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I heard from Rabbi Yudel the retelling of the things he
heard from Our Rabbi o.b.m.. He spoke up and said: Abraham our forefather also
had tremendous suffering from such stories (i.e. like the matter of the stories
and suffering which transpired over him). Because Abraham our forefather also
drew the youth close to Hashem Yiburach. For he converted converts as is known
(Biraishis Rabba 39). And his way was, that he would come inside an city, and
he would run inside the city, and he would shout, ‘oy oy, gevald gevald’. And
they would run after him like people chase after a madman, and he would make
copious claims with them that they all were in great errors, because he was an
expert in all the logic and explanations of the ways of their idolatry, because
the idolatry of the early ones, they had with it many fallacious explanations
and logic. And Abraham our forefather r.i.p. was very proficient in all their
explanations and the ways of their errors. And he would prove to them and show
them that it was all a mistake, and he revealed to them the true holy faith.
And a few of the youth were drawn to follow him, because old people he would not
draw close, because the elderly were already rooted in their many mistakes and
it is difficult to return them yet from their ways, just the youth were drawn
and ran/wanted to follow him. And he would go from city to city and they ran/wanted
to follow him. And their fathers and their wives would oppose them – against these
youth, because they said about them that they went out to a bad culture and
became apostates, to the extent that they extremely alienated them. To the
extent that some of the youth returned to their persuasions because of the
suffering they had from their homes, from their in-laws, and their father, and
their wives and so forth, and some of them remained by him and bonded to him.
And Abraham our forefather would engage abundantly in this,
to reveal the holy faith in the world. And he would compose very many books on
this, thousands of books. And he had many sons, and probably, since they were
his sons, they all went in the straight (-proper) path, because even Ishmael repented
(Bava Basra 16b). However, afterwards, when Abraham our forefather wanted to
leave over his books and his wisdom in the world, he analyzed and contemplated
to himself to which of his sons he should leave his books and his wisdom, until
he came to the decision to leave everything to Isaac our forefather, and he
gave over to him everything.
And afterwards, Isaac also went in this way, and he
converted many converts, and composed also very many books in the matter of
strengthening the holy faith. And he also contemplated to which of his sons he
should leave his books and his wisdom, because Esau as well was good in his
eyes, and misled him to the extent that he (-Isaac) loved him, as is explained
in the Scripture, as it says (Genesis 25), ‘And Isaac loved Esau because he was
a hunter with/for his mouth’, as Rashi explains there, that he would trick his
father with his words, and he (Esau) would ask him, ‘father, how does one tithe
salt’ etc.. But nevertheless, Isaac contemplated in his mind until it became clear
to him that the main thing is Jacob, and he gave over to him everything.
And so Jacob as well engaged in this, to draw the youth
close to Hashem Yisburach, and he composed many thousands of books in the
matter of the faith, because he composed a great many books in the matter of
the holy faith, a stupendous (-exaggerated) amount of books. And he learned
with all his sons the ways of the holy faith, because they were all tzadikim
(-righteous). But even still, he analyzed with his mind to whom to give over
all his wisdom, until he gave over all his wisdom to Levi. And to all of them
he gave over an outline (‘chapter headings’). And therefore the tribe of Levi
were bound and strong with the holy faith more than all of them. And therefore
the tribe of Levi did not err in the (golden) calf, and also they did not have
upon them any servitude of Egypt, because the tribe of Levi were strong in the
holy faith, more than all of them.
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