קכא

Your letter — together with the letter of Reb Hirsh, may his candle shine — and together with the letter of our beloved, my strong friend Reb Nussun son of Reb Yekusiel z"l — and together with the letter of our beloved Reb Aizik — I received properly. And from the matter of my wife, may she live — a little expansiveness — that blessed be G-d the cough and the stabbing pains have left her — and I give thanks to G-d for this. But would that Hashem Yisbarach let the fever leave her — which is beyond all reckoning. And now with us is the Chassid Reb Dov, may his candle shine — he has seen her great suffering — for the fever lasts more than a full day and night. May Hashem Yisbarach have mercy on her quickly and soon. And I greatly ask of you to pray for her — that Hashem Yisbarach have mercy on her — for she has no strength to bear it — and she tastes nothing at all — only cooked water. And the compassion is also very great upon me — for I cannot engage in Torah and prayer — except what I take by force from the time [מה שאני גוזל איזה עת — "what I rob and take by force from the time" — from gazel — to rob, to seize by force; the writer does not merely "steal" moments — he wrests and forcibly robs time away from the sick-visit to study; the word carries the weight of urgent, forcible seizure]. And my main consolation is Rabbainu z"l and his holy disciple — who revealed to us that even the Master of the Universe Himself is good — and even the preparation is very good.

And what shall I say to you — my brothers and my friends — why, why do we sleep from such good that Hashem Yisbarach bequeathed to us through Rabbainu z"l and his holy disciple? And we studied on the night after Shabbos the Torah "And Hashem built the rib" — and upon it there is a law: the Laws of One Who Injures His Companion — law 3. And look there — and you will see the greatness of Rabbainu z"l and his holy disciple — and the greatness of the graves of the Tzaddikim. And there is explained the answer to what Reb Aizik, may his candle shine, wrote to me — that you have new sufferings. For there it is explained: that regarding honor — one must fear lest there be a departure and withdrawal of the soul. But regarding humiliations — there is nothing to fear at all; on the contrary — it is a segulah for repentance. And as for what they want to uproot the words of Rabbainu z"l and his holy disciple — they will perish, etc. And Reb Nosson z"l already said — when the controversy intensified greatly against him — he gave himself life with this verse: "He who guards truth forever" — that Hashem Yisbarach Himself guards the truth forever. And from all the insults and slanders — turn yourselves to study Likutay Halachos — for Rabbainu z"l said: the Tzaddik makes from all the insults and slanders — laws. And from Reb Nosson z"l we saw with our own eyes that he merited to this. And we in simplicity must fulfill — that from all the humiliations we turn ourselves to the books of Rabbainu z"l and his disciple. And in another place it is explained: that through the controversy — a book is made. And Rabbainu z"l said: by that place — it shall be counted at every occasion as some book.

Therefore — my brothers and my sons — beloved of my soul — Nussun, Eliezer, Aizik, Nussun son of Reb Yekusiel, Henech, Avraham — and also all who truly desire the path of Rabbainu z"l — let us spare and have mercy upon ourselves [נחוס ונחמל עלינו — "let us spare and have mercy upon ourselves" — two distinct words: chus — to spare, to hold back from loss, to not allow something precious to be wasted; and chamal — to have compassion; together: spare and compassionately protect ourselves from squandering our precious days] and upon our days and our years — and let us renew our strength — to begin from now to draw ourselves close to Hashem Yisbarach — according to the paths of Rabbainu z"l and his holy disciple. Surely Hashem Yisbarach will save us from all the controversy — and everything will be set aright — and the word of our G-d will stand forever. And "Pharaoh drew close" [Exodus 14:10 — ופרעה הקריב — "And Pharaoh drew close / brought near" — the writer takes the verse's word hikriv — brought near, drew close — and reads it as a teaching: Pharaoh draws close to whoever has compassion and mercy on his own soul and spirit and divine soul; whoever draws himself near to his own soul's welfare, Pharaoh is drawn toward; a creative Midrashic reading of the word hikriv] — toward whoever has compassion and mercy on his own soul and spirit and divine soul.

On both this and that I have no more leisure to speak with you — for I am engaged in the sick-visiting of the one at home.

Words of one who truly loves you in truth and in wholeness — and may He Who makes peace in His high places make peace upon us and upon all Israel, Your friend, Nussun from Breslov

And greetings of peace to our beloved — my friend, your precious father, may his candle shine — and to our friend, the veteran Chassid, our beloved, Reb Nachman, may his candle shine — and my strong friend Reb Hirsh, may his candle shine. And I am sending you enclosed here the ticket to Jaffa — and also the letter that I sent to your hand for Breslov — for the sake of Hashem guard it — for it is very much needed. And write to me whether you received it in your hand. For my friend Reb Nussun, may his candle shine, and Reb Aizik, may his candle shine, do not reply to the first matter first and the last last — for several times I wrote to them to inform me about our friend Reb Nachman, may his candle shine — what he has done — and they did not reply to me — and I had great suffering. And know that the zhive and the beets I received properly — and why did he not write to me the price?

And greetings of peace to the patron Reb Chaim Krish — and to Reb Abba, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his wife, may she live — and to Reb Yaakov, may his candle shine — and to Reb Sender, may his candle shine — and to Reb Yoel Hirsh, may his candle shine — and to Reb Yosef, may his candle shine — and to Reb Meir, may his candle shine — and to Reb Avraham Hirsh.

How fortunate are you — Breslov Chassidim — how fortunate are we — how good is our portion!

Written Tuesday night, Parshas Beshalach, 5642 (late January or early February 1882), from Teverya. A slight improvement. A rich teaching. Humiliation is a segulah. How fortunate are you — Breslov Chassidim!

נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן Letter 119 | Kuf-Tes-Ches Translator's Summary — Letter 119