כח

Monday, the Torah portion of Vayechi [Parshas Vayechi — "And he lived" — the final portion of Bereishis; Yaakov's blessings and death in Egypt; it falls in late December or early January], 5638 [= December 1877 or January 1878 CE — the week following Letter 27] — the Holy City of Teverya, may it be established and built for good.

To the honor of my strong friend, our ohavainu — my son truly — the veteran Chassid, the wondrous one — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his household, and his precious son Morainu v'Rabbainu Sender Chaim, may his candle shine — and with peace upon his dear father, the wondrous and exceptional, veteran Chassid, our ohavainu, etc., etc. — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — and I give thanks and acknowledgment that blessed be G-d — yesterday toward evening the weight of my wife's illness was lightened — for she had become very, very weak from this — to a degree that cannot be committed to writing. And beyond this she is also a woman who is not healthy. And this had been a great trouble, very great. But blessed be G-d — Who turned "trouble" [צרה — tzarah — trouble, distress] into "He desired" [רצה — ratzah — He willed, He desired; these two words are composed of the same three Hebrew letters in different order: צ-ר-ה rearranged into ר-צ-ה; G-d rearranged the letters of trouble into the letters of His own will and desire — a kabbalistic reversal teaching that within every suffering lies the seed of G-d's desire and purpose] — and she returned a little to her former strength. And all of us are in the way of life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you and from your wife, may she live, life and peace — in the complete health of her entire body as we pray for her at all times. And likewise in the complete health of your brother, may his candle shine. And good tidings from all our brethren the children of Israel — and particularly from our beloved Anash, and from all our close ones — life and peace and all good. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.

Your letter from Tuesday of Vayigash — together with three additional letters from my daughter, may she live, and from relatives — I received properly. And Hashem Yisbarach surely gave me life — may He give life to you as well. And also thanks and acknowledgment to my friend, our ohavainu, the nagid Reb Chaim Kresh, may his candle shine, and his helper, may she live, who brought me the letters. But great was the distress and grief I had from my wife, may she live — for she saw that blessed be G-d I have a letter from my daughter, may she live — while from her sons who also dwell in Breslov she has no letter at all — and even my daughter, may she live, did not write on their behalf even a single greeting of peace. It is beyond reckoning and beyond estimating. For she wept all day with great weeping — as if — G-d forbid — and so on — may the Merciful One save us [כמו ח"ו וכו' ר"ל — the writer cannot finish the sentence; he gestures toward what the weeping resembles but stops himself from saying it; the protective formulas ward off the unspoken thought] — for she has no news from her sons from anywhere — neither from Troyits nor from Breslov. Therefore I ask of you once again: inquire of our friend Reb Chaim the said one — perhaps he saw them in Breslov, perhaps he heard some news of them. One of them is named Reb Avraham Beril Pitel, and his brother is Aharon Pitel — and they are the sons of Reb Nachman ז"ל, the brother of Reb Hirsh Gershon ז"ל, and the brother of Reb Shimshon Pitel who passed away in Tzfas. And also perhaps he does not know them — perhaps his grandson who came with them perhaps knows them. And tell his grandson: the sign — that one son, Avraham Ber, may his candle shine, lives in the village of Stapkowitz, and the second son Morainu v'Rabbainu Aharon, may his candle shine, has the nickname "Aharon the Gaon." And perhaps he saw them before his journey here. Write to me — and it will be reckoned for her as a great mitzvah.

And also — as my daughter, may she live, wrote to me in her letter that she sent a gift through the said friend — sugar, and also the second ruble with ten kopikes — to receive it from him and send it to me. And give life to our souls right now! And I will write a letter of receipt to Breslov. And if you receive it — exchange it there and receive from the money the half-bishlik for my sister, may she live, that you gave on her behalf — and the remainder send to me with the donkey-driver. And give life to our souls — and to my wife, may she live.

And now I have come to begin again with a new beginning [להתחיל מחדש בהתחלה חדשה — a characteristic Breslov phrase; every moment is a fresh start; the ability to begin again is one of the central gifts of Rabbainu ז"ל's teaching] — and to remind myself and you of the eternal matter that is between us: whether you draw from and water from [אם אתה דולה ומשקה — doleh u'mashkeh — the precise Talmudic phrase from the Mishnah: one who draws water from the depths for himself and gives it to others to drink; the full cycle of Torah learning and teaching; a student drawing up from the depths of the source and a teacher giving others to drink — both at once] the Torah of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple, every day, for several hours, with great constancy. For they are truly our very life. And believe me, my friend my son — I do not know how one can live without them even for one single day — in the troubles and the bitterness that pass over us in this bitter and hurrying world [בזה העולם המר והנמהר — "this bitter and hurrying world" — two qualities: mar — bitter, full of bitterness; and nimhar — rushing, speeding, frantic; the world of exile rushing past in bitterness with no rest], where there is almost not a moment without some harmful event — G-d forbid. What can I tell you, my brother? I am now studying in Likutay Halachos — and several times it has been in my mind to run through the markets and the streets and to cry out in a great voice: has such a thing ever been? Is there such a one in the world? — such a Tzaddik who had such a disciple who is able to acquit the entire world from judgment — if only they would incline their ears to his holy words, in wholeness and in simplicity! But what can we do — that such a great light is hidden from them? But we — whom Hashem Yisbarach has merited with such a good light — and we are believers, children of believers — therefore we must incline our shoulder to bear as a servant pays tribute [למס עבד — from Genesis 49:15: Yissachar "inclined his shoulder to bear and became a labor-gang servant" — the tribe of Yissachar who devoted themselves entirely to Torah study; this is what full dedication looks like: bearing the yoke completely] — to meditate in them almost day and night [כמעט יומם ולילה — "almost day and night" — kim'at — almost, virtually, as close to constant as humanly possible; the word qualifies: not the absolute of unceasing day-and-night study which the Talmud sets as an ideal, but the closest approach to it within human capacity; the word kim'at is doing important honest work here], and to fulfill in this: "the pressing of milk produces butter, and the pressing of the nose produces blood" [Proverbs 30:33 — persistent pressing yields its substance; the books of Rabbainu ז"ל are "the butter of Torah" — the richest, most nourishing extract pressed from all Torah through sustained effort] — for they are the butter of Torah.

