לח

Monday, the Torah portion of Metzora, 5638, according to the minor reckoning — Teverya. [The day after Letter 37]

To the honor of my truly and wholeheartedly beloved — like a son before a veteran Chassid father — the honor of the name of his Torah — Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun, may his candle shine — together with peace upon his wife and his precious son Sender Chaim, may his candle shine.

Thanks to G-d for our lives — blessed be G-d — all of us are in life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you life and peace — and may Eliyahu the Prophet be clothed in you and bring you good tidings [ויתלבש בך אליהו הנביא ויבשר לך בשורות טובות — "and may Eliyahu the Prophet be clothed in you and bring you good tidings" — a striking blessing: the spirit of Elijah the herald of redemption invests and clothes itself in the bearer of the letter, making the recipient the living embodiment of the good news he brings] — both from your brother, may his candle shine, and from my daughter, may she live, and from all our beloved — and from all of Israel. And may this month be the end and the limit of all our troubles — and the beginning and the head of the redemption of our souls. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.

Your letter of today I received today — with the money, the sum of seven bishlikim with ten paras. Although our grief is very great — from my daughter, may she live, and from your brother, may his candle shine, and from the constricting pressure of the hour [מדחיקות השעה — mi'dechikus ha'sha'ah — "from the pressing / squeezing of the hour" — the specific financial and circumstantial constriction bearing down on the co-parent-in-law; dechikus means to press, to squeeze, to constrict; a strong word for the tight pressure of circumstances] — because of your co-parent-in-law, my beloved, may his candle shine — even so I believe: "in my distress You have given me spaciousness" [Psalms 4:2: in the very place of constriction, G-d provides relief; the writer cites this as his credo in the face of multiple simultaneous griefs] — and I am confident in Hashem Yisbarach that there will surely be some goodness and spaciousness. Only we are being reminded to correct ourselves through prayer at all times — and let there be absolutely no despair [ובל נתיאש — u'val nitya'esh — the word bal is the biblical-poetic emphatic negative particle found in Psalms and biblical poetry; stronger than the ordinary "and not" — it means "let there absolutely be no / and absolutely not"; a categorical prohibition against despair] of prayer and of mercy — and to bring mercy before wrath [ולהקדים רחמים לרגז — an echo of the Talmudic teaching about G-d's own practice of preceding mercy before judgment; the writer applies this to their own spiritual posture: meet every difficult situation by invoking mercy first].

And what you wrote to me — that your father, may his candle shine, asked me to arouse mercy for his son Yisroel Aryeh, may his candle shine — believe me, he has not budged from my thoughts [שלא זז ממחשבתי — shelo zaz mi'machshavti — "that he did not stir / budge from my thoughts" — the word zaz means to move, to stir, to budge even slightly; the person is immovably lodged in the writer's consciousness — not moved even a hair's breadth from his thoughts, not for a single day] for even a single day without praying for him — for he is one of the precious Anash. And I ask of you as well to arouse mercy for my daughter Miriam Figa, may she live, daughter of Yocheved Sarah — for she is a very precious daughter to me — for she is a modest woman. And ask on my behalf of Reb Kalman, may his candle shine, that he go on my behalf to the resting place of the holy Ari ז"ל and pray for her.

And furthermore I ask several things of you. First — certainly write a letter to our friend your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine — write some letter on my behalf to him — with a great request — that for the sake of the mitzvah and for the sake of our true love which is bound with an intense and strong bond — he should endeavor to ensure that we have a letter from my son-in-law and from my daughter, may she live, and from my grandchildren — and from my wife's son Morainu v'Rabbainu Yitzchak, may his candle shine, with his wife and his son, may they live — and from my wife's daughter Miriam Chaikah, may she live, together with peace upon her husband, may his candle shine, and his sons, may they live. For the reward of a mitzvah is beyond estimating — and I will certainly bless him and advocate for him here [אשרת אותו בכאן — asharess oso b'chan — "I will bless / affirm / advocate for him here" — from the root asher — to bless, to declare fortunate, to affirm; or from sheres — to minister, to serve; the writer promises to act as his spiritual advocate from the Holy Land, blessing and ministering on his behalf at the holy sites] in prayer and supplication at all the holy resting places. For I can no longer bear the grief of my wife, may she live — for when your letter came and you wrote to me about my daughter, may she live, that your co-parent-in-law wrote that she is not in good health — and from her sons he did not write at all — she fainted for approximately ten minutes — and her weeping is beyond measure. And I hold myself together at all times — and blessed be G-d I have in what to give life to my soul — for blessed be G-d there is the holy Torah, and particularly the books of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciples, which are able to give life to the dead. But upon her the compassion is very great — for she has nothing with which to give life to her soul. And particularly — her daughter is to her an only daughter. And bless him on my behalf with the blessing of Hashem for the money he sent me now before the kosher Passover — may Hashem Yisbarach bless him in the reward of a mitzvah for a mitzvah [בשכר מצוה מצוה — the Talmudic principle: the reward of one mitzvah is another mitzvah; the highest reward for a good deed is the next good deed].

