נט

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. May I merit to hear from you and from all the Anash — both those dwelling in Eretz Yisroel and those dwelling in the diaspora — in the midst of all Israel — life and peace and the fullness of good. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed.

Your letter from Sunday of Vayigash I received properly — through the patron Reb Chaim Yehoshua, may his candle shine — with the sum of eighteen bishlikim. And you gave my soul very great life with your letter — for our eyes have been very much consumed with yearning for a letter from you. For now your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine, has been added to me — I want to know from him and from his son what they are doing. But I do not know what this is — that you are very much allowing things to slip [מתרשל — misrashel — to be slack and allow things to slip through negligence; from rashal — to be slack, to let things drag; stronger than merely "lax" — it conveys the specific quality of allowing things to fall away through slackness and inattention] with letters to me. Are we not brothers — and one Father to us all — and we have a partnership together in the eternal world's business — through the pillar of the world [עמוד עולם — "the pillar of the world" — the specific Talmudic title from Chagigah 12b: the world stands on one pillar whose name is Tzaddik; applied here to Rabbainu ז"ל as the single pillar upon whom the eternal spiritual world rests] — which is Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciples. Who — he and his holy disciple — left us a great inheritance and treasuries of treasuries for thousands and for tens of thousands — to trade with them and to sell to others. And from the treasuries nothing is deficient at all — on the contrary, at all times there will be spirit upon them. And from every kind of merchandise found in all the worlds — it is found in the shop of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple. But we must arouse each one his companion — not to be slack in the trade — each and every one according to his strength and according to his brain [ולפי מחו — "and according to his moach" — specifically the brain, the organ of intellect; in Chassidic thought the moach is the seat of divine wisdom as it enters the person; each partner must contribute according to both their physical capacity and their intellectual-spiritual capacity] must engage for the benefit of the partnership. And each one must help his companion and arouse him in love — and with very, very great advocacy of merit — so that the love between us not be damaged in any way — for "our whole matter hangs on affection" [אנן בחביבותא תליא מלתא — Aramaic: "our whole matter — it hangs on love / affection" — from the Talmud; chavivusa — warm affectionate love; the entire bond and success depends specifically on this love] — and we need peace that has a mouth — so that each one can speak with his companion in love and arouse him.

My brothers my friends — since we are called by the name of Rabbainu — therefore we must educate ourselves at all times with a new beginning — to walk in his true ways — in which he labored and toiled all his holy days — and suckled out mother's milk for our sake — to guide us on the straight and true path — the path that our forefathers walked from eternity. But they forgot it — and Rabbainu ז"ל came and restored it with additional deep counsels — to give us life even in the very depths of our fall — in these the heels of the Messiah's time. And he warned us not to be lazy — those who are called שלימזאלניקיס. And we can also reach the illumination of the supernal will. And according to the explanation — as the words of our master and teacher Reb Nosson ז"ל — we should not be lazy by saying "who am I that I should merit the illumination of the will" — this itself is called laziness. Rather each one of us can so pine and yearn toward the Almighty — קען זיך אזוי פאר ביינקין צום אייבירשטין — and should always cry out: רבש"ע איך וויל פארט זיין באמת איין יוד אין וויל פארט אז מיין רצון זאל נכלל ווערין ברצונך האין סוף [Yiddish: "Master of the World — I truly want to be a Jew — I truly want that my will should be absorbed in Your infinite will"]. Therefore we must spend our days and our years on the books of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciples — for they illuminate even within darkness — within our darkness — to arouse us. For they rouse the sleeping from their slumber — and they will not allow even a single day to pass us without repentance. And if we engage in them more — they will not allow us even a single hour without a thought of repentance.

What can I say to you? — although I am a small tree among the smallest compared to you — yet Rabbainu ז"ל already said that with a small tree one can light a large tree. Therefore — לאמיר ניט פאר שלאפין אינזערי יאר אין טעג בעסק רבנו ז"ל ותלמידו הק' [Yiddish: "let us not sleep away our years and days in the business of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple"] — surely when Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on us and made known to us this hidden light — almost from the entire world — and even G-d-fearing people do not know about this — and upon us Hashem Yisbarach had mercy from the standpoint of the innate mysterious virtue [מצד הסגלה — "from the standpoint of the segulah" — the specific Chassidic-Kabbalistic term for an innate mysterious spiritual virtue or potency; as if those who follow Rabbainu ז"ל carry a particular segulah-quality that brought divine mercy upon them; not merely "special quality" but a mysterious, intrinsic potency]. ע"כ לאמיר ניט שלאפין לאמיר גראבין אין דיא אוצרות [Yiddish: "therefore let us not sleep — let us dig into the treasuries"].

