PNC Front Matter — Hakdomas Rabbeinu Nosson — Ha-Doar Atem R'u Devar HaShem

**"Ha-doar atem r'u devar HaShem."** *Shim'u loi ne'emar, ela r'u — r'u ki HaShem nosan lochem matmoan.* **Reb Nosson opens his Hakdamah** with a *re'iyah*, not a *shemi'ah*. *See* — *kvar* — *that HaShem has placed a treasure in your hands*: **devorim ha-oamdim be-rumoi shel oilom**. **Pesochim 119a**: *"u-le-michseh atik" — zeh ha-mechaseh devorim she-kisoh Atik Yoamin. Ve-ikka de-omrai — zeh ha-megaleh devorim she-kisoh Atik Yoamin. Ve-tarvayhu ka-chada is-anhu be-ha-i chibura kadisha.* The Gemora has *two* opinions about *u-le-michseh atik* — and Reb Nosson says *both are true* in Likutay Moharan: *it is megaleh u-mechaseh, megaleh u-vai-air devorim el-yoinim ve-ne'elomim*. **The saifer is, by structure, a saifer of both kissui ve-gilui.** *Chidushim chadoshim u-hakdomois yekoroas noiro'oas ve-niflo'oas, aitzos mai-rochoik, emunah oamen.*

**Ha-derech she-be-shitas Rabbeinu**: *kissui hu ha-gilui*. *Af-al-pi she-ha-devorim gluyim u-muvonim ketzas al-pi peshuton — af-al-pi-chein od devorim bo*, *ki kiflayim le-sushiyah*. **The *pnimiyus* of the words is *kissui ve-chasum* even after the peshat is given**: *ki haim devorim she-kisoh Atik Yoamin — she-tzrichin le-chasoison u-le-galoison kedei le-hachnisom be-zeh ha-oilom — ki ha-michseh hu ha-gilui.* The very fact that you can *almost* understand them at peshat is *itself* the *kissui that is the gilui*. **Shmu'oh mi-piv ha-kadoish**: *ha-Toirah she-hu megaleh — hi nemuchah aloafim u-revovois madreigois mi-kefi mah she-hisigoh bi-mekoamah ha-el-yoin.* *Hain hain gevurosov, hain hain noiro'osov* — *asher hisigoh yad sichloi ha-kodoish ha-rom ve-niso le-halbish u-le-hoirid devorim gevoihim ve-noiro'im ka-aileh* — *devorim kedoishim ve-dakim ve-ruchaniyim me'oid le-halbishom bi-levushim rabbim ve-tzimtzumim, ad asher yih'yu devorim ha-shoavim le-chol nefesh.*

**Ikar Likutay Moharan — kol Toirah u-Toirah hi binyan godoil**. *Kol Toirah u-Toirah mai-divrai ha-saifer ha-kodoish ha-zeh — medaberes mi-kammah ve-chammah devorim peratiyim, mi-kammah midoas toivois, kammah mitzvois Toirosainu, u-mai-harchakas midoas ra'oas.* **Example given by Reb Nosson** (T1:2 "Emor el ha-Koihanim"): *Tefillah u-shmiras ha-bris she-tluyim zeh ba-zeh; bechinas mishpat la-da'as eich le-li-loachem im ha-cherev; tzedakah koidem ha-tefillah; machshovois zorois; lim'ud ha-Toirah; hakomas ha-Mishkan; le-kasher ha-tefillah la-tzaddik she-ba-doar* — *ve-kol aileh me-vu'orim sham be-kesher nifla*. **Klal yesoid**: *be-chol Toirah u-Toirah yaish amkus godoil me'oid* — *be-klal u-vifrat u-vi-frotai-pratiyois*. *Pa'am achas amar [Rabbeinu] "be-Toirah sheli yaish amkus godoil."* **Mishmosh**: *kol Toirah hi binyan godoil bonui le-talpiyois, koleil cheder li-fnim mai-cheder*, *chalonois u-fesachim pesuchim mi-zeh la-zeh*. *Mi-cheder le-cheder, mi-inyan le-inyan* — *tzorich lachzor le-achorov be-chol pa'am u-le-habit me-acharov le-havin hetev mesikus amkus ha-devorim*.

**Petichas Reb Nosson la-mahaduras**: *ha-saifer nidpas pa'am rishoin be-Ostropoler bi-shnas TaKSaCH (5568), be-chayai Rabbeinu zal — aval ha-mid-pisim de-shom iv'su me'oid.* **Reb Nosson kept fixing**: *nidpas she-loi befonai, ve-al kain rabbu kemoi rabbu ha-ta'uyois* — *kammah mekomois nechseru shittois shleimois, gam shinu ha-seder, hechlifu kammah inyonim*. **Mahaduras sheniyah** (this edition): *tikanti kol ha-ta'uyois ve-ha-iv'us.* **Ve-od**: in many places *hayu tzrichin adayin le-saken ha-loshoin be-mahaduras tinyana* — *aval mai-chamas nechitzas ha-defus nidpas ka-rishoinah*. **Crucial editorial principle**: *kol ha-Toiros she-nichtevu bi-lshoinoi ha-kadoish be-atzmoi — loi gora'ti ve-loi hoisafti afilu ois achas*. *Rak bi-mkoim ha-hekreach me'oid le-chasoiv pairush, hitzagti oisoi musgor be-soich shnei chatza'ai levanah* — Reb Nosson's parentheses (the half-moon brackets) **mark the boundary** between *Rabbeinu's own words* and *Reb Nosson's own pirushim*. **Ve-od**: marked all *mar'eh-mekoimois* of pesukim, Chazal, Zoihar, Tikkunim, kisvei ho-Arizal. **Ve-od**: gave *simonai-letters* (alef-bais order) for each Toirah, and within each Toirah for each new sub-inyan.

**"Ha-emes echod ve-ha-emes ed le-atzmoi"** — *al ha-machloikes she-his-gabrah achshov, ba-avoinoiseinu ha-rabbim.* Reb Nosson closes the Hakdamah with a steady eye on the *ge-zairah* of *the machloikes that overpowered the doar*. *Nis-ka-yem ba-avoinoseinu "ve-tashlech emes artzah" — "ve-he-emes ne'ederes she-na'asais ha-emes adorim adorim, ve-chol echad ve-echad oimer she-etzloi ha-emes."* The Talmud's prophecy (Sotah 47b) of *truth becoming herds-of-herds* — *each herd claiming its own emes* — *is being lived in our day*. **Aval af-al-pi-chein ha-emes hu echod, ve-ha-emes ed le-atzmoi, ve-ha-bocheir yivchar.** Truth is **one**, and *truth is its own witness*; *let the chooser choose*. **Ve-al HaShem nashlich yehavainu, ki ein lonu al mi le-hishoein ki im le-Ovinu she-ba-shomayim.** *Shlach orcho va-amitcho — haimah yanchunu.* The Hakdamah ends with *yehi noi'am HaShem Eloikeinu olainu, u-ma'asai yodainu koneneh olainu, ben-Dovid yovoi ve-yig'olainu*. **Chasimas Reb Nosson**: *Ha-kotain Nosson b-A"A moh"r Naftoli Hertz mi-Nemiroav rabbosi, chosan ha-Rav ha-Goin he-chossid ha-mefursam mo"h Dovid Tzvi, av-bais-din de-K"K Sharigrad u-Kremenitz ve-ha-gelil, u-V-K"K Mohilov.*