Letter 5 ה

All goodness and blessings to the honor of my dear and mighty friend, beloved to me as my very soul and heart — the distinguished and great talmid chacham [Torah scholar], learned and well-versed in Torah and Divine service [תורה ויראת שמים], who desires in truth to serve Hashem — the distinguished Torah scholar, our Master R' Alter Ben Tzion Kraskop, may he live.

And it is brought in the holy books that the will and the teshuvah are called the soul — and the actual performance of the holy thing itself is called the body of the angel that is created from every commandment and service of Hashem. And our master the Rebbe זצ"ל said in Shichos HaR"an that the essential is the will — for who can say that he serves Hashem — even any angel or seraph — only the essential is the will.

[In Yiddish:] "The essential is the yearning. Only in the meantime — one grabs — as if studying — as if praying. But the essential is the will. And the will is a world of freedom — where the evil inclination and the Sitra Achra [סט"א = סטרא אחרא — Aramaic: "the other side." The standard abbreviation for the demonic/impure forces — the Sitra Achra. The will (ratzon) is a domain the Sitra Achra literally cannot access — it is beyond its reach. No matter how far a person has fallen, their will to return to G-d remains untouchable by the forces of evil.] cannot reach at all."

And R' Nossan זצ"ל brings in Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Part 1, Laws of the Morning Blessings, Law 5 [לק"ה אורח חיים חלק א' ברכות השחר הל"ה — "Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Part 1, Laws of the Morning Blessings, Law 5." לק"ה = לקוטי הלכות. הל"ה = הלכה ה' — Law 5. The reference is to R' Nossan's elaboration on the halachos of the morning blessings, where he develops the teaching on the will at great length — especially from section 49 to the end of the law.] — almost the entire law — and in particular from paragraph 49 to the end — the greatness of the will — and that this is the matter of the Menorah that burned in the Holy Temple: so that Jewish hearts should burn toward Hashem with good desires.

And another law he brings in Likutay Halachos — Laws of the Morning Handwashing, Law 4 — and in particular paragraphs 8, 11, 16 — that the word "mitzvah" means "to connect / to bind" — through every commandment the essential is that the will is strengthened — and one bonds through this to Hashem with good desires. [מצוה טייטש בא העפטין — "mitzvah [means] to connect / to bind." The author gives the Yiddish translation of the word מצוה (mitzvah): baheftn — to connect, to fasten, to attach. From the Aramaic root צוה (tzava) = to attach/connect. Every commandment is essentially an act of connecting and binding oneself to Hashem through good will.]

[And as our master the Rebbe זצ"ל said: the essential is the will — and the commandments bring faith and desires. And conversely: the essential bitterness of the sin is that it severs the faith and the will of the person.] [עבירה לשון עובר וחולף — "the word 'sin' (aveirah) in the sense of 'passing and departing.'" A wordplay: עבירה (aveirah — sin) contains the root עבר (avar — to pass / to cross over / to transgress). The sin makes the person's holy desires pass away from him — they cross over and are gone. The sin does not merely do something bad; it causes the person's will and faith to depart from him, leaving a void.] And in truth one cannot always be in strong yearning — for there must be a running and a returning (ratzo v'shov) — and when one returns from the will to the matters of this world — then the Sitra Achra strengthens itself most — and wants to cause him to fall and drag him to sins, G-d forbid. One must cool the heat of the heart[חמום הלב — "the heat / warmth of the heart." Chamum halev — the burning ardor of the heart in its state of spiritual yearning (ratzo). When transitioning from ratzo (running toward G-d) back to shov (returning to the world), the intense heat of the heart must be carefully tempered — not extinguished but brought to a sustainable level — through Torah study, which channels the fire constructively.] through Torah study and so on — see that law.