And that night I studied the Torah "and now let there please be a double portion of your spirit upon me, Eliyahu" — and afterward I studied in Likutay Halachos, Laws of Robbery, on the Torah "nine tikkunim" — and I was so aroused — that if I had wings to fly to you — to cry out in a great voice — וואס שווגין מיר [Yiddish: "what are we silent about?!"] — I would have flown to you. Although the adversary does not agree with my writing to you — for he said to me: who are you to write to people as upright as these — surely they themselves know about this. But blessed be G-d — Rabbainu ז"ל has already taught us holy boldness. And particularly Rabbainu ז"ל warned us many times in many Torah discourses and in his holy conversations — that one should speak with his companion about the fear of Heaven. And Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple are a treasury of the fear of Heaven. And I have no one with whom to speak — therefore I speak with you by way of writing. And you as well — you should also fulfill speaking with me at all times by way of writing. And you also — with the help of Hashem — will be able to fulfill in actual deed speaking one with another — for blessed be G-d you have companions there, may they live — for length of days and years. And I will also inform you — blessed be G-d — that for approximately four weeks now — blessed be G-d — Reb Yisroel Avraham the scribe has begun to come to me every Motzei Shabbos — and I speak with him much about Rabbainu ז"ל — and I have also studied with him several Torah discourses of Rabbainu ז"ל. And blessed be G-d that I have someone with whom to speak about Rabbainu ז"ל. And surely if we engage in the business of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple — we will surely not be laboring to futility and emptiness. [לריק — "to emptiness, to futility" — from rik — empty, void; the specific emptiness of effort that leaves nothing behind; we will not labor to nothingness] And there is no good desire that is ever lost [ולית רעותא טבא דיתאביד — Aramaic: "and there is no good desire that is lost" — from the Zoharic literature; every genuine desire toward good, even unfulfilled, is preserved and will bear fruit]. Rather everything will be for good. More news — and in His goodness He renews each day always the work of Creation.

Your friend, your truly beloved, who always seeks your welfare, who desires your success, Nussun from Breslov

Words of those who love you, Nussun the Breslov Chassid

Written Wednesday, Parshas Vayigash, 5639 (December 1878 or January 1879), from Teverya. The eternal trading partnership. Suckled out mother's milk. The heels of the Messiah's time. Holy boldness. A new study partner.

