Your Only Problem Is Sadness — Renew Yourself With Joy

[Yiddish:] "Your letter I received — and I greatly rejoiced to hear of your beloved health. May G‑d help that our days be renewed as before — with greater force and greater strength — that there be absolutely no falling in the world at all, and absolutely no despair in the world at all. My dear, faithful brother — your entire trouble is only: that you fall into sadness [atzavus]. And because of it — you can do nothing at all. Rabbainu the Holy one cautioned: only joy! As the Daughter of the King said to the second-to-the-king: only to yearn and to hope that she take him out. You must find yourself a private place — a designated spot [מקום מיוחד] — and the entire year: only to yearn and to wish and to hope that she take you out. And not to sleep — for this is the essence: the sleep." [Hebrew:] (Your letter I received and greatly rejoiced to hear of your health. May G‑d help that our days be renewed as before — with greater force and greater strength — that there be absolutely no falling in the world at all, and absolutely no despair in the world at all. My dear faithful brother — your entire trouble is only: that you fall into sadness, and because of it you can do nothing at all. Rabbainu the Holy one cautioned: only joy! As the Daughter of the King said to the second-to-the-king: only to yearn and hope that she take him out. You must find yourself a designated private spot, and the entire year: only to yearn and to wish and to hope that she take you out. And not to sleep — for this is the essence: the sleep.)

[Yiddish:] "My dear brother — you are not the only one. It happens to everyone. It also happens to me — beyond all measure and reckoning — mental obstruction [mniyas hamoyach] and weakness of understanding [חלישות דעת] — what I cannot do in the service of Hashem — and the like and the like. But what can one do? One must hold on somehow. One needs to be fluent in ratzo and fluent in shuv [בקי ברצוא בקי בשוב — mastery of both the running/surge toward G‑d and the returning/grounding back to earth; the two poles of spiritual life in Breslov; see Letter 10]. You need to lay many prayers before G‑d — many tears to pour out before G‑d, blessed be He — from the very depths of the heart — that He help us to be truly close to Rabbainu the Holy one — truly, in innermost truth — and that we merit to come to the holy Tzion [Uman — Rabbainu's grave] — which is the vessel to receive all the holiness, namely: Eretz Yisrael and the Holy Temple, etc. — all are only vessels to receive the light of the Tzadik." [Hebrew:] (My dear brother — you are not the only one. It happens to everyone — it also happens to me beyond all measure and reckoning — mental obstruction and weakness of understanding — what I cannot do in the service of Hashem — etc. But what can one do? One must hold on somehow. One needs to be fluent in ratzo and fluent in shuv. You need to lay many prayers before G‑d — pour many tears before G‑d, blessed be He — from the very depths of the heart — that He help us to be truly close to Rabbainu the Holy one in innermost truth — and that we merit to come to the holy Tzion — which is the vessel to receive the light of the Tzadik.)