And his honor should know: the essential is the strengthening — and to rely on Hashem and on the true Tzaddik — for He will not abandon him, G-d forbid. And as Manoach said to his wife: "If Hashem wished to kill us — He would not have taken from our hands a burnt-offering and a meal-offering — and would not have shown us all these things — and would not now have told us such as this." [Judges 13:23 — Manoach feared they would die after the angel appeared to them. His wife reassured him with this argument: if G-d intended to kill us, He would not have accepted our offerings and shown us these wonders. The author applies this to any Jew: G-d's very involvement with you — His acceptance of your prayers, His having brought you to the Rebbe — is itself proof that He has not abandoned you and does not intend to cast you away.]

"And this we can say — each person about himself: if Hashem did not want us — and His intention was to distance us — and He did not want to bring us to the true rectification of the soul and its purpose — He would have allowed us to sink into the depths of Sheol — and He would not have brought us to the holy Rebbe — who promised to rectify us to the utmost — as is fitting for him. And the Rebbe זצ"ל fulfills this in the world — for when one comes to the Rebbe — one can no longer rest — and one is compelled to do teshuvah. For if we had not known of the Rebbe — we would have been able to pass all our years without yearning at all to return in teshuvah — and everyone knows within himself how much he profits from being connected to the Rebbe זצ"ל: how much Torah and prayer with intention — and Psalms — and commandments — and acts of lovingkindness — and charity — and good deeds — and how much sighing and regret and bitterness of heart over the sins — and yearnings for teshuvah — and yearnings to serve Hashem — and how much self-restraint and abstaining from going after lusts — and how much fewer evil glances at the world — and how much fewer sins and more commandments — that one merits through the Rebbe. For, G-d have mercy, we could have followed the desires of our hearts — may Hashem protect us."

"And this is brought in the holy books: that all the sufferings in the world — if they should all come upon one person for all the days of his life — it is worthwhile to endure them in order to have one fewer sinful thought — or one fewer forbidden glance — all the more so one fewer sin. One can understand from this what we merit through the holy Rebbe — for every thread as fine as a hair's-breadth by which one is drawn toward Hashem in this world — this is more precious than the entire world. And indeed — no more remains of the person — only what he manages to snatch in this world — every good point. And all the more so — our hope: that in the end of all things we will merit through the Rebbe — to do genuine teshuvah — to reach the true purpose here in this world — for which we descended here to the world."

"The essential: to strengthen oneself — to serve Hashem with joy. And study well the first law of Orach Chaim, Part 1 — the Laws of Rising in the Morning — Law 1 — and you will go over it well — and you will literally give yourselves life from this. And the essential: to hold oneself to the Rebbe — for on this the evil inclination throws himself more than on everything else — for he will let the person have everything — all the divine services — but to be a Breslov Chassid — no. Therefore one must keep one's head on the right side — that until the grave — one should not turn away from the Rebbe's matter — however it may be — then certainly we will have a good end — and we will never have regret."

[And this we can say — each person about himself: if Hashem did not want us — and His intention was to distance us — and He did not want to bring us to the true rectification of the soul and its true purpose — He would have given us to sink in the depths of Sheol — and would not have brought us to our holy master the Rebbe who promised to rectify us to the utmost — as is fitting for him — and our master the Rebbe fulfills this here in the world. For when one arrives at our master the Rebbe — it is already impossible to rest — and one is compelled to do teshuvah. For had we not known of our master the Rebbe — we could have passed all the days of our lives without yearning at all to return in teshuvah. And this everyone knows within himself — how much he profits from being connected to our master the Rebbe — how much Torah and prayer with intention — and Psalms — and commandments — and lovingkindness — and charity — and good deeds — and how much sighing and regret and bitterness of heart over the sins — and yearnings for teshuvah — and yearnings to serve Hashem — and how much self-restraint from going after lusts — and how much fewer evil glances in this world — and how much fewer sins and more commandments — that one merits through our master the Rebbe — for we could have followed the desires of our hearts — may Hashem protect us.]