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. May I merit to hear from you and from all the Anash — both those dwelling in Eretz Yisroel and those dwelling in the diaspora — in the midst of all Israel — life and peace and the fullness of good. Omain Netzach Selah Va'ed. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן Thanks to G-d for our lives — blessed be G-d — all of us here are in life and in peace. May I merit to hear from you at all times life and peace and success in all your affairs which you do — and may your deeds be included in the Ten Utterances through which the world was created [עשרה מאמרות — the Ten Utterances — the ten divine pronouncements through which the world was created [Mishnah Avos 5:1]; and within them are included the Ten Commandments — עשרת הדברות; the blessing prays that all of one's mundane affairs be elevated into and included within these divine creative utterances] — in which the Ten Commandments are included — and when your soul is bound to the Torah in every deed and deed, this is not called preoccupation at all — only sacred siftings [רק ברורים — "only berurim" — the Lurianic Kabbalistic concept of the sacred clarifications and siftings by which divine sparks embedded in material reality are extracted and returned to their holy source; when one's soul is bound to the Torah in every act, the act becomes not a distraction but a birur — an act of cosmic clarification]. And do not engage as one driven by preoccupation — only in measured deliberate pace. And may Hashem Yisbarach bring you success through an easy cause — without limit. And now, my brothers my friends — it has become known to me our great shattering [משברנו הגדול — "our great shattering" — from shever — to shatter, to break violently; the word used in Lamentations for the shattering of the people; sharper and more violent than "breach" — it is a breaking that cannot easily be repaired] that has passed over us at this time — that the glory of our head, the desire of our eyes, Reb Abaleh ז"ל, has been taken from us — and the light of his Torah and his righteousness shall be bound up in the bundle of life [יצרור בצרור החיים — "shall be bound up in the bundle of life" — the specific formula from I Samuel 25:29: "the soul of my master shall be bound up in the bundle of life with Hashem your G-d"; tzror — a small bundle tied up; the souls of the righteous are gathered together and tied in a bundle before G-d; the traditional formula said for the deceased] in the midst of the souls of the Tzaddikim and Chassidim of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple. But upon us there is to mourn a great mourning — that there has been diminished from us from within the holy community such a great person. Therefore, my son and my brother — I have greatly asked of you to write to me: when was his passing — and whether he wrote a testament — and how, and in what manner — and whether he spoke before his passing. And also write to me whether the sons who were born to him are blessed be G-d alive and well — and upon whom he left his wealth and property for the sake of holiness. For surely you know his mind — that the Anash — namely Reb Nachman, may his candle shine, and Reb Aitzikel, may his candle shine, and Reb Dov, may his candle shine — should recite for him some Kaddish every day in Eretz Yisroel. And also I, immediately upon my learning of this — I recite Kaddish every day — for he has no son to recite Kaddish for him. And particularly in Eretz Yisroel. For we must be grateful to him — for he supported the sons of Rabbainu ז"ל until now — and also was among the upholders of Torah and among the supporters of the Yeshiva of Eretz Yisroel as well. Fortunate is he and fortunate is his portion. — surely at the hearing of the ear my soul languished [למשמע אזן דאבה נפשי — "at the hearing of the ear my soul languished" — an echo of Job 42:5 and Lamentations 3:51; davah — to languish, to faint and ache with grief; stronger than "sick" — the soul that faints and languishes under the weight of terrible news] — that he was taken from us before his time. But the Rock — His work is perfect and all His ways are justice — to declare that Hashem is straight — my Rock — and there is no injustice in Him — righteous and upright is He. And I have very greatly asked of you to write to me all that I ask of you — for my heart languishes and aches within me [לבי דוי עלי — "my heart is davoy upon me" — languishing, aching; from Jeremiah 8:18 and Lamentations; the heart that faints from grief rather than merely feeling "sick"]. Therefore I want to know how and what — for my grief is very great — and my tears are on my cheek as I remember him. For I knew the true measure of his worth — for I stood by him for four weeks in succession — and saw his fear of Heaven. Woe to us for our shattering — the bitter and the bitter-herbs [המר והמרור — "the bitter and the maror" — the Passover bitter herbs; the grief of this loss is compared to the bitterness of the maror — the ritual symbol of Egyptian slavery; the most intense, visceral bitterness; both the quality of bitterness and its specific Passover embodiment are invoked together]. May the Omnipresent comfort us in the midst of the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim. Words of one who truly loves you, Nussun from Breslov And I will tell you a story that I saw with my own eyes by our master and teacher Reb Nosson ז"ל — how many years ago there was talk in the world that the children of the tribe of Dan were going and the Messiah would come — and Rabbainu ז"ל said it was a lie. And there was a certain person from the Anash who was attached to this foolishness — and when he heard that Rabbainu ז"ל did not agree and said it was a lie — this person became angry at Rabbainu ז"ל and cursed him. And the Anash wanted to push him away — and it became known to Rabbainu ז"ל — and he became angry at the Anash who wanted to push him away. And he acted as if he did not know — and drew him close. And this person afterward became a very upright man and repented over this bad thing he had done — that he had damaged the honor of his master — for he had good points in him. And particularly since he is under the force of harsh judgments — for he is very poor. And Rabbainu ז"ל said that the evil inclination is empowered by harsh judgments. Therefore my view does not lean toward this — although you blessed be G-d are upright and G-d-fearing people and exceptional in Torah more than I — only I served and stood by Rabbainu ז"ל and received from him practical law. And there are many more stories that I saw with my own eyes — and it is impossible to tell you by way of writing. Written Sunday, Parshas Vaeira, 5639 (January 1879), from Teverya. The death of Reb Abaleh ז"ל confirmed. Deep mourning. The Torah of "I will sing." The story of Reb Nosson ז"ל. