A Brief Visit to Meron — and a Companion From Tiberias

I was in Meron before the eve of Rosh Chodesh [the day before the new month — likely Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, which would fall shortly after the writing of this letter]. And R' Yisrael Bear — the man of good name and good reputation [אנש"ש = אנשי שם ושם טוב] — came from Tiberias and was with me there for one day.

Please write to me: does your honor yearn for Meron? And write to me of your good welfare in detail.

And especially — last and dearest [אחרון חביב — a Talmudic principle (Rosh Hashana 32b): that which is mentioned last is the most beloved; used here to emphasize that this final request is the most important of all]: please write to me words of counsel, encouragement [hischazkus], and conversations [sichos — recorded sayings and conversations of Rabbainu or of Breslov tradition].

Please convey greetings to our dear friend Yankel [ינקלי], may he live forever, and likewise greetings to the diligent young man, my friend Shlomo Atik.

Let him write me greetings and inform me of his situation in learning and fear of Heaven — and what subject he is studying now. And I await — with G‑d's help — to be very soon in Jerusalem, the Holy City, and to be diligent with him in Torah and Divine service, by day and by night. So may it be His will. Amen. From me — your friend, with great love, Shmuel Horowitz.

R' Shlomo sends heartfelt greetings with great love [דשה"ט באה"ר = דורש שלומכם הטוב באהבה רבה — inquiring after your good welfare with great love]; and likewise R' Noson; and likewise R' Avner. Please write to me an immediate clear reply on all the above. From me — your friend with great love, a love that is not contingent on anything [אהבה שאינה תלויה בדבר — "love that is not dependent on any condition" — a direct echo of the Mishnah in Avos 5:19: "Any love that is contingent on something — when that something ceases, the love ceases; but love that is not contingent on anything — it never ceases." This is how R' Shmuel signs himself: his love for R' Alter is unconditional, pure, and eternal.] Shmuel Horowitz.