[And this is brought in the holy books: that all the sufferings in the world that come upon one person for all his days — it is worthwhile to endure for the sake of one fewer sinful thought — or one fewer forbidden glance — all the more so one fewer sin. One can understand from this what we merit through our holy master the Rebbe — for every thread as fine as a hair's-breadth by which one is drawn toward Hashem in this world is more precious than the entire world. And indeed — no more remains of the person — only what he manages to snatch in this world — every good point. And all the more so our hope: that in the end of all things we will merit through our master the Rebbe — to do genuine teshuvah — to reach the true purpose in this world — for which we descended here to this world. The essential: to strengthen oneself — to serve Hashem with joy. And study the first law in Orach Chaim Part 1 — the Laws of Rising in the Morning — Law 1 — and you will literally give yourselves life from it. And the essential: to hold oneself to our master the Rebbe — for on this the evil inclination throws himself more than on everything — for he will let the person have everything — all the divine services — but to be a Breslov Chassid — no. Therefore one must keep one's head on the right side — that until the grave one should not turn away from the Rebbe's matter — however it may be — then certainly we will have a good end — and we will never have regret.]

Now let us write a little about Elul. The essential intention of Elul is to do teshuvah — [and Torah 6 in Likutay Moharan[לקו"מ = לקוטי מוהר"ן — "Likutay Moharan." A slight variant abbreviation: לקו"מ rather than the לק"מ used in earlier letters — both are standard shortenings of the same title.] — "Call out to Joshua"]. And the essential teshuvah is to bear humiliations and the shedding of one's blood. [ביזיונות ושפיכות דמים — "humiliations and the shedding of one's blood." Two categories of suffering that constitute genuine teshuvah according to the Kabbalistic tradition, based on Likutay Moharan §6 (Torah 6 — "Call out to Joshua"). Bizayonos = humiliations, embarrassments, public shame. Shefichas damim = literally "shedding of blood" — but here used metaphorically for the acute inner sense of shame that causes one's face to redden as blood — the blush of shame. Together: accepting humiliation and the blush of shame as one's teshuvah.]

And more than all humiliations — is when the person feels his own lowliness: how far he is from Hashem — and the evil inclination chases him and torments him — and he is ashamed that he cannot pray and study as is proper — and in particular that his friend prays better than he — and so on — and he is ashamed and receives this as teshuvah for his sins — this is true teshuvah.

And also — behold: the essential of teshuvah is the waiting[הַמְתֵן — "the waiting." The author writes this word with full vowel markings (nekudos) in the original Yiddish passage: הַמְתֵן — heh-patach, mem-shva, tav-tzere, nun. As with כח הַמְתָנָה in Letter 19, the deliberate vocalization signals that this specific concept is of paramount importance and must be read and understood with precision.] — meaning: to wait. When one wants to do teshuvah — one must know that one is compelled to wait — one cannot jump into holiness all at once — one must wait [all the days of the person's life] — and much must pass over the person — and he is brought down to tests — and the thoughts chase him into those very places where he sinned before — and he must stand firm in the test — and flee from those thoughts — and not do what he did before. And every [degree of] pulling that he pulls himself away from those actions he previously did — whether action, speech, or thought — is very precious — and he rectifies what he previously corrupted. This is called true teshuvah — teshuvah hamishkal [תשובת המשקל — "teshuvah of the counterweight / teshuvah of the balance-scale." A specific halachic concept: teshuvah hamishkal = when the same opportunity for sin presents itself again — and the person this time refrains. The "counterweight" is the same situation on the other side of the scale: the same temptation, the same circumstance — but this time the person makes the opposite choice. This is considered the most complete and genuine form of teshuvah — not merely verbal confession but the actual reversal of the action in real circumstances.] — meaning: it is within his power to continue doing what he did — and he does not — and flees from it — and is ashamed of it.

And one must always do teshuvah — for it is not possible in one single instance to be truly ashamed and regretful — and to confess from the depths of the heart — therefore one must always do teshuvah for the previous teshuvah — which was not as it needed to be — and so always.

And one must also be expert both in the ascent — when the person burns in the service of Hashem and serves Hashem — he should not think that he is now already close to Hashem — rather he should know that he is still very far — and he must go higher and higher. And so too he must be expert in the descent — even if he is at whatever level he may be — if he should fall into even the lowest places — even into the very depths of Sheol literally — he should not despair — and should seek Hashem until he rises higher and higher. And even if he falls thousands and tens of thousands of times — he should get up again as mentioned above. And when one is strong in all this — "the right hand of Hashem is extended to receive his teshuvah." [Liturgical phrase from the Yom Kippur prayers — "the right hand of Hashem is extended to receive the penitent." See Letter 19.]

