כד

Tuesday, the Torah portion of Ki Tetze, the 5th of Elul, 5637 [= late August 1877 CE — the month of Elul, the month of repentance; Rosh Hashana is less than four weeks away; the urgency of this letter is inseparable from this moment in the calendar] — here in Teverya. [This letter is addressed to Reb Aizik — the writer's son-in-law — a different recipient from all previous letters. It is the longest and most emotionally charged letter in the collection.]

To the honor of my dear son — joined to the walls of my heart and engraved in my mind and in my spirit [הנצמד בקירות לבבי ונחקק במחי וברוחי — three layers of the writer's inner being: the heart, the mind (moach), and the spirit (ruach); the son-in-law is embedded in all three — bonded, engraved, present] — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Aizik, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his wife — she who is my daughter-in-law, the modest and the graceful [כלתי הצנועה והחסודה — two distinct feminine qualities: tznu'ah — modest, retiring; chasudah — gracious, full of lovingkindness] — Miriam Kilah, may she live — and with peace upon my granddaughter Miriam Chaya Lona, may she live, and my dear granddaughter Miriam Figeleh, may she live, and my modest granddaughter Miriam Yenta, may she live, and my beloved and pleasant grandson Morainu v'Rabbainu Naftali Moshe, may his candle shine, and my precious and beloved grandson Morainu v'Rabbainu Shimon, may his candle shine. [Each grandchild named individually with a specific term of endearment — beloved, pleasant, modest, dear, precious — each child seen and honored separately.]

And Hashem Who hears good and Who does good — may He bestow upon you a good inscription and a good sealing — upon you and upon my sons and daughters and their sons and daughters, and upon all my brothers and sisters, they and their sons with their daughters, and all their husbands and wives — in goodness, in everything, from everything, from all — in the midst of all of Israel. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.

Blessed be G-d — here I and my wife, may she live, and my mother, may she live, and my sister — and the Anash who dwell in Tzfas and in Yerushalayim — all of them are in life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you life and peace — and peace specifically [ושלום דיקא — "and peace — specifically, precisely" — the Aramaic-Yiddish emphatic particle dika: "particularly, precisely this and not merely the word"; the writer prays for real, genuine peace, not merely its name] — and success and blessing from within peace. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.

After inquiring after your good welfare as is right and proper — I have come to inform you, my friend my son, that it was not my intention to write you another letter until after the coming Rosh Hashana. But I am compelled to write to you — because of a decree of my father ז"ל [גזרת אבי ז"ל — "a decree of my father, of blessed memory" — the writer's own father appeared in a dream and decreed that this letter must be written; the word gezeirah — decree — is used for irrevocable rabbinic and divine rulings; the appearance lends this entire letter the authority of a transmission from beyond] who decreed upon me to write to you. And I will tell you a story.

The story was as follows: I traveled for the yahrtzeit of my father ז"ל to the Holy City of Tzfas — and there I lingered for thirteen days, because I traveled to Reb Tzvi and also to be there for the eve of the New Moon at the holy resting place of the holy Ari [האר"י זיע"א — Rabbi Yitzchak Luria; buried in Tzfas; the eve of the new month at his grave was a beloved Breslov practice] and the other holy resting places. And in the past week — on Monday and on Wednesday and on Friday [ביום ב' וביום ד' וביום ו' — three times in one week, on these three specific days; in kabbalistic reckoning these days are associated with particular spiritual dimensions; the triple appearance in succession is a deliberate pattern — the deceased father came three times to ensure the message would be received and acted upon] — I saw my father ז"ל in a dream. And he said, in the manner of a complaint: "I heard of the dispute that exists between my son Michoel, may his candle shine, and my grandson — who is your son Aizik, may his candle shine. And although in the substance of the matter at the outset your son was in the right — yet because he is an ingrate [כפוי טובה — kafui tovah — "one who has turned upside down the good done to him" — one who denies or ignores the goodness he received; the Talmud equates ingratitude with denial of G-d Himself; one of the most serious moral failings in Jewish ethics] — because my son raised him and taught him and bore his burdens — there was a great accusation against him. And I stood to advocate on his behalf and did not succeed. But I did advocate for him with one argument — that he knew, at the time when his son was staying there, where my son Zeev had hidden himself from the decree — and did not reveal it. And he was granted a postponement of four months. And I was required to go to your son Aizik, may his candle shine, to tell him to correct the matter. And now that you have come to my place, I am informing you — so that I should not need to go from Eretz Yisroel to the diaspora. And you write to him that he should make peace with my son Michoel, may his candle shine — according to law and judgment — and not be an ingrate, G-d forbid." And he said: the sign that this dream is true — for sometimes the words of dreams neither help nor harm — and the sign that it is a true dream is that immediately upon your arrival you will receive a letter from my son Michoel, may his candle shine, about his poverty and his dire straits.

