they have turned aside" — bind with and bring close even the most fallen · Mishpatim = dinim b'lashon Taytsh — "judgments" in the German/Yiddish tongue; the author's personal fear transformed by the Rebbe's Torah · LM Torah 10 — V'Eileh HaMishpatim — Purim, Mordechai and Esther, dancing and clapping = sweetening of judgments · Milei d'shtusa v'kefitzos — matters of foolishness and jumping; the sanctified joy of Purim · Mordechai = the true Tzaddik in the aspect of Messiah — his illumination is in the Megillah · Mashehu chametz — even a trace of leaven; Purim joy → kosher Pesach → body holy, soul holy of holies · Pesach = ahavah v'ratzon v'hishtokekus laHashem — Pesach as love, will, and yearning for Hashem

[Date: [כ"ח אלול תרפ"ו]]