[Now let us write a little about Rosh Hashana. The essential intention of Elul is to do teshuvah — [and Torah 6 in Likutay Moharan — "Call out to Joshua"]. And the essential of teshuvah is to bear humiliations and the shedding of blood — and more than all humiliations is what the person feels — his lowliness — how far he is from Hashem — and the evil inclination chases him and torments him — and he is ashamed that he cannot pray and study as is proper — and in particular that his friend prays better than him — and so on — and he is ashamed and receives this as teshuvah for his sins — this is true teshuvah. Also: the essential of teshuvah is the waiting — meaning: to wait. When one wants to do teshuvah — one must know that one is compelled to wait — one cannot jump into holiness all at once — one must wait [all the life of the person] — and much must pass over the person — and he is brought down to tests — and his thoughts chase him into those places where he sinned before — and he must stand firm in the test — and flee from those thoughts — and not do what he did before. And every pulling away that he pulls himself away from those actions he previously did — whether action, speech, or thought — is very precious — and he rectifies what he previously corrupted — this is called true teshuvah — teshuvah hamishkal — meaning: it is within his power to continue doing what he did and he does not — and flees from it — and is ashamed of it. And one must always do teshuvah — for not in one instance can one be truly ashamed and confess from the depths of the heart — therefore one must always do teshuvah for the previous teshuvah that was not as it needed to be — and so always. One must also be expert in the ascent — when the person burns in the service of Hashem — he should not think that he is now close to Hashem — rather know that he is still very far — and he must go higher and higher. And so too he must be expert in the descent — even whatever level he may be at — if he should fall into the lowest places — even into the very depths of Sheol literally — he should not despair — and should seek Hashem until he rises higher and higher. And even if he falls thousands and tens of thousands of times — he should get up again as mentioned above. And when one is strong in all this — "the right hand of Hashem is extended to receive his teshuvah."]

[In Yiddish:] "Now a little about Rosh Hashana." [In Hebrew:] "Now let us write a little about Rosh Hashana."

B"H (with God's help)

Rosh Hashana — at the gathering of the Breslover Chassidim — there is nothing greater than this — and to connect oneself to our holy master the Rebbe. And in particular on Erev Rosh Hashana[ער"ה = ערב ראש השנה — "the eve of Rosh Hashana." The abbreviated form used repeatedly in this paragraph.] and Rosh Hashana itself. [ר"ה אצל הקיבוץ מאנ"ש — "Rosh Hashana at the gathering of the Breslover Chassidim." קיבוץ = the gathering / the assembly. מאנ"ש = אנשי שלומינו — "the people of our peace / our Chassidim." The great Rosh Hashana gathering at Uman (Ukraine) — at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman — is the central event of the Breslov year. The Rebbe himself asked his Chassidim to come to him for Rosh Hashana, and this gathering has continued uninterrupted. In the author's time it was more difficult due to Soviet restrictions, but the community in Israel observed a parallel gathering.]

Rosh Hashana — at the gathering of the Breslover Chassidim — there is nothing greater than this — and to connect oneself to our holy master the Rebbe. And in particular on Erev Rosh Hashana[ער"ה = ערב ראש השנה — "the eve of Rosh Hashana." The abbreviated form used repeatedly in this paragraph.] and Rosh Hashana itself. [ר"ה אצל הקיבוץ מאנ"ש — "Rosh Hashana at the gathering of the Breslover Chassidim." קיבוץ = the gathering / the assembly. מאנ"ש = אנשי שלומינו — "the people of our peace / our Chassidim." The great Rosh Hashana gathering at Uman (Ukraine) — at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman — is the central event of the Breslov year. The Rebbe himself asked his Chassidim to come to him for Rosh Hashana, and this gathering has continued uninterrupted. In the author's time it was more difficult due to Soviet restrictions, but the community in Israel observed a parallel gathering.]

