מג

Friday, the eve of the holy Shabbos, the Torah portion of Korach [the rebellion of Korach and his company; late June or early July 1878; written in urgency before Shabbos], 5638, according to the minor reckoning — here in Teverya, may it be established and built for good.

To the honor of my truly beloved — whose love is bound to my soul — the wondrous veteran Chassid — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon your father the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine — and may he appear and shine forth in radiant beauty [ויופיע — v'yofi'a — "and may he appear / shine forth in radiant beauty" — from the root meaning to make beautiful, to glorify, to emerge in glorious radiance; distinct from the v'yizrach — "may he rise and shine like the sun" — used for the same person in Letter 42; yofi'a evokes the emergence of glorious radiant beauty, as the dawn or a great light appearing; the writer varies the blessing of radiance between letters].

Your letter — through Reb Mordechai Stalir — I received this very moment — and immediately to reply to you. And also this week I received yet another letter from you — and I had great grief from the theft against our friend Reb Efraim, may his candle shine — and from the fact that your wife wrote that she still has no healing — and the expenses are great and the burden of cares pressing upon her is heavy [וגדל טרדתה — u'gadal tardatah — "and the greatness of her tardah" — tardah means the state of being burdened and preoccupied by pressing demands and cares; more than mere physical burden — the constant pressing of demands, worries, and preoccupations that crowd and weigh upon the mind and spirit; she is terudah — driven and pressed by circumstances]. And also from your son who has eye pain. But from all of this Rabbainu ז"ל taught us to cleave to Hashem Yisbarach — for who made all this for me? — Hashem Yisbarach [כי מי עשה לי כל זה השי"ת — a teaching of Rabbainu ז"ל: in every trouble and difficulty, ask the question "who made this for me?" — and the answer is always: Hashem Yisbarach; this transforms trouble into encounter with G-d; the question is not rhetorical complaint but a spiritual practice of recognition]. And the attribute of good is more by one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine times [מדה טובה מרבה אלף ותתקצ"ט פעמים — combining Talmudic teachings about the overwhelming preponderance of divine goodness; the exact figure — 1,599 — emphasizes beyond any reckoning how much divine goodness exceeds any measure of divine judgment]. Therefore we must arouse His mercies — multiplying in prayer and supplication — until Hashem looks down and sees from Heaven to have mercy on you — and sweeten all the harsh judgments from upon you.

And as your wife, may she live, described her weakness to my wife — I do not know whether the doctor will help in this — for זי איז רויט געווארן [Yiddish: "she became red / flushed" — a medical symptom; redness or flushing possibly indicating fever or inflammation] — and perhaps she should present herself here at the baths [זי זאל זיך גיווייזן — Yiddish: "she should show herself / present herself for consultation" — the Yiddish idiom zikh geveyzn means to present oneself, to appear before someone for examination or consultation; the famous hot sulfurous springs of Tiberias, used for healing since antiquity] — אויף כך 30 יום [Yiddish: "for about thirty days" — a month-long course of treatment] — נאר זי נישט גייען צו פיס נאר פארן [Yiddish: "only she should not go on foot but by carriage" — she is not strong enough to walk; she must travel by conveyance] — וועט איהר אפשר געהאלפן [Yiddish: "perhaps it will help her"]. חוץ דעם דא וואלט זיא איין שליש הוצאות געהאט [Yiddish: "besides this, here she would have a third of the expenses" — in Tiberias the cost would be one third of what she is spending in Yerushalayim; a practical financial argument]. May the merit of Yerushalayim shield her — and may she have a complete healing — only pray to Hashem Yisbarach with the heart [נאר מיט הארץ בעטן להשי"ת — Yiddish: "only with the heart — petition Hashem Yisbarach" — beten — to pray, to ask earnestly; mitn harts — from the innermost sincere place; a Yiddish code-switch carrying both a practical instruction and a spiritual one: petition from the innermost sincerity].

Words of one who loves you,

Nussun from Breslov

And I am also sending you enclosed two letters — one to Breslov and one to Teplik. And on the address written on the letter — thus our friend Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, should send it. I have greatly asked of you — everywhere you go and where my sons are — press them for letters to me. And travel in peace [ותסעו לשלום — the recipient is about to travel to Uman — to the resting place of Rabbainu ז"ל — for Rosh Hashana or another occasion; the postscript is clearly addressed to someone departing for this holy journey] — and act there before Rabbainu ז"ל for all your desires [ותפעל שם אצל רבנו ז"ל כל חפצך — use your time at the resting place of Rabbainu ז"ל to pray and accomplish everything you need; the most intimate spiritual transaction is being entrusted to the traveler]. And come in peace to your home — peace in your body, peace in your Torah, and peace in your money. And may Hashem Yisbarach merit me — that my longing and my yearning and my passion be translated from potential into actual [תשוקתי וכספי וגעגועי מכח אל הפעל — three words for the writer's desire: teshukah — longing; chesev — yearning, passionate desire; ge'agu'im — the ache of missing, nostalgic longing; and the philosophical pair mi'koach el ha'po'al — from potency to actuality, from the Aristotelian potentia to actus; may the fullness of his yearning be actualized and fulfilled, not remain merely potential]. Words of the above-mentioned, Nussun from Breslov And greetings of peace to your son Sender Chaim, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach send him a complete healing. And also — whether our young scholar Reb Nissan, may his candle shine, had a letter to travel home or not. And also — Reb Aitzikel should know that the postal carriage goes to Teplik as well — and G-d willing, when I will be at the yahrtzeit of my father ז"ל, I will give to the wife of Reb Aitzikel the postal money — it will cost approximately seven kopikes. And greetings of peace to my friend the young scholar Morainu v'Rabbainu Eliezer, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach help: just as you expound beautifully, may you likewise fulfill beautifully [כמו שאתה נאה דורש כן אתה נאה תקים — na'eh doresh na'eh mekayem — the classic Talmudic blessing pairing beautiful preaching with beautiful practice; the one who teaches attractively should also live it attractively; a blessing that the inner and the outer correspond] — and surely it will be good for you. And greetings of peace to my friend Reb Kalman, may his candle shine, and to the young scholar Morainu v'Rabbainu Nissan, may his candle shine, and to his grandfather Morainu v'Rabbainu Chaim Kresh.