And so it was: I arrived here on Sunday of this week — and at the very first light of dawn [ובאור הבקר — u've'or ha'boker — "and in the light of the morning" — the first brightening of the sky before sunrise, the earliest dawn light; the letter arrived at the very moment the new day began to lighten, fulfilling the sign of the dream with almost supernatural immediacy] there arrived a letter from my brother Michoel, may his candle shine — with a great and bitter account of the straits of his poverty, and the severity of his hardship that passes over him, and the great cruelty of your actions toward him from Monday of the Three Weeks [בין המצרים — "Between the Straits" — the three weeks of mourning between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av]. And the great humiliations with which you humiliated him in the home of Reb Boruch — until my daughter Sheindel, may she live, and my daughter Adel, may she live, wept — and my son-in-law Boruch, may his candle shine, said to him that he is among those who are humiliated and do not humiliate in return [מן הנעלבים ואינם עולבים — a Talmudic category from tractate Shabbos 88b: those who bear humiliation without responding; who hear their shame and do not answer; they are compared to the sun rising in its might], who hear their shame and do not respond. And my daughter struck herself on the head and said to you: whom are you shaming? Your father and your teacher! And she said words to you — G-d forbid — that deserve to be mourned over; that even G-d forbid — to Moshe Rabbainu you would not listen: to correct yourself — and G-d forbid — not even for Rosh Hashana. Although I do not believe such a thing — but even so, such words were said.

And to be brief about it [ובקצור — u'viktzur — "and in brief / to be short" — a rhetorical signal of deliberate compression; after pages of narrative the writer suddenly contracts; he cannot dwell on what follows] — when I read the letter I fainted for approximately one hour, and there was great weeping — and my wife, may she live, and my mother, may she live, and my sister, may she live — and with great difficulty they revived me. Therefore, my son my friend — if you truly want me to remain alive [אם אתה רוצה באמת שאחיה עוד — "if you truly want me to live yet more" — a raw, direct appeal: your behavior is literally killing me] — make peace with my brother as best you are able to make it. And believe in Hashem Yisbarach that He will not forsake you — and will fill all your deficiencies, which in your opinion the rabbi and the arbiters are shortchanging you — for "naked you came out of your mother's womb" [Job 1:21], and with Hashem Yisbarach there is no restraint between saving by many or by few. And fulfill the good and the right — this compromise.

And believe that no one touches what is set aside for his companion [אין אחד נוגע במה שמוכן לחברו — a fundamental principle: what is destined for one person cannot be taken by another]. And how can you bear in your heart — even if he were not your brother, your beloved, but merely another person — if he lived in a desolate village in such need — you would need to have mercy on him! For this is a Jewish sign: "the merciful, the doers of kindness, the modest ones" [רחמנים גמלנים בישנים — the three defining qualities of Israel in the Talmud]. And particularly he is your uncle and your cousin — and you loved him until two years ago like two beloved brothers, and like a son to a father. And how has your heart turned within you to such cruelty?

