כט

And behold, when these evil pursuers saw that they could no longer beat and throw stones, they began once more to inform against Moharan"as before the authorities with terrible informings, in order to take him to prison. And on the second day of the Torah portion Matos-Masai of the year 5595 (1835), they called Moharan"as before the gardintshe [local official]; and they asked him about the accusations against him — namely that he was still engaged in printing in his home, and the like. Moharan"as demonstrated to him that these matters were false. But the informers had given much money to this official, who therefore refused to accept [Moharan"as's] words; and he called men from the informers who swore false oaths while holding an object [in accordance with the solemn procedure], in Moharan"as's presence, that their informing was true.

And whatever he refuted against them did not avail, until after the aforementioned week, the official took Moharan"as to prison (this being the terma [prison]) and seated him among robbers and murderers.

On the first day he was nearly in danger from the torments they inflicted upon him, until Hashem Yisborach had compassion on him and He gave him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, who seated him in a private room and also agreed to bring all the books he required each day — namely: Tanach, Gemara, one of the four major sections of the Shulchan Aruch, the holy Zohar, the writings of the Ari za'l, and similar books in both the revealed and hidden Torah. And they also brought him writing materials. There too he cleaved himself to Hashem Yisborach, until he merited even there to attain novel Torah insights — and he wrote there the laws of wine of libation [yayin nesech], Halacha 4 in the book Likutay Halacsos, Yoreh Dei'ah.

And he wrote this there in prison. He was held in prison approximately eight days; and afterward there was a great and wondrous miracle — the matter turned around, and the minds of the informers and the official changed, until the anash were able to release him on bail. But the legal proceedings continued until in the month of Elul following — when he was expelled from his home and city to Nemyrov — and he was compelled to remain in Nemyrov until after Yom Kippur of the year 5599 (1839).

And Moharan"as za'l was at that time absorbed in his holy thoughts which he had during Erev Rosh Hashana at the holy tziyun, and his face was radiantly luminous. And when the gardinitshe saw him, he recognized that he was not of the criminal sort; and also the wealthy and important men of the city prevailed with the gardinitshe, and they released him on bail and promised that immediately after Rosh Hashana he would travel home. And through G-d's compassion he released him; and he emerged free and was saved from this as well. He traveled home after Rosh Hashana to Nemyrov by way of Ladizhin; and in Ladizhin Moharan"as was in great danger from the many stones that were flung and thrown at the inn where he lodged. But meanwhile another trouble arose which served as a remedy for this trouble — namely, the local official came and took him into custody, and through this he was saved from being killed; he held him for approximately a day and night, and through a miracle he was saved from the captivity, as brought from this in Alim LiTerufah in the letter of the year 5596.

And even in Nemyrov he did not dwell in quiet. And in the winter of 5596 (1836), several people traveled to Nemyrov to Moharan"as for Shabbos HaGadol; and on the way they were met by Moshe Hinkes, who became furious. He came to his home in Breslov and sent the informer Sneior to the gardintshe, to tell him that people were traveling to Moharan"as even in Nemyrov and he was holding gatherings there as well. And when Moharan"as was sitting on Shabbos HaGadol during the third meal with the people, the police officers went to his home to search for people; and there was a great and wondrous miracle — before the police entered his home, the people managed to flee and escape. Only three people were taken to the police, and also Moharan"as za'l himself was taken to the police — but through G-d's kindness they released them all in peace.

And behold, the Rav of Savran pursued Moharan"as each time more intensely; and in the winter of 5596 he himself made a journey to Kaminetz in order to prevail there with his followers and arouse them to prevail with the regional governor to have Moharan"as seized, exiled, and expelled. But Hashem Yisborach in His compassion arranged wondrous circumstances for Moharan"as's zatzal salvation; and on that very journey, on the way, the matter of the informer from Litnevitz became entangled in the affair, and through this, fear and dread fell upon him afterward from pursuing Moharan"as further.

And also when he arrived in Kaminetz, Hashem Yisborach arranged wondrous circumstances for Moharan"as's salvation. For when he came there, he encountered the honored Rav, the Gaon, the mara d'asra (local rabbinic authority) of Kaminetz, R' Aharon Moshe of that place. And there was also a legal dispute between two wealthy and powerful men of the city which came before him for judgment; and the one who emerged liable in the ruling became furious at him. And all this brought about wondrous circumstances until he was unable to do any further harm to Moharan"as; on the contrary, fear and dread of pursuing him further fell upon him, and he returned home and began to quiet the quarrel and seek peace, and warned his people to cease informing against Moharan"as. Moharan"as then replied: "I am at peace, and certainly the anash will not harm him at all. All I desire is that they cease informing against me."

And the Rav of Savran did not long survive — for he passed away soon after, in the winter of 5597 (1837), from his illness of the intestinal rupture, and died a most shameful death: for his innards issued forth from him. And also Boruch Dayan, through whom the dispute had begun, also died at the beginning of the year 5591 [Translator's note: The source reads תקצ"א (5591), but contextually — given that Moharan"as returned to Breslov only in 5599 and the events described place Boruch Dayan's death after the height of the persecution — this appears to be a scribal error in the manuscript for תקצ"ח (5598). The date is preserved here exactly as written in the source.], in a most shameful death. And also the aforementioned Moshe Hinkes died a sudden and completely unexpected death in the house of the gardinitshe in the year 5598 (1838) — in the very place of his informing against Moharan"as za'l, in which he was striving to prevent him from returning to dwell in his city of Breslov. And nearly all his enemies suffered a great downfall; and then the enemies themselves repented of their deeds, and they themselves began to prevail for Moharan"as to return to Breslov. And through G-d's kindness, a decree of salvation came from the governor at the beginning of the year 5599 (1839), for him to return to Breslov; and he returned there at the beginning of 5599. And many of his enemies came to appease him.

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. At the time when Rabeinu za'l still dwelt in Breslov, he suddenly told R' Nassan and R' Naftali to make their way to Mezhibuzh, to the holy tziyun of the Ba'al Shem Tov za'l; and on their way there, they should first be in Berdichev at the home of the Rav R' Levi Yitzchak za'l. And so they did; and on Erev Shabbos they came to Berdichev and immediately went to greet the Rav. When the Rav za'l saw them, he told them that it was not convenient for him at that moment for them to come to him, because "the elder" [i.e., the opponent] had come to spend Shabbos with him.