לד

Tuesday, the Torah portion of Shemini, 5638, according to the minor reckoning — the Holy City of Teverya.

[The Tuesday of the same week as Letter 33; three letters in three consecutive days] To the honor of my strong friend, our ohavainu — is it not the wondrous one? [הלוא הוא המפלא — "is it not he, the wondrous one?" — halo is the rhetorical particle of affirmation: "is it not? / surely! / behold!"; drawing the recipient's name into focus with mild rhetorical flourish] — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon your dear father, may his candle shine — and may he shine like the light of the sun — and together with peace upon your son Sender Chaim, may his candle shine.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — all of us — blessed be G-d — all of us are in the way of life and in peace [ת"ל כלנו ב"ה כלנו בקו החיים והשלום — the word kulanu — "all of us" — appears twice in this short blessing, with the "Blessed be G-d" inserted between them: "Thanks to G-d, all of us — blessed be G-d — all of us"; the repetition is emphatic: not one of us is missing, all of us without exception are in life and peace; the writer stresses completeness]. May I merit to hear from you life and peace in fullness and good tidings and complete joy.

Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed. Your letter — together with the French pound [לירא פראנציזי — a French franc or pound; a specific currency denomination in use in the Ottoman Levant alongside local Ottoman coins] — and together with the six and a half bishlikim — totaling in sum 1020 — I received properly. And I gave 220 in fees for the trouble [שכר טרחה — payment to the carrier or agent for the effort of conveying the money]. And you gave me life greatly — with your joy in the joy of the holy Purim. And also from what you wrote to me that the young scholar Nussun was also with you in the joy of the holy Purim — this too gave me nachas [נחת — the deep pleasure felt when someone one loves is doing well; this young man had distanced himself from the Breslov fellowship (Letter 29); his return and presence at the Purim celebration gives the writer genuine nachas: a soul that had parted from their midst has come back] — for I had great grief about the fact that a soul had parted from our midst. And would that Rabbainu ז"ל sweeten from upon us all the harsh judgments through the joy of Purim. And may Hashem Yisbarach send a complete healing to your wife, may she live, and give her a pregnancy quickly and soon [ויתן לה הריון חיש מהר — "and give her a pregnancy swiftly and soon" — a specific, personal prayer for conception; a long-hoped-for blessing prayed for in the same breath as her physical healing].

And to your dear brother, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach send swiftly and soon a complete healing — and may He expand his mind with clear knowledge and in joy [ויגדל דעתו דעה צלולה ובשמחה — "and may He expand his mind — clear knowledge and in joy" — the illness has affected the brother's mental clarity; the prayer is not only for physical healing but for da'as tzlulah — lucid, clear understanding — and specifically that this clarity should come in joy, not merely through recovery but through a blossoming of the mind in happiness]. And may Hashem Yisbarach gather all your scattered ones from all the places quickly and soon — the precious money of yours that became scattered. And on account of the urgency of the donkey-driver I have been brief — and say peace.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — all of us — blessed be G-d — all of us are in the way of life and in peace [ת"ל כלנו ב"ה כלנו בקו החיים והשלום — the word kulanu — "all of us" — appears twice in this short blessing, with the "Blessed be G-d" inserted between them: "Thanks to G-d, all of us — blessed be G-d — all of us"; the repetition is emphatic: not one of us is missing, all of us without exception are in life and peace; the writer stresses completeness]. May I merit to hear from you life and peace in fullness and good tidings and complete joy. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed. Your letter — together with the French pound [לירא פראנציזי — a French franc or pound; a specific currency denomination in use in the Ottoman Levant alongside local Ottoman coins] — and together with the six and a half bishlikim — totaling in sum 1020 — I received properly. And I gave 220 in fees for the trouble [שכר טרחה — payment to the carrier or agent for the effort of conveying the money]. And you gave me life greatly — with your joy in the joy of the holy Purim. And also from what you wrote to me that the young scholar Nussun was also with you in the joy of the holy Purim — this too gave me nachas [נחת — the deep pleasure felt when someone one loves is doing well; this young man had distanced himself from the Breslov fellowship (Letter 29); his return and presence at the Purim celebration gives the writer genuine nachas: a soul that had parted from their midst has come back] — for I had great grief about the fact that a soul had parted from our midst. And would that Rabbainu ז"ל sweeten from upon us all the harsh judgments through the joy of Purim. And may Hashem Yisbarach send a complete healing to your wife, may she live, and give her a pregnancy quickly and soon [ויתן לה הריון חיש מהר — "and give her a pregnancy swiftly and soon" — a specific, personal prayer for conception; a long-hoped-for blessing prayed for in the same breath as her physical healing]. One who loves you truly and pleads on your behalf always, Nussun from Breslov And from Troyits I have received no letter — and you ask me and I ask you — and with this we remain [ובזה אנו נשארים — "and with this we remain" — a phrase of shared helplessness: they both ask the same question and neither can answer; the mutual asking and mutual not-knowing is itself the answer; they are trapped together in the same silence]. And I can no longer bear the grief of my wife, may she live, and her weeping. And particularly when some letter comes from my sons — then her grief is very great indeed [when a letter arrives from the writer's sons, his wife sees that others have written while her own sons remain silent; the contrast makes her suffering worse, not better]. But what is to be done — everything is in the providence of Hashem Yisbarach, Who wishes to cause us grief [שרוצה לצער אותנו — "Who wishes to cause us grief" — a startling formulation of radical acceptance; the writer does not soften this to "Who permits" or "Wh o allows" but says explicitly that G-d w ants to cause them grief; this is not complaint but a direct, unfiltered statement of faith in divine providence — even suffering is willed; and it is followed immediately by the acceptance: "and may it be atonement for our sins"] — and may it be atonement for our sins. 📜 And to your dear brother, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach send swiftly and soon a complete healing — and may He expand his mind with clear knowledge and in joy [ויגדל דעתו דעה צלולה ובשמחה — "and may He expand his mind — clear knowledge and in joy" — the illness has affected the brother's mental clarity; the prayer is not only for physical healing but for da'as tzlulah — lucid, clear understanding — and specifically that this clarity should come in joy, not merely through recovery but through a blossoming of the mind in happiness]. And may Hashem Yisbarach gather all your scattered ones from all the places quickly and soon — the precious money of yours that became scattered. And on account of the urgency of the donkey-driver I have been brief — and say peace. One who loves you truly and pleads on your behalf always, Nussun from Breslov Written Tuesday, Parshas Shemini, 5638 (mid-March 1878), from Teverya — the third consecutive letter of this week. Money received, Purim joy shared at a distance, the young scholar Nussun has returned, and a formulation of radical acceptance. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן