The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - His Voyage to Israel 31-32

HH

Shivchay HuRan

Part 2

31.

And one time, there came to him one of the greats who was very important in the Land of Israel and in Chutz-lu'uretz (-outside Israel), and in his praise they said that he was proficient in the entire Shas (-Talmud) almost by heart, and he was also of the masters of Kabbalah, and he came to Rabbainu o.b.m. and he warned to remove every person from their company, and no man stood with them when they met together. However, the aforementioned man who was with Rabbainu o.b.m. remained there.

And the aforementioned gadoal (-great person, leader) implored him, and said to Rabbainu o.b.m. these words: "We know that kivoad Toarusoa (-he who is honorable on account of his Torah) didn't come to the Land of Israel like the rest of the populace, with small moachin (-consciousness, acumen), i.e. to walk four cubits in the Land of Israel and be a Ben (-son or member of, entitled to) Oalum Habuh (-the future world) (Kesuvos 111a), or other similar considerations, like the way of simple/ordinary people. Just, certainly kivoad Toarusoa came here with moachin digadlus (-mature consciousness - expanded and higher acumen and conception) and to achieve great hasaga (-spiritual conception) in the service of the Creator blessed He. Therefore it is our (-royal we) desire to know in which point of the aspect of the Land of Israel kivoad Toarusoa entered, and what does he (-speaking in the respectful third person) want to achieve here in the devotion of the Creator? And I am prepared to serve him with my body, and my nefesh (-lowest soul), ruach (-spirit - middle soul), neshama (-third highest soul) etc.."

And Rabbainu answered him: "My dear friend, do not pressure me in this matter. Because it is not simple matter to reveal to you (-respectful plural) Heaven forbid, what this devotion is, and for what I came here. And perhaps I stand already sworn over this (-not to reveal it) etc.."

And the aforementioned great rabbi began again to implore him immensely, and said: "Our inquiry and our request (is that) in any case Rabbainu should teach us some chidush (-novelty in Torah) from his desirable and pleasant chidushim which he was graced with by Hashem. He should grace us as well, and give us to taste from them. And our intention is not Heaven forbid for some ulterior motive, just, our intention is to hear original Torah insights from his holy mouth, perhaps our hearts will be aroused anew for His service blessed He, and also perhaps we will merit consequently to understand and to elucidate some hint of the aforementioned point.

Immediately Rabbainu o.b.m. began to be fierly impassioned with intense flaming of the blaze of Hashem, and his face burned and blazed like actual torches. And from the fieriness his hair stood on end, and he threw his top hat off his head, and he began to say these words: "Do you know the secret of the kavanos (-kabalistic intentions) of the Tefilin?" The aforementioned answered him (with) a few kavanos. He (Rabbainu) said to him: "No, that is not the way of the kavanos of the Tefilin, and because you (-respectful plural) do not know the secret of the kavanos of Tefilin, you do not know the secret of the four winds/directions of the Land of Israel. And now I will begin to reveal to you some hint of this." And it was when he began to speak, blood started to come out of his throat, and he said to the aforementioned scholar: "See now with your (own) eyes that they do not approve from Heaven to reveal to you (-respectful plural) a thing." And immediately when the aforementioned scholar saw this with his eyes, he nodded his head to him (-acquiesced), and asked him (Rabbainu) fervently to forgive him for having troubled his so much, and he was very panic stricken from this, and did not want to budge from there until Rabbainu o.b.m. forgave him.

32.

Also immediately upon his arrival there to Tiberias, the Rav, the Chusid (-pious, hasid), the famous magnate our teacher, Rabbi Moshe o.b.m., son of the rav, the holy, the famous, our teacher, Rabbi Menachem Mendel the tzadik o.b.m. Veetepesker, sent to him that he wants to make a marriage with him (-i.e. between their children). And Rabbainu o.b.m. replied: "How is it possible to refuse a shiduch (-match)? Presumably 'the matter was issued from Hashem (Genesis 24:50 regarding the match between Yitzchok and Rivkah)' that my daughter should be in the Holy Land," and he did not say anything more.

