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Tuesday, the Torah portion of Bamidbar [Parshas Bamidbar — the opening of Numbers; always read on the Shabbos before Shavuos; late May or early June 1878], 5638, according to the minor reckoning — the Holy City of Teverya.

To the honor of our ohavainu, the wondrous young Torah scholar, the veteran Chassid, my strong friend — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his son Sender Chaim, may his candle shine. So may it be His will. Omain Selah.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — life and peace are with us. May I merit to hear from you life and peace — for all our true beloved and for you and for all your household. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed. I have come to inform you that my wife, may she live, arrived yesterday toward evening and spent the night with me — and in the morning at two o'clock she traveled [בשירא — in the postal carriage; the same word shira used throughout these letters for the postal conveyance; here she travels in the pre-dawn hours to catch the carriage] — with blessing, with peace, and for healing.

And also our friend, the venerable elder [הישיש — ha'yashish — specifically a man of very advanced age, an elder of many years; from the biblical usage in Job 12:12 where the very aged are the possessors of wisdom; yashish conveys honor and great venerable age together], the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Efraim, may his candle shine, was with me — blessed be G-d — from Thursday of last week until today. And blessed be G-d I received him with a welcoming face, as is proper for him. And he traveled as well with my wife, may she live, together as one [בצותא חדא — b'tzvusa chada — Aramaic: "together as one, in one company" — a Talmudic phrase for traveling in united company] — in the postal carriage. And your wife, may she live, asked me to write to you — to watch over your son with an open eye and a merciful eye [בעינא פקיחא ורחמני — Aramaic-Hebrew mixed: "with an open eye and a merciful one" — ayin p'kicha — an open, watchful, fully seeing eye; and rachmani — merciful; watch your son with both the sharpness of full perception and the warmth of mercy; the mother's request transmitted from Yerushalayim through the writer] — although I do not need to write to you this, since it is written: "as a father has mercy on his children" — but I must fulfill her request, as I promised her to write to you. And now we must pray for her — that in the merit of Yerushalayim there be for her a complete healing — as is explained in the Torah: "blow the trumpet of its sovereignty." And particularly now, G-d willing, the festival of Shavuos is approaching — which is the final of the tikkunim for the building of Yerushalayim. And in every holy festival all the tikkunim are included — and through prayer it will be drawn upon her and upon all Israel — and may He send them a complete healing through bread and water. Only in any case we must rouse ourselves in some arousal of prayer in order to tie ourselves to the great Lender — in order that there be some bond with him.

And for the sake of Hashem — do not worry at all. For you want to be a fit and proper man — and Rabbainu ז"ל said explicitly: one who wants to be a fit and proper man must guard himself from sadness and from laziness. And in all his holy books and the books of his holy disciple they are filled with the prohibition of sadness and worry and melancholy — and the great preciousness of the service of joy. And trust in Hashem — for He will not forsake you. And joy is a vessel for success. And even a broken heart before Hashem Yisbarach — Rabbainu ז"ל also did not command us this except for one hour per day — and all day in joy. And do not listen to the counsel of the evil inclination — for it lays its net for every single one in that by which it can catch him: to this one through honor, to this one through pride, to this one through sadness, to this one through laziness. Only — for the sake of Hashem — strengthen yourself in joy at all times. And do not worry at all — absolutely not. For in worries one accomplishes nothing whatsoever — on the contrary, they cause loss in both material and spiritual matters — and one remains without strength — blessed be G-d [ב"ה יום יום — the blessing "blessed be G-d" is inserted mid-description, even while describing the damage caused by worry; a small act of radical acceptance: one acknowledges the harm of worry while still affirming divine goodness; the insertion of this blessing in the middle of the negative description is itself a spiritual practice of the very joy being taught] — day by day. And you do not know what salvation Hashem Yisbarach is able to bring you. And for the inescapable necessities [על הכרחיות — al ha'hechrechiyos — "for the unavoidable necessities" — from hechreach — inescapable necessity, that which cannot be avoided; even for the things that are truly inescapable and unavoidable — even there, trust in Hashem in joy] — you must trust in Hashem Yisbarach in joy — for He will surely never forsake you.

And your wife, may she live, asked me to write to you — to drink milk every day. And in joy — eat. And in joy — study. And in joy — pray. The entire principle is only joy.

Words of one who truly loves you — who desires to see in you the fullness of good,

Nussun from Breslov And greetings of peace to my friend Reb Yoel Tzvi, may his candle shine, with his son — and particularly to his brother, my friend, our ohavainu Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — with strong love. And peace to all the Anash. And may Hashem Yisbarach merit us to receive the holy festival of Shavuos — and to receive upon ourselves with fresh ardent longing the fulfillment of the holy Torah given to us through Moshe Rabbainu, the faithful shepherd of his house, may his memory be for a blessing and for eternal life. So may it be His will. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.