Postscript 1 — To R' Yankel and R' Shlomo Atik

And regarding the matter of the guarding of the eyes — know my dear friend — that this is the most beloved and important of all — as brought in the Torah and in the Shema[ק"ש = קריאת שמע — "the Shema / the reading of 'Hear O Israel.'" The central declaration of Jewish faith recited twice daily, containing the paragraph of tzitzis.] — Parshas Tzitzis: "and you shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes" — for this is the essential of everything. And in Sipurey Ma'asiyos — in "The Seven Beggars" — the first beggar who is apparently the highest and the sharpest of all seven beggars [הבעטליר הראשון — "the first beggar." In Rabbi Nachman's story "The Seven Beggars" (Sipurey Ma'asiyos, the thirteenth and final story): seven beggars each appear to bless the prince and princess on each of the seven days of their wedding celebration. Each beggar appears to have a physical deficiency (blindness, deafness, stuttering, crooked neck, a hunched back, no hands, no legs) — but each reveals that their "deficiency" is actually their greatest strength. The first beggar — the blind one — has "no vision of this world" — meaning: he has transcended the world entirely and achieved unity with the Infinite.] — who merited more than all — who was first in stature and in the holy mind — who merited to be included in the Infinite literally — and all this through the vision of the eyes — and he merited to become one with the eagle. [Which is Hashem — as it says: "Like an eagle who stirs his nest" — and see Torah 29 — which is the rectification of the covenant and the Tikkun HaKelali — which stirs the nest — the nest of wisdom — and so on — see there.] And this is "swift as an eagle" — in the statement of Yehudah ben Teima in Pirkei Avos — which the Shulchan Aruch[ש"ע = שולחן ערוך — "the Shulchan Aruch — the Code of Jewish Law." The standard abbreviation.] explains: to be swift as an eagle — to close one's eyes from seeing evil. [קל כנשר — "swift as an eagle." Pirkei Avos 5:20 — Yehudah ben Teima: "Be bold as a leopard, swift as an eagle, fleet as a deer, and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven." The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim §1, the very first law in the Code of Jewish Law) quotes this and interprets "swift as an eagle" as the ability to close one's eyes from seeing evil — moving away from visual temptation with eagle-like swiftness.] And through this one merits to be attached to the great Eagle mentioned in the Stories[ספמ"ע = ספורי מעשיות — "Sipurey Ma'asiyos — the Tales of Rabbi Nachman." The standard abbreviation for Rabbi Nachman's Thirteen Stories.]. For if one closes one's eyes from the vision of this world — through the closing of the eyes — one merits to nullification — to be included in the Infinite — which is entirely One — entirely Good. See Torah 65 — "And Boaz said to Ruth" — and one of the seven lamps: to close one's eyes from seeing evil. [תו' ס"ה ויאמר בועז אל רות — "Torah 65 — 'And Boaz said to Ruth.'" LM Part 1, §65. The Rebbe's teaching on the seven lamps (corresponding to the seven kabbalistic attributes / the seven days of the week / the seven senses) — one of which is the lamp of the eyes — to close the eyes from evil.] As brought in Torah 21 — "Atika" — and as brought in the writings of the Arizal: the eyes are higher than all seven lamps and higher than all the senses in the mind — for they are in the aspect of the divine Name of seventy-two[ע"ב = שם ע"ב — the divine Name whose numerical value is 72. עין(70) + בית(2) = ע"ב. This is the Name of Havayah as expanded through the fully-spelled letters: יוד הי ויו הי = 72 letters in total. The highest of the divine Names, associated with the Sefirah of Chochmah.]. [שם ע"ב — "the divine Name of seventy-two[ע"ב = שם ע"ב — the divine Name whose numerical value is 72. עין(70) + בית(2) = ע"ב. This is the Name of Havayah as expanded through the fully-spelled letters: יוד הי ויו הי = 72 letters in total. The highest of the divine Names, associated with the Sefirah of Chochmah.]." The Name of Havayah permuted in a specific way to yield a 72-letter name — the highest of the divine Names associated with the Sefirah of Chochmah (Wisdom). The eyes, being the highest of all senses, correspond to this highest Name. After the eyes: the ears correspond to the Name of sixty-three (ס"ג); then the nose; then the mouth — each descending in the hierarchy of holiness.] And afterward the ears — the Name of sixty-three[ס"ג = שם ס"ג — the divine Name of 63. The Name of Havayah expanded differently: יוד הי ואו הי = 63. Associated with the Sefirah of Binah. Samech(60) + gimel(3) = ס"ג.] — and afterward the nose — and afterward the mouth — and this is all: head, holy, mind, primordial — and afterward the throat and the other organs and so on. And it is brought in the Targum Yonasan on the verse "Ben Poras Yosef" — "a fruitful vine is Yosef" — "daughters would look over the wall" — that the daughters threw gifts so that he would look at them — and he closed his eyes and refused to look at them at all — and through this he merited and so on — see there. [תרגום יונתן — "Targum Yonasan." The Aramaic translation of the Torah attributed to Yonasan ben Uziel. On Genesis 49:22 — the verse "Ben poras Yosef al ayin — banos tza'adah alei shur" — the Targum Yonasan reads: "The daughters of Egypt would look upon him and throw ornaments so that he would cast his eye upon them, and he would close his eyes and not look at them." This act of closing his eyes is identified as the root of Joseph's power and merit — the reason his offspring divided into two tribes and he received the double portion.] And in the Sefer HaMidos — the entry on "Thoughts" — paragraph 23: through the eyes the heart desires — [and see there paragraph 24]. And in the entry "Sight" — paragraph 8: one who closes his eyes from seeing evil — through this is saved from humiliations. [And so in the entry "Immorality" — Part 2 — paragraph 13.] And see there paragraph 9. And in the entry "Immorality" — paragraph 9: the lust for immorality does not distance itself from the person — only through distancing the sight of the eye and the thought. [And see there paragraph 10.] And there — paragraph 19: one who does not gaze at women — merits that his descendants will compose commentaries on the Torah. [And see there in the entry "Book" — paragraph 5.] [And see there in the "Showing of Sources" — Parshas Vayechi — paragraph 98: "You — you did not lift your eyes and gaze upon them. By your life — I give to your daughters the stride in Torah — what is the stride? A portion."] And in the Talmud it is written: "hand to hand shall not go unpunished" [Proverbs 11:21 — "Hand to hand — the evil one shall not go unpunished." The Talmud interprets: one who gives money from his hand into the hand of a woman in order