כה

And on Purim of the year 5599, when Moharan"as was in Breslov, the aforementioned Sneior of Breslov — through whom all the informings had passed — came to him. His wife was then deathly ill. And so it was: she passed away at that very moment, while he was still in the lower room of Moharan"as's house before ascending to the upper. When he ascended to Moharan"as's upper room — the moment he came in, he fell upon the feet of Moharan"as and kissed them with great force, until Moharan"as felt the force of the kissing in his feet. And so he did again and again — falling upon his feet, kissing them abundantly, weeping a great and mighty weeping. And he said to Moharan"as za'l: "I have sinned. All the informings passed through me. What can I do? Forgive me!" And Moharan"as gave him two rubles as a pidyon [redemption offering] — for he did not yet know of his wife's death at home. And he promised then that he would strive to repair what he had damaged. And behold, to relate in detail about this dispute — the parchment would be too short. See in the letters of Moharan"as, printed in Jerusalem, in the letters of the year 5595; and in the unpublished letters from the first day of Kedoshim; and also see in the letter he wrote upon leaving the terma [prison], and in the letter he wrote on the Sunday after he was expelled from his home to Nemyrov. And also see in the letters in the book Alim LiTerufah from the years 5596, 5597, 5598, 5599 — and there you will see a tiny fraction of the murderous persecutions with which Moharan"as was pursued, the like of which was never heard of in the world. And you will come to know how Hashem Yisborach does not abandon His devoted ones, even when enemies grow as powerful as they did; for in him was fulfilled the verse: "They shall fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you" [Yirmiyahu 1:19] — "and You, Hashem, are exalted forever" [Tehillim 92:9]. And kushta ka'ai — truth stands and endures. And our teacher Moharan"as za'l did his part — drawing many people to Hashem Yisborach, arousing them through his holy ways until they became G-d-fearing and wholehearted; meriting to attain many novel Torah insights which he wrote in books, and they were published. And even now, after his passing, his holy words live and endure forever. Whoever looks upon them with a true eye is greatly aroused toward Hashem Yisborach; he engages greatly in Torah and prayer and yearns deeply for Hashem — until he becomes truly G-d-fearing. And the truth of Hashem endures forever. — Thus far.

Said the copyist: I heard from the mouth of the Gaon R' Avraham Shternhartz, cantor of the kloyz: as is known and brought in the letters — concerning the matter of the soldiers [ratsvanim] called shvalinye, who were placed by the government in Moharan"as's za'l house at the instigation of the opponents, and worked in his house on Shabbos and Yom Tov, etc. — and when the time came for the search for chametz [leaven] and they were working in his house and eating chametz there, and Moharan"as had no other room but this one alone — he therefore said the blessing over the elimination of chametz and searched in whatever corners he could. And when he recited the blessing with proper intention [kavanah] and his face was like a torch of fire (for he was accustomed to say that immediately at the time of the blessing over the elimination of chametz, Pesach had already begun [ashtikhh]; and from that time onward he would be deeply awestruck and his practice from then on was to rebuke his son Nachman greatly [even though throughout the year he did not rebuke him so much] and to thrust him between the tables and the shapkes [the chests] — in order to arouse [the spiritual dynamic of] "This day is vengeance in my heart, and the year of My redemption has come" [Yeshayahu 63:4], as brought in Torah 42 of Likutay Tinyana — see there. And so it was in the attribute of strict judgment — rebuking him from the search for chametz until after the burning of the chametz, when it is necessary to eliminate the chametz from the heart, etc.), and also his intention at that time in the blessing over the chametz was regarding that chametz (the non-Jews) — to eliminate it from his domain. And the soldiers were panic-stricken at that moment before him and at his voice, and requested of him that he search and do whatever he needed throughout the entire house as well. And afterward, on Erev Pesach at midday, he was completely released from them. And behold, the practice of Moharan"as za'l for the Seder night of Pesach was most awesome with tremendous burning; and he sat entirely upon the bed with his face toward the wall, and recited the Haggadah in a loud voice (as brought in section 20 of Likutay Moharan) with a pouring out of the soul [hishtapchus hanefesh] and an arousal beyond imagination, in his melody (known to the anash); and so he did until Shulchan Orech. Then he sat with all his household members and grandchildren, and also R' Shmelke, his stepson, was with him. And they spoke to him of the miracles and the salvation which Hashem Yisborach had wrought for him — that they had been released from the soldiers whom the opponents had placed. And he rebuked them and said: "At a time such as this, an auspicious moment, when each and every one had how much toil and effort to eliminate the chametz, and on the mitzvos relating to Pesach, and how much money they spent on it — it is forbidden to speak against them, G-d forbid; for are they not our brothers? (And certainly there will be a rectification for them, and we will need to seek rectifications on their behalf.)" And afterward, at the conclusion of the Seder — the Grace after Meals, Hallel, Nishmas — he turned his face again to the wall, and conducted the Seder with wondrous burning and an arousal incomparable — in his familiar melody for Nishmas — until the very end of the Seder.