And the second: I ask of you — if you are able to send me the letters themselves from your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine, or from your son-in-law — for I want to see them. Or at least write me a true copy — letter for letter — for I want to know the truth about my daughter, may she live — what her weakness is. And do not be afraid of me at all — for I want to know.

And regarding what you wrote — that you spoke with Reb Nachman about the letters — that he has had none for two years and does not mention it: but Reb Kalman — for how many years now has he been distanced from his sons. And even when he was in his home they did not sit with him together. And our sons — they were raised in our home until our departure, and they are children of our youth. And until this year we had letters from them — and now for a full year there is no letter at all. Our grief is great — and particularly the grief of my wife, may she live. And beyond this — the sons of Reb Nachman have no mother here to yearn after them — whereas she yearns after her sons more than a father yearns.

And also enclosed is the letter I wrote to you on Sunday — and there you will see what I wrote to you. And now wait, G-d willing, until after the Passover festival — perhaps some letter will reach us from Troyits from my sons, may they live. And if not — G-d forbid — as in the enclosed letter herein — only regarding my daughter Figa Miriam, may she live, who was ill — and blessed be G-d has returned to her full strength — in order to dissolve the grief of my wife, may she live, until Hashem looks down and we truly have a letter.

My request is doubled: write to me a reply whether you received this letter — and reply to me on my letter with all that I ask of you. More there is nothing new to say.

And the days of Passover draw near and come — even though Haman-Amalek and Balaam wish to confuse us and darken our joy in the holy commandments that spring forth and well up from their source [הנובעים בימים — "that spring forth / well up in these days" — the word novim is from nevi'ah — the welling-up of a spring from its source; a single precise word: the commandments spring up like living water in these days, welling forth from their divine source] in these days — even so: already Yehoshua, the servant of Moshe, who slew the chief warriors of his troops; and Pinchas who slew Balaam; and Shmuel who slew Agag; and Mordechai the Tzaddik who hanged Haman — and from Mordechai the Tzaddik there were many, many of the elect of the Tzaddikim [בחירי דצדיקיא — bechiri d'tzadikaya — "the elect / chosen ones of the Tzaddikim" — bechiri — those specifically selected and designated; d'tzadikaya — the Aramaic genitive: "of the Tzaddikim"; a mixed Hebrew-Aramaic phrase marking these warriors as the divinely chosen among all the righteous] who fought the battles of Hashem for us and subjugated all the husks — and surely accomplished what they accomplished. And in their strength and in their merit we are confident that Hashem Yisbarach will surely guard us from any trace of leaven on Passover — as we truly want to be careful of leaven and ferment in the material and in the spiritual. So may He help us — and so I bless you with all my heart.

One who truly loves you,

Nussun from Breslov Greetings of peace to your dear father, the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Tzvi, may his candle shine, and his grandson Eliezer, may his candle shine. And greetings of peace to my truly beloved, the veteran Chassid, the wondrous one, Morainu v'Rabbainu Nachman, may his candle shine. And our ohavainu Reb Aizikl and Reb Dov, may his candle shine, with his son, may his candle shine. And the nagid Reb Chaim, may his candle shine. And my friend our ohavainu Reb Kalman, may his candle shine — fulfill as I ask you in my letter. And to our friend Reb Yoel Tzvi, may his candle shine, with his son — and with my friend his brother, the veteran Chassid Morainu v'Rabbainu Reb Nussun son of Reb Yekusiel ז"ל. And peace to all the Anash. And also lend me one bishlik and give it to Reb Kalman, may his candle shine — and let him go with the money and place the money at the resting place of the holy Ari and recite prayer number 123 which speaks of redemption [prayer 123 in Likutay Tefillot — the collection of prayers by Reb Nosson of Breslov ז"ל based on the teachings of Rabbainu ז"ל; prayer 123 deals with the theme of pidyon — redemption]. And afterward receive from him the bishlik and give it to Reb Nachman, may his candle shine, and Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, and Reb Dov, may his candle shine, and Reb Kalman, may his candle shine — equal to equal. And this will be a redemption on behalf of my daughter Figa Miriam daughter of Yekhes Sarah.