And even if he acts cruelly toward you — you must be merciful toward him — for at first he did much good for you, and you must never forget the good — forever. And you must judge him to the side of merit — for on account of his pressing straits, which he has never been accustomed to, he acted wrongly.

And know, my son — that if — G-d forbid, G-d forbid — you do not make peace with him, and you do not make peace in truth as before and as of old — then — G-d forbid, G-d forbid, do not open a mouth to the adversary [אל תפתח פה לשטן — "do not open a mouth to the Satan" — a Talmudic principle: do not articulate what you fear; to name the danger invites it; the writer stops himself mid-thought and shifts] — may the Merciful One save us — you will destroy me, G-d forbid. For I can no longer bear the letters and the soul-grief [עגמת נפש — agmas nefesh — "soul-grief" — the deepest form of sorrow, afflicting the soul at its core; used in halachic contexts to describe suffering so profound it has legal weight; more than mere sadness] and the sound of weeping from my mother, may she live, and from my sister, may she live. And if you were to see me, you would not recognize me — from the great anguish I endured in Tzfas, where the Anash asked me: why have you aged so much?

My son, my son, my son, my son, my son, my son, my son [בני בני בני בני בני בני בני — the word "my son" repeated seven times — one of the most striking moments in the entire collection; the writer abandons all rhetorical strategy and simply cries out the word seven times, as a father broken open by love and anguish; seven is the number of completeness — he calls from the full depth of his fatherhood] — have mercy on me, and on yourself, and on the soul of your young children and your little ones. Either flee from there — and if you cannot flee, reconcile yourself as best you are able. And I am confident in Hashem Yisbarach and in the power and merit of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple, and the merit of the Tzaddikim who dwell in the Holy Land — and in the power of the prayers that I will pray for you and for your wife and for your precious children — that surely however it goes — only without dispute — Hashem Yisbarach will surely not forsake you, and will pour upon you all goodness, Selah. And you shall raise your children and daughters with your wife, may she live, in spaciousness. Only — for the sake of Hashem — act beyond the letter of the law [לפנים משורת הדין — "inside the line of the law" — beyond what strict justice requires; from the fullness of the heart] — and turn all cruelty into mercy in truth — and endure what he wants, whatever is within your power to bear.

Therefore I cannot — and I do not issue a decree for something that cannot be said. However things are — may Hashem Yisbarach give you livelihood. And cast away from your heart all the hatred and the spirit of contention [והקנטור — ha'kantur — from the Latin contentio: contention, the habitual disposition to quarrel and provoke; not merely quarreling but the constant needling and stirring of conflict — "contentiousness" or "the spirit of provocation"; distinct from hatred: one is the emotion, the other is the behavioral pattern of constant picking of arguments] — and turn your heart toward love — toward your uncle and toward your cousins. For I know that you loved them with a soul-love. And I have written all this to you by the decree of your grandfather — your great-grandfather ז"ל, who loved you as a father loves a son. And you should ask of my brother Zeev, may his candle shine, that he make peace between you in truth — without any cunning, and without any more pleading and responding, and disputing and debating — only in truth, as before and as of old. What belongs to my brother — let it be his. And what belongs to you — let it be yours.