And for the sake of Hashem, my son my son — make for yourself a fixed time to study them. And it will give life to you to eternal eternity. And perhaps it will give life to others as well. And cling to them [ותלפת אותם — v'tilfes osom — "and cling to them, cleave to them, wrap yourself around them" — from the root lafas — to cling as a vine to its trellis, to grasp and hold as Delilah grasped Samson [Judges 16:19]; a stronger, more physical image than "attach" — to wind yourself around them, to wrap them into you and yourself into them; through prayer and hisbodidus] through prayer and through hisbodidus every day — for hisbodidus was the universal practice of Rabbainu ז"ל. Therefore we must engage in this prayer greatly — for Rabbainu ז"ל achieved where he achieved specifically through hisbodidus: that one can subdue all the evil within oneself and accomplish all good — more than all the fasts and afflictions. And we must believe in his holy words — to engage in them every day as a fixed statute that shall not pass — at least some hours. And even when one cannot speak — at least say: "Master of the World, have mercy and bring us near to Your service" — for one continuous hour. And surely when we are strong in this with great stubbornness [בעקשנות גדול — b'akshanus gadol — "with great stubbornness / tenacity" — the characteristic Breslov virtue of unyielding, persistent refusal to give up; Rabbainu ז"ל praised this quality repeatedly as essential in the service of G-d] — Hashem Yisbarach will surely pour upon us words from Heaven. And beyond this — Rabbainu ז"ל said explicitly: that everything that passes over a person each day — in body, in soul, and in money — tell it before Hashem Yisbarach, all of one's entire heart [כל לבו — "all of his heart" — the entire heart, holding nothing back; not a partial unburdening but a complete outpouring of the whole heart before G-d; every chamber of the heart opened]. And particularly — we must yet cry out greatly: "let not the floodwaters overwhelm me, and let not the deep swallow me" [Psalms 69:16 — a cry from the depths of drowning; the writer feels the weight of exile and suffering pressing against them and directs them to this specific verse as their prayer].

And also bring together with you the brother-in-law Morainu v'Rabbainu Eliezer, may his candle shine, and Morainu v'Rabbainu Heynich, may his candle shine, and Reb Avraham, may his candle shine, and Reb Nussun son of Reb Yekusiel, may his candle shine — and speak with them about Rabbainu ז"ל, and inform them of the hidden and concealed Tzaddik — who is Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple. And we must dance and shout out the greatness of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple — and educate the young children in the way of Rabbainu ז"ל. For "from the mouths of babes and sucklings You have established strength" [Psalms 8:3].

For blessed be G-d — there are now found several young people, may they live, for length of days and good years, from the Anash — only one must kindle them and speak with them. And for this Rabbainu ז"ל warned us greatly: to speak with one's companion about the fear of Heaven. And even a slight movement — when you accomplish something with them — will be good for them and for you to eternal eternity. And when you study the books of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple with constancy — surely you will have words to speak with them. For they are a flowing spring and a stream that purifies from all stains. And such an instrument — that over every living thing that one places it upon, it can play the wondrous melody. And would that Hashem Yisbarach merit us — and how many young people surely have we already merited with them! And speech has great power to arouse the Jewish soul.

And I have many words to speak with you — but it is impossible on the face of the written page and on the face of the open field. Therefore I will be brief and say peace — to you and to all the members of your household, to your son Sender Chaim, may his candle shine, and to your dear father the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine. And peace to the brother-in-law Morainu v'Rabbainu Eliezer, may his candle shine. And peace to all the Anash — every single one — with strong love, with soul-love. And greetings of peace on my behalf to our friend the nagid Reb Chaim Kresh, may his candle shine, with his household. And also write to me whether there was any news of our beloved Aizikl, may his candle shine — where he is now. And I asked of you to reply to me on the entire letter. And whether you wrote some letter to Troyits — whether you wrote on my behalf as well.

Words of one who loves you in truth [באמ — this appears to be a truncated form of באמת — be'emes — "in truth"; the final letter tav is absent; likely a scribal abbreviation or copying omission; the meaning is clear] — as a father his only son, Nussun from Breslov