כט

Sunday, the Torah portion of Vaeira [Parshas Vaeira — "And I appeared" — the first seven plagues; it falls in late January], 5638 [= late January 1878 CE] — the Holy City of Teverya, may it be established and built for good — written from the home.

To the honor of my strong friend, our ohavainu, truly — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his dear father, the wondrous veteran Chassid, etc., the honor of the name of his Torah — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — blessed be G-d — all of us are in the way of life and in peace. May Hashem Yisbarach merit me to hear from you quickly and soon good tidings about your good health — Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed — and about your complete healing [ומרפואתכם בשלמות — "and about your complete healing" — a prayer for an ongoing illness; the recipient or his wife is currently unwell, and the writer prays for their full recovery] — from your household and from your mother, may she live, and from all our true beloved.

The letters — from you and from our friend Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine, and from my son — I received properly. And Hashem Yisbarach surely gave me life — may He give life to you with good tidings. But the joy still cannot be complete — because my wife is not in good health, and your brother, may his candle shine, has not yet been healed. And what is this — that earlier you wrote to me that he had been healed and was at Rosh Hashana? But in this we are being signaled that we must only cry out and shout to Hashem Yisbarach — and give thanks for the little spaciousness of relief [ולהודות על המעט הרחבה — "and to give thanks for the little revachah" — revachah means spaciousness, relief from constriction, the opening of breathing room; the opposite of distress is not merely improvement but the specific opening of space; even the smallest revachah — the tiniest breath of relief — deserves thanksgiving] — and cry out for the future for complete salvation, in material and in spiritual matters. And to receive everything in joy and in love — and even so to cry out to Hashem Yisbarach until He looks down and Hashem sees from Heaven and has mercy with complete salvation.

And also regarding what you wrote to me about the son of our friend Reb Yekusiel ז"ל — who has distanced himself from your community for these two months — I have great grief about this. For he is the son of Reb Yekusiel ז"ל and the son-in-law of our friend the Tzaddik Reb Yekusiel ז"ל. And perhaps one must specifically draw near the one who is distant — like Elijah the Prophet [כמו אליהו הנביא — Elijah is the one who — according to Malachi 3:24 — "will turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers" before the great day; in Breslov teaching, Elijah represents the one who goes out actively to restore broken bonds and draw back the distant soul; the writer is not making a casual comparison but invoking this specific teaching about active pursuit of the straying person]. G-d willing, in the coming week I will write to him myself some letter — for fortunate is the one who pursues the beloved [זכאה מאן דרדיף בתר חיבא — Aramaic: "fortunate / meritorious is the one who pursues after the beloved / after love" — a Talmudic-Aramaic phrase; the writer switches into the sacred Aramaic of the Talmud; to be the one who actively pursues love is itself a great merit; do not wait for the distant soul to return — go after them].

And know that I am sending the receipt for the sum of seventy-five kopikes. And also Reb Shmuel Heynich told me that he wrote to you to send him the money — only to deduct from it the money that he owes to my brother Reb Dov, may his candle shine, and to the son of [ולב"ר — ul'var — Aramaic: "and to the son of" — the abbreviation ב"ר stands for the Aramaic bar — "son of"; another of the natural Aramaic title-abbreviations embedded throughout these letters] Reb Efrikele — and the remainder send to him. And he himself will write a letter to Kalibulad [a place name in the diaspora where related correspondence is to be sent]. And if perhaps you specifically want a receipt — do thus: send more of the money to the hand of another after deducting from Reb Dov, may his candle shine. And I will not give it to him until he gives me a receipt.

And on account of the urgency of the Mincha prayer [תפילת מנחה — the afternoon prayer; the writer literally stops writing to go pray; prayer takes precedence over correspondence — a vivid and genuine moment] I have been brief — and say peace.

Your friend who always seeks your good and desires to see in you the fullness of good, Nussun from Breslov