to gaze upon her — even if he is like Abraham our Father, peace be upon him, who established the world for Hashem — and even like Moses our Teacher who received the Torah from the hand of the Holy One — he shall not escape the judgment of Gehinnom and so on.] — one who gives from hand to hand to a woman in order to gaze at her — even like Abraham our Father, peace be upon him — who established the world for Hashem — and even like Moses our Teacher — who received the Torah from the hand of the Holy One blessed be He — he shall not escape the judgment of Gehinnom and so on. And in the Sefer HaMidos — entry "Thoughts" — paragraph 42: the evil inclination has dominion only over what the eyes see — and see there paragraph 52. And it is written in the words of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — [I do not remember now where]: "There is nothing like the closing of the eyes before the lust." In any case[עכ"פ = על כל פנים — "at least / in any case."] — there is very much to say on this — both from the books of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — and from the other Tzaddikim — and from the words of our Sages of blessed memory — and the holy Zohar and so on. And in any case — one also sees[ג"כ = גם כן — "also / as well."] from the words of our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — regarding the holiness of the mind and all the organs — from the seven beggars — that the first is the eyes — the blind beggar as mentioned. For if one sanctifies the eyes — it is easy to sanctify all the other organs — and in particular the tikkun habrit. And as brought in the Talmud: seeing with the eyes is harder than the sin itself — G-d have mercy — for with this one can sin every moment without measure and count — which is not so[א"כ = אם כן — "if so / which is not the case with." Im kein — here used contrastively.] with the sin itself — which does not present itself every time. And also brought in the writings of the Arizal and other holy books: that the person is reincarnated into an impure bird called "Ra'ah" — which stands in Babylonia and sees a carcass in the Land of Israel — and commits immorality through its sight. And there is an angel that crushes the eyes after death — G-d have mercy[רח"ל = רחמנא ליצלן — "may the Merciful One save us." Aramaic: the standard Talmudic expression of alarm at a terrible prospect.] — of those who saw evil. And the Prosecuting Angel[ס"מ = סמאל — "Samael." The chief of the prosecuting angels / the Prosecuting Angel. ס"מ is the standard abbreviation for Samael — the angelic prince of evil who prosecutes Israel before the Heavenly Court.] brings before death all the evil sights that one saw — and they defile him. May Hashem protect us. And through sight alone — one creates destructive forces — G-d have mercy — which avenge upon him. And conversely: one who does not feed his eyes from forbidden sights — merits to see the face of the Shechinah. May Hashem grant us merit — to guard our eyes — and to rectify what we have blemished in this. So may it be His will. Amen. And regarding the matter of the tithe — traveling with the money — it appears from the Shulchan Aruch: that one can only buy books with it — [what one would not have bought without the tithe money] — and write in them that they are from tithe money — [in order that his children not take possession of them] — and also lend them to others — and he has priority over others to study in them. And better simply to give charity and distribute them and so on. This forty-third letter — written on the same day as Letter 42 (Wednesday, 27 Sivan 5723, Jerusalem) — is addressed to Shmuel Toktchinsky and his friends. It is the most comprehensive treatment of the guarding of the eyes in the entire collection, drawing on an extraordinary range of sources. Book project (§2): A commentary on Shas from the Rebbe's books exists in draft — but not ready for printing. When the recipient is ready to print — the author will participate in gathering and organizing the material. The guarding of the eyes — highest of all (§3): Shema — "and you shall not stray after your eyes" — the essential of everything. The Seven Beggars: the first (blind) beggar achieved the highest level of all — unity with the Infinite — through the vision of his eyes. "Swift as an eagle" (Avos 5:20): the Shulchan Aruch's first law (OC §1) interprets this as closing the eyes from evil. LM §65 (Boaz and Ruth): closing the eyes from the world's vision → nullification → inclusion in the Infinite. LM §21 (Atika): one of the seven lamps = closing the eyes. The Arizal: the eyes correspond to the Name of seventy-two — the highest of all senses. Targum Yonasan: Joseph closed his eyes to the daughters of Egypt — the root of his greatness. LM §29 (the eagle): the rectification of the covenant = the Tikkun HaKelali = stirring the nest of wisdom. Sefer HaMidos and Talmud (§4): HaMidos "Thoughts" §23: through the eyes the heart desires. "Sight" §8: closing the eyes from evil → saved from humiliations. "Immorality" §9: lust does not depart without distancing from sight. §19: not gazing at women → descendants compose Torah commentaries. Talmud: "hand to hand shall not go unpunished" — even Abraham or Moses — Gehinnom. HaMidos §42: the evil inclination rules only what the eyes see. The Rebbe: "There is nothing like the closing of the eyes before the lust." Seeing with the eyes is harder than the sin itself — it can occur every moment without count. The impure bird Ra'ah: stands in Babylonia and sees a carcass in the Land of Israel. The angel that crushes the eyes after death. Sight alone creates destructive forces. Conversely: not feeding the eyes from forbidden sights → seeing the face of the Shechinah. Ma'aser (§5): Tithe money may be used for books (that one would not have bought otherwise) — write "from tithe money" in them so children don't take possession — lend to others. Better simply to give as charity. Key terms: Sipurey Ma'asiyos — The Seven Beggars — the blind beggar — highest level; unity with the Infinite through the eyes · Kal k'nesher — to close the eyes from evil — Avos 5:20; Shulchan Aruch OC §1 · LM §65 — Boaz and Ruth — closing the eyes → nullification → inclusion in Ein Sof · LM §21 — Atika — seven lamps — eyes = one of the seven lamps · Shem ayin-beis — the eyes correspond to the highest divine Name (72) · Targum Yonasan — Ben Poras Yosef — Joseph closed his eyes to the daughters of Egypt · Sefer HaMidos — "Thoughts" §23, "Sight" §8, "Immorality" §§9,19 — multiple references on guarding the eyes · Talmud — yad l'yad lo yinakeh ra — hand to hand; even like Abraham and Moses, not exempt from Gehinnom · Ra'ah — the impure bird — reincarnated in Babylonia; commits immorality through sight · Closing the eyes → seeing the Shechinah — the ultimate reward · Ma'aser — tithe money for books — practical halacha