נח

Thanks to G-d for our lives — blessed be G-d, blessed be G-d — all of us here are in life and in peace. Only my wife, may she live, is very far from being in good health. And blessed be G-d — my sister, may she live — blessed be G-d — has departed from the fever without leaving any trace [בלא חינא — "without any chinah" — without leaving any residue or aftermath; chinah means the traces or residual marks left behind by something; the fever departed completely cleanly, without any lasting damage or mark]. May Hashem Yisbarach likewise merit me to hear from you life and peace — and may He lighten from upon you all the harsh judgments — both from your wife, may she live — and heal her body in fullness as the good hand of Hashem is upon all the world — and from your brother, may his candle shine — in the midst of all Israel. And may Hashem Yisbarach incline His ear to hear the sound of our prayers and supplications which we pray to Him on every single particular — and give us the heart to give thanks for the past and to cry out for the future — and to hold ourselves in the delight of the World to Come which is the days of Chanukah — the days of thanksgiving.

And know that I received all the letters — both through the non-Jewish carrier with the sum of four rubles — and the letters you sent me through the young scholar Morainu v'Rabbainu Shimshon. And I will certainly do as you have requested of me. And this is a novelty to me — that I wrote to you to inform me about Reb Abaleh, may his candle shine — what is heard about him — and you do not want to write it to me. Are not my sufferings very great? — for Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, has been away from the diaspora for approximately more than a month — and how is it that he has not heard about him? Therefore I have greatly asked of you not to withhold this truth from me [שלא תכחש מאתי — "that you should not deny / dissemble toward me" — tichachesh — to deny, to withhold the truth, to give a false account; from kachash — to lie, to deny; stronger than merely "hide" — it implies a deliberate suppression that amounts to a falsehood; do not deny me the truth] — for the suffering is beyond reckoning.

Therefore — for the sake of Hashem — my truly beloved: perhaps money will reach him from some place — in the name of your father, may his candle shine — hold the money in your hands. For I will write to him. And also I am sending a letter to Amsterdam — to the seven good men of the city — for perhaps they sent my money to another place. And they have a receipt with the validating seal and the name of the appointed responsible official [עם הקים והממנה — "with the validating seal and the appointed one" — ha'kayim — the confirming, validating stamp or seal; and ha'memuneh — the person designated and appointed as responsible for this matter; the receipt bears both the official seal and the name of the designated responsible party] from this place — that money be sent here — so that they can see who received the money — in order to address this person who received without right the money of others. Therefore for now hold his money in your hands if it reaches you.

More news there is none — only life and peace. And may Hashem Yisbarach merit us to illuminate upon us the light of wisdom below ten.

Words of one who loves you, Nussun from Breslov

Written Tuesday, Parshas Vayeishev, 5639 (November–December 1878), from Teverya — the Chanukah period. The wife still very ill; the sister has recovered without trace. The writer investigates his missing Amsterdam money. The Chanukah teaching: the delight of the World to Come. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן And in what you wrote to me that blessed be G-d your son is in good health — you gave life to our souls. But would that Hashem Yisbarach send swiftly and soon a complete healing to your wife, may she live — to her two hundred and forty-eight limbs and her three hundred and sixty-five sinews [לרמ"ח אבריה ושס"ה גידיה — the traditional Talmudic enumeration: the human body has 248 limbs and 365 sinews, corresponding to the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments of the Torah; to pray for "all her limbs and all her sinews" is to pray for every single part of the body, leaving nothing out; the entire body prayed-for in the language of the entire Torah]. And we have great grief from this and we pray for you at all times. And also for your son, may his candle shine — may Hashem Yisbarach hear our prayer quickly and soon. And write to me how the joy of Purim passed for you — for through this all harsh judgments are sweetened.