מב

Wednesday, the Torah portion of Beha'alosecha [the lighting of the Menorah, the Levites' service, the silver trumpets; June 1878], 5638 — here in Teverya, may it be established and built for good.

To the honor of my strong friend, our ohavainu, the precious wondrous one — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon your dear father, the wondrous and exceptional, the veteran Chassid, the honor of the name of his Torah — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine — and may he shine forth radiantly [ויזרח — v'yizrach — "and may he rise and shine" — as the sun rises; a blessing for the father's radiance; note that in Letter 43 this same person receives the blessing v'yofi'a — a different word for shining forth, meaning to appear in radiant beauty; the two verbs are related but distinct: yizrach evokes the rising sun; yofi'a evokes the appearance of glorious radiance].

Blessed be G-d — all of us are in the way of life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you life and peace — peace that has a mouth [שלום שיש לו פה — from Tractate Shabbos 10b; the full peace that can speak for itself, that declares and articulates its own wholeness; not silent or passive peace but peace that has voice and presence].

Your letter I received — and there it is written that your son, blessed be G-d, has begun the fifth book — for a good sign and a good time. But in my opinion he is going more than is needed — for "a five-year-old for Scripture" — and one does not need to add to the Torah. And I am afraid, G-d forbid, whether there was not an evil eye upon him. Therefore — for the sake of Hashem — instruct the teacher not to press him at all — and not to frighten him — for sometimes this comes from great fear. And let him train him to speak at a measured walking pace, and not at a run [ויחנך אותו לדבר במתינות ולא במרוצה — "metinut" is the quality of deliberate, measured, patient pace — walking at one's own tempo; "merutzah" — at a run, literally running — the speech racing ahead of itself; the image is vivid: train him to speak at walking-pace, not running-pace, taking each word carefully in stride]. And beyond this one must pray for him to Hashem Yisbarach — Who placed a mouth in a person — that in the merit of the great heaviness-of-mouth — who in truth was not heavy of mouth and was able to sing beautiful songs and riddles [Moshe Rabbainu; attributed with a speech difficulty in the Torah [Exodus 4:10]; the writer teaches that this quality was given to Moshe — who could in truth speak beautifully — so that all who have speech difficulties could draw on his merit for healing] — may Hashem Yisbarach send His kindness upon him, that his speech and his prayer and his Torah should be well-ordered and flowing freely from his mouth [סדורה ושגורה בפיו — two distinct qualities: sedurah — ordered, properly arranged, set in correct order; and shegurah — flowing freely and easily, well-rehearsed and habitually ready on the tongue; the prayer asks for both: the correct arrangement of speech and the ease of its flow]. For everything is in the hands of Hashem Yisbarach. And do not worry at all — and do not be drawn after the grief — for Hashem Yisbarach will have mercy on you and on your wife, may she live, and on your son, may his candle shine — if you are in joy. And just as Hashem Yisbarach healed him and you and your wife, may she live, from all the illnesses that passed over you — may He likewise help you with the fullness of good.

And I have greatly asked of you — that not a single week pass without your writing to me a letter — for I give myself life through your letters. And also in order not to distance the hearts from each other. And I have greatly asked that you write to me whether you sent my letters to Tcherin and to Kalibulad. And also if our friend Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, will travel G-d willing — notify me — and I will send letters with him. For I have no news whatsoever from my daughter Figa Miriam — they wrote to me during the Torah portion of Tazria that she is lying in the hospital in Uman with her son — and my grief is very great. But this — there is no counsel for it — G-d forbid — to be in sadness and melancholy — for this is not the will of Hashem Yisbarach. Rather: to receive in love — and to request of Hashem Yisbarach — for He yearns and craves our prayers [כי מתאוה לתפלותנו — ki mis'aveh l'tefilloseinu — "for He longs for / craves our prayers" — the word mis'aveh is from ta'avah — longing, craving desire; a stronger and more intimate word than "desires"; G-d does not merely accept or welcome our prayers but actively yearns for and craves them with the intensity of longing]. Therefore Hashem Yisbarach arouses over us at all times some matters, so that we should not forget Him — as is explained in the Midrash Rabbah, the Torah portion of Shemos, chapter 21 — the parable of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi [the parable about a king who arranges obstacles for his beloved son in order to keep the son turning to him; G-d arranges troubles to ensure we keep praying and turning to Him]. Therefore we must not cease from praying before Hashem Yisbarach always — as is the will of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple — that we should be occupied always in prayer and supplication — and precede mercy before wrath. And the Ba'al Shem Tov said: "Hashem is your shadow" [Psalms 121:5 — the shadow mirrors every movement of the one who casts it] — just as a person acts toward Hashem Yisbarach, so Hashem Yisbarach acts toward the person — and He too will precede mercy.

Words of one who truly loves you,

Nussun from Breslov And hang for your son a charm from Rabbainu ז"ל — a fish scale [סנפיר מדג — a fish scale; fish live beneath the water's surface, beneath the gaze of others, and therefore are not affected by the evil eye; their scales carry this protective quality] — and it is a segulah against the evil eye. And if there are any letters from abroad — from your brother, may his candle shine, or from your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine — write to me immediately — perhaps some salvation will sprout for your brother.