Blossoms of The Spring - Letter 28

Letter 28

BH, 19 Elul 719 (- 11 days before Rosh Hashana. Tuesday, 22 September, 1959)

My beloved friend, Mr. Z. Shazar, who is wise and understands the truth: who is the slave that rides on the horse, and who is the true reigning lord[1]. He Who makes new things, should inaugurate upon him a good, satisfying, and radiant year, that the gates of his heart should shine with/in the light of the true Tzadik, in such a way that he should merit to begin from now to draw close to Hashem Yisburach in truth and sincerity all the days of his life, for a good, lengthy, and peaceful life.

When the year comes to conclusion and end, that is in the last month of the year, the month of Elul, when the days are of ratzon (-desire, will) and holy yearning, certainly it is necessary to arouse then exceedingly with great yearning for Hashem Yisburach, and to beseech, and to seek, and to probe a way to repentance, everyone from the place where he is (there), and to draw upon himself the merit and power of The Truly Benevolent Man[2], who is extremely great in stature, that through him there is the main sustenance of the world and the entire creation which was created on Rosh Hashana.[3]

There are two birds[4], one male and one female, and they are just one couple in the world, and aforementioned two birds lost their way and they got distanced one from another until each was unable to find their friend, and when night comes, then they wail in an extremely great wailing call/voice, because each one wails over its partner. And these two birds allude in their root to the unification of The Holy Blessed One (-i.e. the Attributes of HY) and Kinessess Yisroel (-The Assembly of Israel – an aspect of the Shechina, the Divine Presents, the final Sefira of Malchus), which the main redemption is contingent upon – on the connecting of these two birds. And there is one Tzadik that has an extremely beautiful and wondrous neck, and an extremely wondrous voice, and all (the) types of sounds/voices of the world, all of them he can sound out with his voice, that is, because he can pitch his voice in concordance to all (the) types of sounds/voices that there are in the world of all (the) types of animals and birds, and of all (the) types of musical instruments and so forth. And he can also cast his voice, that is, that in place where he sounds out the voice/sound, the sounding will not be heard at all, just in the distance, there the sounding will be heard, and through this he can draw and connect the two distanced birds who strayed one from another, and unite them, one another, and to silence their wailing, and to complete the rectification entirely. However, because there are vanities/vapors of the world, and this aforementioned Tzadik does not want to release any vapor, or spirit, or breath in the vanities/vapors of the world, therefore, he specifically appears in the eyes of the world as if his neck is crooked, because he really twists his neck completely from the vanities/vapors of the world, and does not want to release any vapor or spirit, in the vapors of the world. However, in reality his neck is not crooked whatsoever, just, on the contrary, he has a sleek and very beautiful neck etc. as explained above[5], and in the very end he will certainly rehabilitate the entire world, and the entire world will be completely rectified by him.

The transcriber who bids his (-your, third person) wellbeing, and wishes him a good and blessed year from the source of blessing, who mentions him (-you) always before Hashem Yisburach, and supplicates for the length of his days in the supernal pleasantness, and regards and blessing of a good year to his highly regarded and very esteemed daughter, and similarly to all those under his auspices.

Yisroel Dov Odesser

28 Ben Attar

Tel Aviv

נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

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Blossoms of the Spring

English Breslov Literature

ספר אבי הנחל

מכתב כח

ב"ה, י"ט אלול תשי"ט

ידיד ליבי, מר ז.שזר, החכם ומבין האמת מי הוא העבד הרוכב על הסוס ומי הוא השר המושל האמיתי. עושה חדשות יחדש עליו שנה טובה מאושרה ומאירה, שיאירו שערי ליבו באור הצדיק האמת, באופן שיזכה להתחיל מעתה להתקרב לה' יתברך באמת ובתמים כל ימי חייו, לחיים טובים ארוכים ולשלום.

כשמגיע השנה להיות נגמרת ונפסקת, היינו בחודש האחרון של השנה, הוא חודש אלול, שאז הם ימי רצון וכיסופים דקדושה, בוודאי צריך להתעורר אז ביותר בכיסופים גדולים לה' יתברך, ולבקש ולדרוש ולחקור דרך לתשובה, כל אחד ממקום אשר הוא שם, ולהמשיך על עצמו זכות וכוח האיש חסד האמת הגדול במעלה מאד, שעל ידו עיקר קיום העולם והבריאה כולה שנברא בראש-השנה.