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן This past week — on the day there arrived to me a letter from my son-in-law Yisroel, may his candle shine, from Uman — enclosed within the letter was also a small letter to you. And I am sending it to you to give life to your soul. And I heard from one person who told me that you are in very great melancholy. I said I should write to you: for the sake of Hashem — do not grieve at all — for Hashem will be your help and He will not forsake you. For you know from before — for I wrote to you several times — that here expenses are great and income is very little — and even so Hashem Yisbarach helped and provides for all His creatures. And worries accomplish nothing at all. Here nothing accomplishes anything at all — except prayers and Psalms and supplications and very, very great joy — and not to worry at all about tomorrow's worries — blessed be G-d, day by day. For melancholy accomplishes nothing at all here — for the holiness of Eretz Yisroel cannot be received through sadness and melancholy. And every day one must in any case dance at least one dance — and trust in Hashem Yisbarach Who has shepherded us from our beginnings — and we are the people of His pasture and the flock of His hand — Who will surely watch over us with His particular divine providence — and give us life with every good. גאט האט אייך גיהאלפין און ער וועט אייך ווייטער העלפין [Yiddish: "G-d has helped you and He will continue to help you further"] — און בפרט איר זענט זיך ניט גיפארין בלי ישוב הדעת [Yiddish: "and particularly — you did not travel without settled composure of mind"] — סע האט זיך גיאווערט ארבעה שנים [Yiddish: "it took four years"] — from when it was your will to travel. And we wrote you many letters that here one must travel with the complete surrender of one's very soul [במסירות נפש — b'mesirus nefesh — "with the handing-over of the soul" — the specific term for the willingness to give over one's very life for a holy purpose; the same term used for martyrdom; to come to Eretz Yisroel with mesirus nefesh means to come prepared to surrender everything — one's entire self — to the sacred mission of living in the Holy Land; beyond ordinary self-giving] — and be in joy — and the bishlik that needs to go, let it go — in joy, without sadness and without anger — for it accomplishes nothing at all. And the sadness is the counsel of the evil inclination — in order to distract you from Torah and from prayer and from the joy of the holiness of Eretz Yisroel. And you must overpower it — only through joy. For "in joy you shall go out and in peace you shall be led" — and Hashem Yisbarach is with you and He will not forsake you all the days of your lives — for length of days and good years. Words of one who truly loves you, Nussun from Breslov Encamped here in Teverya, may it be established and built for good. Written Tuesday, Parshas Beshalach, 5639 (January or February 1879), from Teverya. Reb Shmuel and his wife are in great melancholy. Joy, dance at least one dance every day. Mesirus nefesh — the surrender of one's very soul — is what was required to come to the Land. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן Your letter from Sunday of Vayigash I received properly — through the patron Reb Chaim Yehoshua, may his candle shine — with the sum of eighteen bishlikim. And you gave my soul very great life with your letter — for our eyes have been very much consumed with yearning for a letter from you. For now your co-parent-in-law, may his candle shine, has been added to me — I want to know from him and from his son what they are doing. But I do not know what this is — that you are very much allowing things to slip [מתרשל — misrashel — to be slack and allow things to slip through negligence; from rashal — to be slack, to let things drag; stronger than merely "lax" — it conveys the specific quality of allowing things to fall away through slackness and inattention] with letters to me. Are we not brothers — and one Father to us all — and we have a partnership together in the eternal world's business — through the pillar of the world [עמוד עולם — "the pillar of the world" — the specific Talmudic title from Chagigah 12b: the world stands on one pillar whose name is Tzaddik; applied here to Rabbainu ז"ל as the single pillar upon whom the eternal spiritual world rests] — which is Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciples. Who — he and his holy disciple — left us a great inheritance and treasuries of treasuries for thousands and for tens of thousands — to trade with them and to sell to others. And from the treasuries nothing is deficient at all — on the contrary, at all times there will be spirit upon them. And from every kind of merchandise found in all the worlds — it is found in the shop of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple. But we must arouse each one his companion — not to be slack in the trade — each and every one according to his strength and according to his brain [ולפי מחו — "and according to his moach" — specifically the brain, the organ of intellect; in Chassidic thought the moach is the seat of divine wisdom as it enters the person; each partner must contribute according to both their physical capacity and their intellectual-spiritual capacity] must engage for the benefit of the partnership. And each one must help his companion and arouse him in love — and with very, very great advocacy of merit — so that the love between us not be damaged in any way — for "our whole matter hangs on affection" [אנן בחביבותא תליא מלתא — Aramaic: "our whole matter — it hangs on love / affection" — from the Talmud; chavivusa — warm affectionate love; the entire bond and success depends specifically on this love] — and we need peace that has a mouth — so that each one can speak with his companion in love and arouse him. My brothers my friends — since we are called by the name of Rabbainu — therefore we must educate ourselves at all times with a new beginning — to walk in his true ways — in which he labored and toiled all his holy days — and suckled out mother's milk for our sake — to guide us on the straight and true path — the path that our forefathers walked from eternity. But they forgot it — and Rabbainu ז"ל came and restored it with additional deep counsels — to give us life even in the very depths of our fall — in these the heels of the Messiah's time. And he warned us not to be lazy — those who are called שלימזאלניקיס. And we can also reach the illumination of the supernal will. And according to the explanation — as the words of our master and teacher Reb Nosson ז"ל — we should not be lazy by saying "who am I that I should merit the illumination of the will" — this itself is called laziness. Rather each one of us can so pine and yearn toward the Almighty — קען זיך אזוי פאר ביינקין צום אייבירשטין — and should always cry out: רבש"ע איך וויל פארט זיין באמת איין יוד אין וויל פארט אז מיין רצון זאל נכלל ווערין ברצונך האין סוף [Yiddish: "Master of the World — I truly want to be a Jew — I truly want that my will should be absorbed in Your infinite will"]. Therefore we must spend our days and our years on the books of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciples — for they illuminate even within darkness — within our darkness — to arouse us. For they rouse the sleeping from their slumber — and they will not allow even a single day to pass us without repentance. And if we engage in them more — they will not allow us even a single hour without a thought of repentance. What can I say to you? — although I am a small tree among the smallest compared to you — yet Rabbainu ז"ל already said that with a small tree one can light a large tree. Therefore — לאמיר ניט פאר שלאפין אינזערי יאר אין טעג בעסק רבנו ז"ל ותלמידו הק' [Yiddish: "let us not sleep away our years and days in the business of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple"] — surely when Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on us and made known to us this hidden light — almost from the entire world — and even G-d-fearing people do not know about this — and upon us Hashem Yisbarach had mercy from the standpoint of the innate mysterious virtue [מצד הסגלה — "from the standpoint of the segulah" — the specific Chassidic-Kabbalistic term for an innate mysterious spiritual virtue or potency; as if those who follow Rabbainu ז"ל carry a particular segulah-quality that brought divine mercy upon them; not merely "special quality" but a mysterious, intrinsic potency]. ע"כ לאמיר ניט שלאפין לאמיר גראבין אין דיא אוצרות [Yiddish: "therefore let us not sleep — let us dig into the treasuries"]. And that night I studied the Torah "and now let there please be a double portion of your spirit upon me, Eliyahu" — and afterward I studied in Likutay Halachos, Laws of Robbery, on the Torah "nine tikkunim" — and I was so aroused — that if I had wings to fly to you — to cry out in a great voice — וואס שווגין מיר [Yiddish: "what are we silent about?!"] — I would have flown to you. Although the adversary does not agree with my writing to you — for he said to me: who are you to write to people as upright as these — surely they themselves know about this. But blessed be G-d — Rabbainu ז"ל has already taught us holy boldness. And particularly Rabbainu ז"ל warned us many times in many Torah discourses and in his holy conversations — that one should speak with his companion about the fear of Heaven. And Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple are a treasury of the fear of Heaven. And I have no one with whom to speak — therefore I speak with you by way of writing. And you as well — you should also fulfill speaking with me at all times by way of writing. And you also — with the help of Hashem — will be able to fulfill in actual deed speaking one with another — for blessed be G-d you have companions there, may they live — for length of days and years. And I will also inform you — blessed be G-d — that for approximately four weeks now — blessed be G-d — Reb Yisroel Avraham the scribe has begun to come to me every Motzei Shabbos — and I speak with him much about Rabbainu ז"ל — and I have also studied with him several Torah discourses of Rabbainu ז"ל. And blessed be G-d that I have someone with whom to speak about Rabbainu ז"ל. And surely if we engage in the business of Rabbainu ז"ל and his holy disciple — we will surely not be laboring to futility and emptiness. [לריק — "to emptiness, to futility" — from rik — empty, void; the specific emptiness of effort that leaves nothing behind; we will not labor to nothingness] And there is no good desire that is ever lost [ולית רעותא טבא דיתאביד — Aramaic: "and there is no good desire that is lost" — from the Zoharic literature; every genuine desire toward good, even unfulfilled, is preserved and will bear fruit]. Rather everything will be for good. More news — and in His goodness He renews each day always the work of Creation. Your friend, your truly beloved, who always seeks your welfare, who desires your success, Nussun from Breslov Words of those who love you, Nussun the Breslov Chassid Written Wednesday, Parshas Vayigash, 5639 (December 1878 or January 1879), from Teverya. The eternal trading partnership. Suckled out mother's milk. The heels of the Messiah's time. Holy boldness. A new study partner. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן