לה

Sunday, the Torah portion of Tazria [Parshas Tazria — ritual purity; falls in late March or early April, shortly before Passover], 5638, according to the minor reckoning — the Holy City of Teverya, may it be established and built for good.

To the honor of my friend, our ohavainu, my strong friend, the wondrous one — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — blessed be G-d — all of us are in life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you in unbroken constancy [בתמידות — b'temidus — "in constancy, in uninterrupted regularity" — from tamid, the daily perpetual Temple offering that was never allowed to lapse; the writer is not merely asking to hear from them often but for the quality of unbroken, perpetual constancy, like the tamid offering; the word carries the resonance of the Temple's most continuous divine service] — life and peace — from your wife, may she live, and from your brother, may his candle shine. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed. So may it be His will.

Your letter — through Reb Shmuel from Teiteira — I received on Thursday of Shemini. And there it is written from Tuesday of the Torah portion of Tzav — that you wrote to me to send you a receipt for the money. And I received the money on Tuesday of Shemini — and I gave him a receipt. And also I sent you one bishlik from my sister, may she live, for the Anash. And I do not know whether you received the letters with the bishlik — therefore write me a reply and a receipt. And also regarding what you wrote to me — that you received a letter from your brother Sender, may his candle shine — and also from your letter it appears that the co-parent-in-law [המחתן — ha'mechutan — specifically the parent of one's in-law, the co-parent-in-law between the two families; distinct from chasan — the son-in-law; the mechutan is the senior figure connecting the two families at the parent level] also wrote you a letter now — and wrote to you that he had sent letters that did not reach you. I do not understand the explanation. And also — what is this that your brother wrote you a letter, while from your father-in-law and from my sons there is no letter at all? After all it is a small city — and they cannot inform one another when they want to write a letter?

What can I tell you, my son? I can no longer bear my grief — and particularly the grief of my wife, may she live. If you were to see her — you surely would not recognize her. Therefore, my friend my son — I ask of you and of the brother-in-law Eliezer — perhaps write a letter to your brother Sender, may his candle shine, and request on my behalf that he obtain a letter — both from my son-in-law Yisroel, may his candle shine, and from my son-in-law Shmuel, may his candle shine, together with his wife Chaikeh, may she live — and from my son Yitzchak, may his candle shine. And the greatness of this mitzvah is beyond reckoning. And I always pray for him at all the holy sites. Therefore let him also do this kindness for me.

And the second request: I ask of you — if the letter from your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine, reaches you — perhaps there is some letter in it for us — hasten immediately to send it to us, that it may give us life. For I wrote in my letter to your co-parent-in-law and asked him to obtain a letter from my sons — and he will surely act on my behalf. And also write to me what is heard about the son of your co-parent-in-law, Morainu v'Rabbainu Moshe, may his candle shine — whether Hashem Yisbarach saved him from the trouble. For surely your brother wrote to you about this. And also — where is your mother, may she live, and your brother Yisroel Aryeh, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach send him a complete healing — where are they now? And how is your brother Sender, may his candle shine, gripping and holding on with his master regarding his debt? [איך אחיך סענדיר נ"י אחז עם האדון שלו עם החוב שלו — "how does your brother Sender grip and hold on with his master regarding his debt" — the verb achaz — to grip, to cling, to grasp — is physically and emotionally charged; the brother is clinging to his situation with a creditor-master; the image is of someone gripping hard to maintain their position under great pressure] And also — many times I have written to you to inform me about our beloved friend, the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Efraim, may his candle shine, from Yerushalayim — for I have had no news from him for more than half a year — what he has done. And I have no news from you about this, and I have great suffering. Therefore I ask of you: reply to me on my letter — first things first. [ראשון ראשון — "first things first" — the Talmudic principle applied to correspondence: address each question in the order it was asked, the first before the second]

And G-d willing tomorrow I am prepared to go to several of the holy places — and I will certainly pray for you and for all the Anash. And may the One Who hears the prayers of Israel hear our prayer as well. And also you should pray for us — that Hashem Yisbarach give us a kosher Passover in material and in spiritual matters. And likewise — may you also be blessed with this blessing: that you receive the festival of Passover in holiness and in joy, from within good tidings. The small one, Nussun from Breslov