הַקְדָּמָה

The writer states: the man celebrated in Halacha [Jewish law] through those distinguished gateways of Halacha — the holy books of Likutay Halacsos [Collected Legal Rulings] — is already well known. These are the works of our teacher, the Rav Rabbi Nassan, zatzal. His righteousness and the greatness of his attainment [hasagah] in the holy words he committed to writing gave him and others the merit of turning from sin; and very many, many penitents [ba'alai teshuvah] were wrought through him — for his holy words, spoken to his people in the fear of G-d, entered their hearts like a burning fire, until through them they were aroused to return to Hashem Yisborach in truth. And even now, whoever occupies himself with his holy books is aroused through them to return to Hashem Yisborach in complete repentance in truth, and to strengthen himself continually in the service of Hashem.

Also, his service in Torah and prayer was with a fearsome, most awesome flame of fire, until whoever heard the sound of his prayer and his Torah was likewise greatly aroused toward Hashem Yisborach; and it is impossible to depict all that feeling which he brought through his words of prayer, even into the heart of another. Our wonderful friend, the Rav Efraim, za'l, of Kremenchug, once said to him in these very words: "Mit ayyer davenen macht ir a peirush oif dem davenen" — (With your prayer you make a peirush [commentary, explication] upon prayer itself). [Translator's note: The Yiddish word da'avinen (prayer, the act of praying) comes from the Latin divinus — something divine. This remark is extraordinarily deep: Moharan"as's prayer was itself an exposition of what prayer truly is.] And similarly, every single verse from the words of the Tanach — when he would utter it from his mouth, it truly seemed to the listener as though the prophet himself were calling out and crying these very words.

Likewise, our wonderful friend, R' Akiva Ze'ev of Nemyrov, was accustomed to telling of the intensity of the arousal [his'orerus] he had witnessed from our teacher Moharan"as on the final Erev Yom Kippur [the last Erev Yom Kippur before Moharan"as's passing — the 10th of Teves 5605 (1844)], for he spoke then, at the meal of Erev Yom Kippur, on the matter of the four foundations [yesodos]: Domem (mineral), Tzomei'ach (vegetable), Chai (animal), Medabber (speaking/human). And he said: Do we not see that the lower the level [madregah], the greater the good [tov] found within it? For the yesod (foundation) of the Medabber is man, and the price of a man in his sale does not rise as high as the price of a horse — since the horse is from the foundation of Chai, which is lower than the Medabber, as is known. Yet there are horses for which thousands of רו"כ (rubles of silver) are given. And the price of the Tzomei'ach rises still higher, for there are found roses and flowers which are brought from distant lands whose prices are beyond all measure; and in the foundation of the Domem are found precious and costly gemstones [avanim tovos] whose value rises yet higher still. And we see the goodness and the G-dliness [elohus] which is found in them, from the Torah's commandment to the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) that at every time of his entering the Bais HaMikdash (Holy Temple) he must be dressed in the choshen (breastplate) and the eifod, in which were set many precious stones.

And after these matters, Moharan"as za'l moved, in his holy way, from subject to subject — until he began to speak with great arousal, in a terrible flame of fire. And he cried out in his holy voice in these very words: "And yet even so — there is found something higher above the highest! A hidden and concealed holiness, a Holy of Holies — such that when the Kohen Gadol had to enter there, he was required to strip off all the precious garments — only: 'He shall don the holy linen tunic, and linen breeches shall be upon his flesh, etc.'" [Vayikra 16:4] — and he said this verse in the niggun of the Torah reading of Yom Kippur.

And R' Meir Yehudah za'l of Breslov was also accustomed to tell that he too entered the house of our teacher Moharan"as at that time; and when he came to the doorway, these words could be heard from afar, issuing from his holy mouth like a torch of fire — and he remained standing frozen in his place, unable to draw any closer to the table.

And what is understood from all this: that within him — from the side of his holy soul — was also all the forgiveness and atonement of the tenth day from the Ten Days of Repentance, namely Yom Kippur. For very, very many penitents, whose sins were certainly atoned for, came about through his words and his holy books which he left after him, as mentioned. And were it not that I am in awe [ulei dimistafina], I would say that this is indeed why his holy name, by gematria (numerical value), corresponds precisely to the count of the words "Channun haMarbeh lisloa'ch" ("Gracious One who greatly multiplies forgiveness"). [Translator's note: The text says the gematria of his name corresponds to the count (מִנְיַן = number/count) of the words. The holy name Nassan נָתָן has a gematria of נ(50) + ת(400) + נ(50) = 500. The phrase "Channun haMarbeh lisloa'ch" contains 3 words. Some explain this as: the gematria of Nassan equals the gematria of the 3-word phrase itself, or alternately that his full name Nassan has the same letter-count resonance with the phrase. The writer himself expresses awe and hesitation — ulei dimistafina (were I not in awe/fear) — at stating this openly.] And this is moreover what Admor the Nachal Novei'a Mekor Chachmah (נַחַל נוֹבֵעַ מְקוֹר חָכְמָה) — "The Flowing Stream, Source of Wisdom," the holy title of Mohara"n za'l — did when he placed his hand upon him and said of him that he knows from him more than from all others, as explained elsewhere. And through this he merited to compose the holy book Likutay Halacsos and his awakening prayers which strengthen and uphold every person, great and small, to incline him toward good, to return in complete repentance.

And since I am here relating matters concerning his books, I will record what R' Moshe za'l said — that he heard from Moharan"as at the time when Moharan"as's dream of R' Shmuel Ayzik za'l was being discussed before him. He first said something in the way of pleasantry about dreams, and afterward said: I will tell you my dream. I saw Admor who came to me with another person, and I related before him, in the manner of a complaint, all that had passed over me. And Admor said to me in these very words: "Dia host ober mit daine sfarim git gemacht" — (But you with your books have done well). And that other person who was with him nodded his head and agreed to this, saying in these words: "Yah, yah, zeier git gemacht" — (Yes, yes, you have done very well). And I asked Admor: who is this? And he answered me: This is Moshe Rabeinu, peace be upon him.

It is likewise known what Admor said at the very beginning, when Moharan"as za'l first drew close to him: "There has come to me a young scholar [avrech], and through him not even the secular conversations [sichas chulin] of mine will be lost." And so it was — for he alone labored to publicize the Torah of Rabeinu the Holy in the world, and his holy conversations, to make known to all people the greatness of his holy Torah, to draw through this many people to Hashem Yisborach. And it was because of this that the Samach Mem [the Adversary] rose against him and raised up machlokes against him through the Rav of Savran, who became a great pursuer and enemy of his life, as we will relate further on. And so that the reader should not be astonished that a great Rav in Israel could stumble into such strife — for did not even Yosef have strife against him? — in the end: "the lips of truth will endure forever, and the stormy wind passes away and is lost — great only in its moment." There was a wealthy man in Breslov whose name was Moshe, known as Moshe Hinkes, and he was among the close ones [mekuravim] of the holy Admor Mohara"n zatzal, and he was childless [aker mibanim]. And the holy Admor zatzal, before his passing — at the time when he was arranging his will before Moharan"as — said to him then in these very words: "Moshe, az er vet zich gaitin in chassunah hobin kinder" — [Moshe, if he divorces and remarries, he will have children].