And from the fact that you sometimes see me write sharp words to my brother — do not harden your neck on this account — for to him I need to write in that manner. But you — how did you forget the goodnesses he did for you from the time of your first arrival: how he drew you close, and how he received you with joy, and how he studied with you, and how he bore your burdens — and traveled to your father-in-law ז"ל to finalize the engagement, traveling over mountains and over hills [שנסע על הרים וגבעות — "who traveled over mountains and hills" — an echo of Song of Songs 2:8: "behold, he comes leaping over the mountains, skipping upon the hills"; Michoel's journey to arrange the engagement was heroic, love-driven effort — the writer invokes the language of the beloved leaping toward his love to describe his brother's dedication] — as you yourself told me? Why do you want to push him out of the village? And is this right? Has he not lost all his wealth and possessions for the sake of his father-in-law — and afterward gave him the money of chazakah [מעות חזקה — chazakah money — money establishing legal ownership or tenancy rights; a substantial sum paid to secure a claim of residence]? Although you too have your claim — that you sit in such [difficulty]. But you come from his strength. Has there not been a Single One Who watches — from Whom nothing is hidden? And one must fear Him, may He be blessed, and be abashed before Him — to act in truth and in wholeness. And it is written: "and you shall be clean before Hashem and before Israel" [Numbers 32:22]. And it is written: "and you shall come to the judge" — and Rashi explains: "you have none other but the judge of your own generation." [Rashi on Deuteronomy 17:9] And particularly — your three arbiters write to me thus: "G-d stands in the assembly of the mighty" [Psalms 82:1].

Gevald, my son [גיוואלד — Yiddish: the cry of distress bursts into the Hebrew again; the same word the writer shouted at the robbers in Letter 23, now aimed at his son's heart], may his candle shine — Jews give their souls and their money for the sake of Hashem — even the frivolous and the empty-headed [קלי עולם — kalei olam — "the light-weights of the world" — the frivolous, the spiritually empty, those of no substance; the contempt is pointed: even people who are hollow and trivial sacrifice themselves for G-d, yet you — a person of Torah and substance — fail to do so over a money concern]! And you, on account of a concern about a loss of livelihood, you transgress the command of G-d. And particularly the destruction of the Second Temple was on account of baseless hatred [שנאת חנם — sinas chinam — the Talmud's explanation for why the Second Temple was destroyed]. And particularly toward your uncle who drew you close and raised you — from whom you surely received even one letter's teaching — and you must call him your teacher, your guide, and your intimate [רבי אלופי ומידעי — a phrase from Psalms 55:14 describing the closest of friends and teachers]. And you must treat him with honor — and the loss of one's teacher takes precedence over the loss of one's father [a Talmudic principle from tractate Bava Metzia].

Therefore, my son my friend my beloved — whom I love with a soul-love — and I desire your success in truth, with great wealth — and I do not desire money of robbery near you — when the rabbi and two arbiters have said thus, believe that thus said the Holy One, blessed be He. And surely what will be lacking from you on account of the arbiters' ruling — Hashem Yisbarach will surely fill for you from another place — in double and redoubled abundance. And do not harden your heart against your impoverished brother — "and from your own flesh do not hide" [Isaiah 58:7]. See Rashi's commentary on the Torah portion Re'eh, chapter 15, verse 7. And also see Rashi on verse 9. [Deuteronomy 15:7 and 15:9 — the obligation to give generously to the poor; Rashi's explanation of "your brother" and "your hand" and "your heart" directly applies to this situation]

And I cannot understand how you can hold yourself back — while you spread through all the village — and he has not a loaf of bread. If you do not have mercy on him, you must have mercy on his small children — are they not my very flesh and bone? Consider this well, my child — is this right? [בעטראכט זיך גוט מיין קינד צי סע רעכט אזוי — Yiddish: "Ba'trach zikh gut mayn kind, tsi ze rekht azoy" — "Consider this well, my child — is this right, is it so?" — the writer breaks into Yiddish for this most direct of parental appeals; the intimate vernacular carries what the sacred language cannot at this moment] And particularly Hashem Yisbarach hates dispute and loves peace — for the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Peace. And it is worth giving one's soul and one's money for the honor of Hashem. And I am confident in Hashem Yisbarach that you will not lose at all — as it is written: "there is one who scatters and yet increases more" [Proverbs 11:24]. And Hashem Yisbarach will fill your deficiency — and G-d willing you will see the salvation of Hashem with you.

And do this for the sake of the commandment of honoring your father, may his candle shine, and your mother, your grandmother. For believe me, my son — we no longer have the strength to bear their letters. And my brother Zeev does not write to me at all — for I have become a stranger to my brother. And do this for the sake of your grandfather, your great-grandfather ז"ל.

And communicate all this to my brother Zeev, may his candle shine — and pour out your heart before him, all that you are unable to bear in your strength — perhaps he will ease some of it from you. And I ask of him to have mercy on me — and make peace in truth, fair to both sides. And I promise him, with the help of G-d the Great and the Awesome Whose Name is Peace — that if he makes a true peace, the peace will be for him a vessel that holds blessing [כלי מחזיק ברכה — "a vessel that holds blessing" — the Talmudic teaching: peace is the vessel in which all blessing is contained; there is no blessing without peace; make peace and it will gather all your scattered fortunes] — to gather all his scattered ones — and he will succeed in his possessions and will have spaciousness from both sides. And may Hashem Yisbarach have mercy on my brother Zeev, may his candle shine — and expand him in every kind of expansion. And may He have mercy on our elderly and very, very weak mother — and on me as well, who have become very, very weak — my hands tremble from my weakness. And may He find the fair middle path between both sides in truth — and may it be reckoned with him as it ought to be reckoned when making a fair settlement between two people, as truth demands.

And you too, my son — yield from your share all that you are able in your strength — so that there should be peace between you. And I believe that your life will be set right — good lives. And also der agradnik vet zich oich af zikhn [Yiddish: "the farming plot / the agricultural concern will also sort itself out" — agradnik from the Polish ogrodnik: a gardener, a smallholder; the agricultural land at the heart of the dispute will resolve itself]. And study in the book of Middos [Sefer HaMidos — "The Book of Character Traits" — compiled by Rabbainu ז"ל; organized alphabetically by character quality], the letter Quarrel and the letter Money — and there you will see the great damage of dispute.

And read my letter several times — and each time pray to Hashem Yisbarach that you should be able to fulfill my letter; that Hashem Yisbarach help you to overcome your inclination and to subdue it [ולכף אותו — velichof oso — "and to subdue it, to press it down" — from the root kefiyah — compulsion, forcible subjugation; not merely to bend but to overpower the evil inclination and press it down toward peace; a stronger act than mere moderation] — only toward peace. And there will be peace for you and for your father and for your precious children — peace in their bodies and peace in their money and peace in their Torah. For you fulfill the Torah: "and you shall love your neighbor as yourself" — this is the great principle of the Torah — and it is all the Torah. [Rabbi Akiva's teaching from Sifra: "this is the great principle of the Torah" [Leviticus 19:18]; the entire dispute is framed within this ultimate commandment]

And on account of my great confidence in your love for me — and also because it is now the days of the holy Rosh Chodesh Elul, when we must prepare ourselves for the Day of Judgment — I have been brief and say peace.

Your father who pleads on your behalf at all times and desires peace — for there is a mouth [שיש לו פה — "who has a mouth" — meaning: who will speak and plead on your behalf; the writer's prayer is the mouth pleading for you] — and who always seeks your good, and desires your success in truth — and hopes for your reply together, as before and as of old — and awaits to hear that you were all at Rosh Hashana in Uman, within the holy gathering.

The small one,

Nussun son of my master my father my teacher and my Rebbe, Morainu v'Rabbainu Yehuda [זללה"ה]

A sealed note within the letter: [ב'חותם בתוך חותם' — "sealed within a seal" — a doubly sealed letter within the letter, so that no one but the addressee can read it; from rabbinic law regarding confidential letters] And this letter I am sending to you with "a seal within a seal" — so that no other person will read it. And if your uncle truly wants peace in truth — without any cunning — and what is within your power to bear, bear it for the sake of peace. And if perhaps he wants something that is entirely beyond your power to bear — I do not issue a decree upon you, G-d forbid, G-d forbid. Only — for the sake of Hashem — from now on do not shame him. And bear all the shames with which he shames you — and do not respond to him with anything whatsoever — at all and at all.