יש שני ציפורים, אחד זכר ואחד נקבה והם רק זוג אחד בעולם, ושני צפורים הנ"ל נתעו ונתרחקו זה מזה עד שאין יכולים למצוא אחד את חברו, וכשמגיע הלילה אז מייללין בקול יללה גדולה מאד, כי כל אחד מיילל על זוגו. והשני ציפורים אלו מרמזים בשרשם על יחוד קודשא בריך הוא וכנסת ישראל שעיקר הגאולה תלוי בחיבור שני הציפורים אלו. ויש צדיק אחד שיש לו צוואר יפה ונפלא מאד וקול נפלא מאד, וכל מיני קולות שבעולם כולם הוא יכול להוציאם בקולו, היינו כי הוא יכול לכוון לעשות בקולו כמו כל מיני הקולות שיש בעולם של כל מיני חיות ועופות ושל כל מיני כלי שיר וכיוצא בזה. וגם הוא יכול להשליך קולות, היינו שבמקום שהוא מוציא הקול לא יהיה נשמע הקול כלל, רק בריחוק יהיה נשמע שם הקול, ועל ידי זה הוא יכול להמשיך ולחבר השתי ציפורים הרחוקים שנתעו זה מזה ולייחדם זה עם זה ולהשקיט יללתם ולגמור התיקון בשלמות. אך מחמת שיש הבלי עולם, וזה הצדיק הנ"ל אינו רוצה להוציא שום הבל ורוח ונשימה בהבלי העולם, על כן הוא דייקא נראה בעיני העולם כמו שצווארו עקום, כי הוא באמת מעקם צווארו לגמרי מהבלי העולם ואינו רוצה להוציא שום הבל ורוח בהבלי העולם. אבל באמת אין צווארו עקום כלל, רק אדרבא יש לו צוואר שווה ויפה מאד וכו' כנ"ל, וסוף כל סוף בוודאי יחזיר למוטב את כל העולם וכל העולם יתקן על ידו בשלמות.

המעתיק הדורש שלומו ומאחל לו שנה טובה ומבורכה ממקור הברכה, המזכירו תמיד לפני ה' יתברך ומעתיר בעד אריכת ימיו בנועם העליון, ודרישת שלום וברכת שנה טובה לביתו נעלה ונכבדה מאד וכן לכל הנלווים אליו.

ישראל דב אודעסר

בן עטר 28

תל-אביב

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[1] See Koheles 10:7, and see Rabbi Nachman’s Stories, The Story of the Exchanged Children.

[2] See Rabbi Nachman’s Stories, The Story of the Seven Beggars, Third day – the Inarticulate beggar, who’s greatness is approved and attested to by: “Der Grosser Man – Der Emmesser Eesh Chessed,” see there at length.

It is interesting and perhaps out of character for Saba to call upon a Tzadik other than Rabbainu himself, and elsewhere Saba said that Rabbainu is all the seven beggars, whereas The Truly Benevolent Man only receives from Rabbainu.

[3] In the liturgy and words of our Sages, Rosh Hashana is called the day of the birth of the world, but it should be noted that Rosh Hashana is the 6^th day of creation, the day HY created man.

[4] Rabbi Nachman’s Stories, The Story of the Seven Beggars, Day 4 – The Beggar With a Crooked Neck.

[5] Likutay Halachos, Yoreh Daya II, Nedarim 4:36.

The Difference Between the Arizal and the Ramak and the prominence of the Tikunay Zohar

HH

The Life Of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman

364

(25) One time I (Rabbi Nussun) spoke with him (Rabbainu NNNNM) about the Kabballah of the Ar”i (-Lion, acronym, The Godly Rabbi Yitzchok[1]) o.b.m., and he said that the Kabballah of the Arizal is completely in unison with the Kabballah which our Teacher Rav Moshe Kordivero (Rama”k) o.b.m. composed. After some years, it reoccurred that I spoke with him about the Kabballah which the Arizal revealed, and he said that his Kabballah is distant and extremely superior from the Kabballah of the author of the Pardess[2] o.b.m.. And I stood aghast, and I asked him fearfully, “Did I not hear from your (-respectful plural) mouth once that really it is all one?” And he answered, “Presumably if I said that, I knew what I said.” And the words are seemingly incognizable and sealed. However, he who has a heart to understand, can comprehend from afar that everything is correct, and his words are living and enduring, and everything is true and upholding, and correct, and enduring[3], and just. Because in truth certainly everything is one in the immanence (-pineemeyus) of the faith, in the real truth. However, even still, the way of the revelation of the secrets of the Arizal is far and very superior from the ways of the Pardess, even though in real truth it is all one. And it is impossible to elaborate on this matter because (Proverbs 25:2), “The honor of G-d is the hidden matter,” “And the keenly wise will understand (Daniel 12:10).”[4]

(26[5]) He (Rabbi Nachman) related that he knew all the words/matters of the Aitz Chaim, and Pree Aitz Chaim, and all the (other) writings of the Arizal, and the Book of the Zohar, and most importantly the Tikunim (-Tikunay Zohar). And it was understood from his words that this was in the days of his youth. And several times he very radically praised the greatness of the holiness of the Tikunay Zohar. And he would frequently engage in it exceedingly, even the whole year, even not in the days of (the month of) Elul[6]. And he said that in the book of the Tikunim are included all the wisdoms of the world.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman!

