יא

Tuesday, the Torah portion of Bo [Parshas Bo — "Come" — the portion recounting the final three plagues and the first Passover; it falls in late January or early February], 5636 [= early 1876 CE] — the Holy City of Teverya, may it be established and built for good.

To the honor of my truly beloved — and beloved in wholeness [באמת ובתמים — two distinct and equal qualities of love: be'emes — in truth, without pretense; u'vsomim — in wholeness, in undivided completeness, with no reservation held back; both words carry full independent weight] — why, it is none other than the wondrous one himself, the veteran Chassid — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with his wife, may she live, and his son Morainu v'Rabbainu Sender Chaim, may he live — for length of days and good years — Omain Kain Yehi Ratzon. And may Hashem Yisbarach heal him from all his ailments, and may you merit to raise him to Torah, to the wedding canopy [חפה — chupah — the traditional blessing for children: "to Torah, to the wedding canopy, and to good deeds"], and to good deeds — without any suffering whatsoever, only with abundant nachas [ברב נחת — the deep satisfaction and joy a parent feels from a child walking in good paths].

Thanks to G-d for our lives — here all of us are in life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you life and peace without any trouble whatsoever — only my wife, may she live, is not in good health, for she has a cough [הוסט — der hust — Yiddish: the cough]. And blessed be G-d, there have been approximately five days in which the weight of her illness was lightened [שהקל חליה — she'hikel chol'yah — literally "that her illness was made lighter" — the image is of the illness as a crushing weight that was briefly lifted from her] — and now it has once again gained strength over her. But in Hashem is the bitachon — surely He will have mercy on me and on her, in the midst of all the sick of His people Israel — and send her and them a complete healing, swiftly and soon.

Your letter together with the enclosed letter from Reb Yosef — I received properly. And we are unable to help Reb Yosef at all, except to request mercy for him. For we have here with us our friend Reb Kalman, may his candle shine — and he sits upon Torah and service [על התורה ועבודה — from Pirkei Avos: "the world stands upon three things — Torah, service, and acts of loving-kindness"] day and night, and he is truly G-d-fearing, and he is a great pauper and destitute. And with him sits the righteous convert — truly [באמת — the writer emphasizes: a genuinely, completely righteous convert] — and he too is destitute, and has nothing to eat. And not one person in the city asks from where they live. And particularly when we — Reb Kalman and I — study together [the "we" refers to the writer and Reb Kalman; it is precisely during their joint Torah study that the adversarial force is stirred most intensely against them] — surely the accuser [הבע"ד — ha'ba'al din — "the one who has a case against us" — the prosecuting angel, the spiritual adversary] is unable to bear it. And also in another two weeks they will have no dwelling to live in — and they have not a penny toward the rent. Therefore we have great worry for them — for at the very minimum they must be kept alive with bread and water and a place to live.

And this — no one worries except I and my sister, may she live. And she is not wealthy enough to afford two head-tefillin [an idiom meaning she cannot afford even two basic expenses at once; she can barely cover her own needs] — for she sits as a widow, and my mother, may she live, is with her. And she sits day and night, and receives cotton wool from others to spin — and braids one ansi [a measured unit of braided or woven work] for 20 parises [small coins]. And from this and from a small amount of interest [פריצענט — protzent — Yiddish from the German Prozent: interest income from a small sum lent out] she sustains herself — and gives, blessed be G-d, charity beyond her means.

And particularly now, when we have these worthy paupers upon us — we are unable to take on anything else. For I — surely Hashem Yisbarach knows the truth — everything I do is surely beyond my strength. For I literally share from my very own mouth [אני ממש מחלק עם פי — "I literally divide from my mouth" — the food he puts to his own lips he divides with them; an image of the most intimate and extreme generosity]. And she too — it is beyond her strength to fulfill my requests. And Reb Yosef wrote that he wishes to travel here — and that is a great foolishness. For where would he obtain the travel costs? I am unable to help him, only to pray for him that Hashem Yisbarach have mercy on him and expand his circumstances. And we know that surely it is a great mitzvah to help him — but we are unable. May Hashem Yisbarach, Who has great mercies, have mercy on him and on the members of his household and sweeten away from them their great poverty.

And also regarding what you wrote — that blessed be G-d, you and your wife and your son, may his candle shine, are, blessed be G-d, sitting at the table [יושבים על שלחן — earning a livelihood; the table as a symbol of provision and sustenance] — may Hashem Yisbarach grant that it be in a fortunate hour and with a good omen. And may Hashem Yisbarach watch over you with His complete providence, with an open eye [בעינא פקיחא — Aramaic from the Zohar: G-d's watchful, protective, benevolent gaze — the highest level of divine attention]. And may Hashem Yisbarach give you livelihood with ease [פרנסה ברוח — "livelihood in a spirit of ease" — flowing freely, without struggle], and grant you success, and give blessing and flourishing, and pour upon you His great kindness — so that your work shall be done through others, and you shall be called a "priest of Hashem" [Isaiah 61:6], to do the sacred service [המלאכה — the sacred avodah — Torah and prayer — which is the true work, done while others attend to the material].