Erev Rosh Hashana: to make a pidyon [לעשות פדיון — "to make a pidyon — a redemption-gift." The pidyon (ransom / redemption) is a specific Breslov practice on Erev Rosh Hashana: one gives money to a Torah scholar or to the Tzaddik's community as a form of spiritual "ransom" for the soul — redeeming oneself from any negative decrees through the merit of the gift. Rooted in the Kabbalistic teaching that charity before Rosh Hashana can avert harsh judgments.] — Erev Rosh Hashana: to go to the graves of Tzaddikim — and to recite the Tikkun HaKelali [תיקון הכללי — "the General Rectification / the Universal Tikkun." The Tikkun HaKelali: ten specific Psalms (16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150) designated by Rabbi Nachman as a general rectification for all spiritual blemishes — especially for the tikkun habrit (the rectification of the covenant). Reciting these ten Psalms at the grave of a Tzaddik on Erev Rosh Hashana is a central Breslov practice.] — with connection to our holy master the Rebbe — and to make a verbal confession. [וידוי דברים — "verbal confession." Vidui devarim — the spoken verbal confession of sins — one of the components of complete teshuvah. Said at the Tzaddik's grave on Erev Rosh Hashana as part of the preparation for the Day of Judgment.]

Rosh Hashana: to weep from within joy — "the joy of Hashem is your strength." [Nehemiah 8:10 — "Do not be sad — for the joy of Hashem is your strength." The Rosh Hashana paradox: weeping from within joy — the tears come from the depth of the joy, not from sadness.] On the first day of Rosh Hashana: to minimize speech — on Rosh Hashana — to be wise — to think only good thoughts — that Hashem will do good with us and inscribe us for good — and to rely and trust in Hashem and the true Tzaddik. [In Yiddish:] "The first night of Rosh Hashana — I go with my people." [In Hebrew:] "(On the first night of Rosh Hashana — I pass with my people.)" [דיא ערשטי נאכט ר"ה גייא איך מיט מיינע מענטשין — "the first night of Rosh Hashana — I go with my people." A mysterious, allusive statement — the author says he "goes" or "passes" with his people on the first night of Rosh Hashana. The Hebrew version uses the word "ober" — "I pass over / I cross through" — echoing the Pesach passage and the divine passing-over. This may refer to the spiritual journey of the Rosh Hashana night — or to an actual practice of going to a specific place with his group of Chassidim for the first night's prayers.] The righteous are immediately[לאלתר — Aramaic: "immediately / forthwith / at once." A strong Talmudic term for instant divine action — not gradually but right away. The righteous do not require deliberation; they are inscribed and sealed on the spot. Contrasted with the intermediate category whose judgment is pending until Yom Kippur.] inscribed and sealed for a good life. So may it be His will. Amen. And may you merit a good and sweet year. This twenty-seventh letter — written Tuesday of Parshas Tavo from Meron, during the month of Elul — is one of the most personally fervent and theologically dense letters in the collection. It contains both Yiddish passages and Hebrew translations, and addresses four major themes: the supreme status of the will/desire; the incalculable gift of being connected to the Rebbe; the true nature of teshuvah; and the Breslov observances of Rosh Hashana. The will (§§3): The will and teshuvah = the soul of every spiritual act; the act itself = the body. Shichos HaR"an: the essential is the will (der ikker iz der ratzon) — who can say they serve Hashem — even an angel or seraph? The will is a world of freedom that the Sitra Achra cannot enter. LH Orach Chaim I, Laws of Morning Blessings §5 (especially from §49 to end): the greatness of the will = the Menorah in the Temple that burned so Jewish hearts would burn toward Hashem. LH Laws of Morning Handwashing §4 (especially §§8, 11, 16): mitzvah = to connect/bind (baheftn); every mitzvah strengthens the will. Aveirah (sin) = avar (to pass) — sins make the will pass away. The ratzo v'shov (running and returning): when returning from ratzo, the Sitra Achra strikes most — must cool the heart's fire through Torah. Being connected to the Rebbe (§§4–6): The Manoach argument applied to each person: G-d's having brought you to the Rebbe proves He has not abandoned you. What one gains through the Rebbe: Torah, prayer with kavanah, Psalms, mitzvos, chesed, tzedakah, good deeds, sighing, regret, bitterness of heart over sins, yearning for teshuvah and divine service, self-restraint from lusts, fewer evil glances, fewer sins, more mitzvos. The alternative: following the desires of the heart (G-d forbid). All the world's sufferings combined are worth enduring for one fewer sinful thought — all the more so one fewer sin. Every hair's-breadth of drawing toward G-d is more precious than the entire world. The evil inclination allows everything — but not being a Breslov Chassid. Keep your head on the right side — until the grave, do not turn away from the Rebbe's matter. Teshuvah (§§7–8): Elul + Torah 6 (LM "Kra es Yehoshua"). Essential of teshuvah: bearing humiliations and shedding of blood (the blush of shame). The greatest humiliation: feeling one's own lowliness and distance. Teshuvah hamishkal: the counterweight — when the same temptation returns and one refrains — this repairs the original sin. Must wait — cannot jump into holiness all at once. Must do teshuvah always — even for the previous teshuvah. Must be expert in ascent (know you are still very far) and descent (don't despair even in the depths of Sheol — get up thousands of times). Rosh Hashana (§9): The gathering at Uman = nothing greater. Erev RH: pidyon (redemption gift), going to graves of Tzaddikim, Tikkun HaKelali, verbal confession (vidui devarim). RH: weep from within joy ("the joy of Hashem is your strength" — Nehemiah 8:10). Minimize speech. Think only good thoughts. The first night — "I go with my people." The righteous are immediately inscribed and sealed for good life. Key terms: Maahnsha"sh — menachal novea mekor chochmah — the new salutation honorifics: "man of wholehearted peace" + "a flowing spring, a source of wisdom" · Skrip (tluish mazon) — a scrip / food-voucher; the donation method · HaRatzon v'hateshuvah nikra haneshama — the will and teshuvah are the soul; the act is the body · Der ikker iz der ratzon — Yiddish: "the essential is the will/desire"; from Shichos HaR"an · Olam hacheirut — the world of freedom; where the Sitra Achra cannot reach · LH Orach Chaim I — Birchos HaShachar §5, from §49 — the Menorah = Jewish hearts burning toward Hashem with good desires · LH Netilas Yadayim Shacharis §4 — §§8, 11, 16 — mitzvah = to connect/bind; every mitzvah strengthens the will · Aveirah lashon over v'cholef — sin = passing/departing; sins make the will depart · LH Orach Chaim I — Hashkamat HaBoker §1 — the first law: "give yourselves life from this" · Manoach l'ishto — Manoach's argument: G-d's investment proves He has not abandoned you · Kol yisurim she'baolam al adam echad — kadai lisbol bishvil hirhur echad pachot — all the world's sufferings for one fewer sinful thought · Nima k'chut hasa'arah she'nimshachim laHashem — every hair's-breadth of drawing toward Hashem more precious than the entire world · Der ikker iz zikh tzu haltn in Rebn — the essential is to hold oneself to the Rebbe · Bizu'onos u'shfichas damim — humiliations and the shedding/blush of blood; the essential teshuvah · Teshuvah hamishkal — the teshuvah of the counterweight: same situation, opposite choice · Baki ba'aliyah u'baki bayyeridah — expert in ascent and descent; don't despair even in Sheol · Kibbutz Rosh Hashana — pidyon — Tikkun HaKelali — vidui devarim — the Breslov Rosh Hashana practices · Chedvas Hashem ma'uzchem — "the joy of Hashem is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10); weep from within joy · Di ershteh nakht Rosh Hashana — gey ich mit maine mentshn — the first night of Rosh Hashana: "I go with my people" · Tzaddikim nichtavin v'nichsamim l'alter l'chaim tovim — the righteous are immediately inscribed and sealed for good life