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[1] It is fascinating to note that in The Praises of Rabbi Nachman, part 2, which records the highlights of Rabbainu’s voyage to Israel, including the different tombs of tzadikim he visited, it does not mention that he visited the tomb of the Arizal even though Rabbainu was in Tsfas (-Safed).

[2] One of the classics of the Ramak. Pardess means orchard, alluding to the field of the esoteric. It is also acronym for all of the four main categories of the study of the Torah (pshat, remez, drush, soad).

[3] These adjectives are found in the blessing said after the Shema in the morning prayer.

[4] The Ramchal actually explains very simply and succinctly that the Ramak spoke only in general terms of the Sefiros, whereas the Arizal spoke of their particular qualities as they are manifested in the Partzufim (countenances). See Klach Pischay Chuchmuh – 138 Gates of Wisdom, Gateway 17, and Maamar HaVeekuach (Exposition of Disputation, published in the beginning of Shaaray Ramchal), articles 83-4. Probably Rabbi Nussun did not have access to most of the manuscripts of the Ramchal. It is also probable that even if he had he would still have chosen to conceal the matter and keep the difference amorphous and obscure, for in this way the holy methods retain strong allure and appeal, and they are not reduced to a slotted cold classification. Nevertheless from here we can gain insight into the important role the Ramchal can play in providing much groundwork and background to the holy teachings of Rabbainu. The connection between the Ramchal and Rabbainu is well established and elaborated upon in Likutay Nanach and elsewhere.

[5] Printed in Sichos Huran – The Words of Rabbi Nachman, article 128.

[6] There is a custom to read the entire Tikunay Zohar during the month of Elul until Yom Kippur. See Sichos Huran – The Words of Rabbi Nachman, article 127.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman!

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Elul - Man and His Beloved

ELUL

Elul is acronym Ani Lidoadee – I am for my beloved, Vidoadee Lee – and my beloved is for me, and we found countless times where the relationship between HY and the Jews is likened to that of a Man and his Beloved.

Previously on this blog I already wrote how this makes it more natural for a woman to connect with HY, then for a man, see there. Here I would like to build on this.

A woman has 4 very strong emotions regarding her man, these her body and whole being scream out, even if she doesn't actually let them escape her lips. These are not simple pronunciations, but repeated and continuous, incessant, flowing and gushing, and pleading. Much of this unfortunately is reduced to vulgar and coarse language, simply because the way of holiness has been despaired[1]. Obviously it will be more powerful if one actually expresses himself out loud to HY, but there is also the factor of streaming the thoughts intensely as described above.

1.       NEED. Even before any contact is made, and throughout any union, there is the overall urgent and or definite NEED.

2.       GRATITUDE. [YES!]

3.       The need to really experience him completely: GIVE IT TO ME….

{particularly on the inhale}

4.       Surrender. I AM YOURS.

{particularly on the exhale}

One should offer these up to HY, every second, for every second in this world one's very being and essence, his composition, consciousness, and breath is all from HY, and one can max out on this, pouring out, even only in thought – in his mind, thanks and gratitude, and plead to receive more, and to fully surrender and be His.[2]

The wise will understand that this is just the groundwork, the beginning, every detail enhances, intensifies, and fortifies the aggregate effect. One must be nak*d – completely bare and open before G-d, completely vulnerable, and then of course there is the factor of humiliation, and so much more.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

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[1] There is a story of the Baal Shem Tov who saw that there was great prosecution against Israel because there was a priest who had never experienced a nocturnal emission. So the Baal Shem Tov visited him and caused it to happen, the Baal Shem Tov spoke in holiness cloaking his words in worldly expressions, which were enough to bring the priest over the edge just by hearing them. And as the power of holiness is infinitely greater, who can imagine what the Baal Shem Tov experienced!

[2] These four can parallel the 4 preceding steps of the building of the Malchus in the first blessing of Shemoneh Esray (very succinctly): Melech (Kessehr) – need. Oazair (chaba"d) – gratitude for being there for you. Oomoasheyu (chaga"t) – getting everything. Oomugain (nihe"y) – completely dominated.

Also the three particular expressions can correlate to the three main paradigms of the Yichudim the Ramchal revealed. 1. Gratitude – zivug of the middle – azteelus, where we are just recipients. 2. Give it to me – the second level of Yichudim where azteelus is the soul and the tzadikim are the body – definite players. 3. Utter consummation – the highest and final Yichud of the beginning and the end, where the end shows that there is just the beginning, there is only HY.