And now — surely there is no counsel except to set fixed times [לקבע עתים — likboa itim — inviolable, regular, established times; a foundational obligation in Jewish law and Breslov practice] for Torah and for prayer, and to multiply prayer on every single detail, and to be in joy — and do not worry at all. Only Hashem Yisbarach will be your help and will sustain you through a simple and easy means. And begin afresh to engage in the books of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple regularly, every single day — and there you will find rest for your soul. For what can I tell you, my brother, my friend? At all times when I study them I cast myself into the Garden of Eden [אני מטיל עצמי בג"ע — Gan Eden — paradise; the books open the gates of the spiritual paradise the soul yearns for]. For yesterday I studied the Torah Tik'u [תקעו — "Sound the shofar!" — a specific Torah of Rabbainu ז"ל in Likutay Moharan] and the Laws of Chol HaMoed, Law 4 in Part 3 [of Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim] — and at night I cried out to myself perhaps a hundred times: "Has such a great thing ever been? Has the like of it ever been heard?" [הנהיה כדבר הגדול הזה — an echo of Deuteronomy 4:32-33 — Moshe's cry of wonder at Sinai; the writer applies it to these words of Torah] The general truth is — what can I write to you on the face of the open field and on the face of the written page?

And please convey greetings of peace on my behalf [תפב"ש — an imperative of love: "you should convey"] to my friend Reb Aizik, may his candle shine. And say to him: when I was in Tzfas I spoke with him — that he should study the said books regularly. And now I write — on account of the great love for him engraved in my heart — that he should set many, many good times for them [זמן זמנים טובא — the word is repeated and the Aramaic tava — "many/good" — is appended: an emphatic, almost incantatory insistence]. And surely he will be saved from crookedness of heart [עקמימות הלב — the twisting of the heart away from truth; a specific Breslov concept for the distortion caused by the adversarial forces and one's own failings] and will merit to true straightness of heart. And his hand and his heart will be faithful to G-d. And faith — emunah — is prayer, miracles, the holiness of Eretz Yisroel, and the guarding of the bris [ואמונה היא תפילה נסים א"י שמירת הברית — a compressed statement of Breslov teaching: emunah is the single root from which all these flow; they are not separate things but aspects of one living reality] — and in this all is included. And at all times you will find new counsel on how to wage the wars of Hashem — for of them it is said: "by stratagem shall you make war" [Proverbs 24:6]. And I wish to be nothing but a broker for you [סרסור — a middleman, a commercial agent; the writer as the one who brings fine goods to the buyer] — to purchase good and beautiful merchandise such as this. And surely you will profit. For everyone who purchased any of these goods — whether little or much — profited, each one according to his trading. And I want my beloved souls — like you — to trade much of this merchandise. And also include our friend Morainu v'Rabbainu Nussun, son-in-law of Reb Yekusiel the Tzaddik — include him too in the partnership. For he is able to see what his father ז"ל and his father-in-law profited from this merchandise in the world — through the books. May Hashem Yisbarach only lengthen your days and your years in goodness and pleasantness.

Words of the writer, with love, who desires your success in this world and in the World to Come,

Nussun from Breslov

And convey greetings of peace on my behalf to our friend, the veteran Chassid, G-d-fearing — Reb Nachem Zalman son of Alka [his father's name — a woman's name, meaning he may have been known by his mother's name, as was sometimes the custom] — and write to me about his illness.

And now I have come to request of you, my beloved friend: as I wrote to you — let me know whether our friend Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, has any news from his son from Breslov regarding his passport that was sent to Kamenitz — how and what. For we have great suffering — and particularly my wife, may she live, on account of her son Yitzchak, may his candle shine. For in Breslov this year there was a conscription of those who are twenty-one years old — but he has a passport from Wallachia, as you know. And we have no letter from them whatsoever. Or perhaps Reb Abba, grandson of Reb Chaim Kresh, may his candle shine, knows — who and who are going from Breslov — and ask him and request of him to let me know. And do not mention my son at all — only in general terms I ask him to inform me — perhaps he knows.

And also — what is this that from your father-in-law, may his candle shine, we have no letter whatsoever from his son — your brother-in-law Morainu v'Rabbainu Moshe, may his candle shine — to give life to our souls? Or perhaps our friend Reb Dov the ritual slaughterer and examiner, may his candle shine, has some letter from Breslov — and perhaps they wrote to him who and who are going? Perhaps this will revive our souls [אולי תח' נפשנו — "perhaps it will give life to our souls" — the same word tichyeh used for the prayer that a person should live, applied here to their souls' desperate need for news]. For my wife, who is already so weakened, weeps and wails and is terrified on account of her son Yitzchak, may his candle shine. Therefore inquire into this and write to me. And also regarding your father-in-law — perhaps you will have some letter — how and what — write to me. For to me all the postal routes have been closed — both from my brother and from my sons, may they live, and from my true beloved. For since the Torah portion of Eikev I have seen no letter whatsoever — except this one small letter that your brother-in-law wrote on the night after Shabbos Bereishis. And truly my soul — and particularly the life and vitality of my wife, may she live — is entirely spent from this [ממש כלתה מזה ובפרט חיות זוג' תח' — "truly spent from this — and particularly the very life of my wife, may she live" — the word chiyus — "life-force, vitality" — indicates that the absence of news is literally extinguishing her life-force; mammash kaltah — "truly consumed" — the writer's own soul is also spent, but his wife's very life is the greater concern]. May Hashem Yisbarach help you to be a good agent and bring us good tidings. And also write to me the circumstances of your situation at your table — from what cause did this come about. And judge your father and your mother to the side of merit [לדון לכף זכות — to seek and find the most charitable interpretation of their actions; a fundamental principle of Jewish ethics and Breslov teaching alike]. And also your wife — let her judge them too to the side of merit. And also judge yourself to the side of merit [self-judgment toward merit is equally important — excessive self-condemnation is itself a spiritual failing]. And tip the entire scale to the side of merit [ותכריע הכל לכף זכות — actively press the whole balance to the favorable side; not merely passive interpretation but a deliberate act of will]. And in the merit of this, Hashem Yisbarach will pour upon you the fullness of good.