And immediately the shadchan (-matchmaker) went and replied to the rav, the aforementioned Rabbi Moshe, that Rabbainu o.b.m. consented. And immediately they made a grand feast. And at the feast were all the greats of the Land of Israel, both from the country of Lita (-Lithuania) and from the country of Poland, everyone alike - big and small. And they had great joy/celebration. And during the feast they spoke words of Torah between them, and the main speaker was the aforementioned gadol (-great, leader) who wanted that Rabbainu should reveal to him the point etc.. In the middle of their conversation the location of a certain remark of Rashi eluded them, where its place is. And they wanted to bring it up to their memory because it was very necessary for their issue, and they could not budge from there because of this, and it was a wonder to them, because each and everyone of them had recently finished the entire Shas (-Talmud), and not one of them knew the place of the aforementioned Rashi, where it is stated. And Rabbainu o.b.m. was silent as if he also did not know, however, when he saw that they had great distress from this, and they implored him to no end, he answered up and said to them: "Behold this Rashi, its place is in Tractate Zevachim (-offerings), on this daf (-two sided page) at the top of the amud (-one of the two sides)," and so it was. And this brought them joy and happiness. And this feast protracted from the time of mincha gedola (-half an hour after midday, when one can begin to pray mincha) until daybreak, and a union was made between them.

However, afterwards, when Rabbainu left from there, from the Land of Israel to chutz-lu'uretz (outside of Israel) the groom, the son of the rav, our teacher the rav Rabbi Moshe mentioned above, passed away, and Rabbainu o.b.m. made a match with his daughter who had been the bride of the son of the rav, our teacher Rabbi Moshe mentioned above, with the honorable gaon (-prodigee) the famous rav of the holy community of Volitshisk (-Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Volitshisk za.tza.l. from the greatest disciples of the Magid of Mezritch - his son, Rabbi Pinchas got engaged to Miriam, the third daughter of Rabbainu o.b.m. in Elul 5560, and the wedding was in Cheshvon 5565). And circumstances were brought about from Hashem that the aforementioned Rav and Gaon traveled to the Holy Land, and he took his son, the son-in-law of Rabbainu o.b.m., with him there in order that he would learn by him there. And afterwards the daughter of Rabbainu o.b.m. also traveled there. And the words of Rabbainu o.b.m. that he said, that it was from Hashem that his daughter should be in the Holy Land were fulfilled, and one word of his words will not back down empty-handed.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

Breaking free at the brink of utter capitulation to the evil inclination

HH
Yesterday I met with a good Nanach friend who will remain anonymous, and I couldn't help but notice some swelling and bruising, and he had no choice but to tell me what happened. He was hit very hard by a deluge of improper thoughts which took control of him and were just about to sink him completely G-d forbid, so rather to succumb Gf he struck himself extremely hard over and over again sending immense pain signals to his brain and thus banishing the overpowering lust. Badges of honor. And as Rabbainu revealed, he who overcomes such a test will merit miracles.

The Chasam Sofer used to bleed himself out, and a certain chasidishe Rebbe used to burn his thumb or one of his fingers.

We must not forfeit the eternal goodness of Hashem Yisburach for a fleeting indulgence of animal flesh.

On Shabbos parshas Pinchas, a few days after writing this, it occurred to me that this can be the explanation of what we are instructed in the Talmud (Brachos 5a):

א"ר לוי בר חמא אמר ר"ש בן לקיש לעולם ירגיז אדם יצר טוב על יצר הרע שנא' (תהלים ד, ה) רגזו ואל תחטאו. אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יעסוק בתורה שנאמר אמרו בלבבכם אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יקרא קריאת שמע שנאמר על משכבכם אם נצחו מוטב ואם לאו יזכור לו יום המיתה שנאמר ודומו סלה.

Incidental to the verse, “Tremble, and do not sin,” the Gemara mentions that Rabbi Levi bar Ḥama said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: One should always incite his good inclination against his evil inclination, i.e., that one must constantly struggle so that his evil inclination does not lead him to transgression. 

If one succeeds and subdues his evil inclination, excellent, but if he does not succeed in subduing it, he should study Torah, as alluded to in the verse: “Say to your heart.” 

If he subdues his evil inclination, excellent; if not, he should recite Shema, which contains the acceptance of the yoke of God, and the concept of reward and punishment, as it is stated in the verse: “Upon your bed,” which alludes to Shema, where it says: “When you lie down.” 

If he subdues his evil inclination, excellent; if not, he should remind himself of the day of death, whose silence is alluded to in the continuation of the verse: “And be still, Selah.”

Reminding oneself of death doesn't mean to to simply just remember that eventually he will die, but to actually give oneself an acute taste of that death. As Rabbainu revealed in Likutay Moharan, Torah-lesson 193 that a person can picture in his mind death so well that he can actually feel the pain of death and must be careful to not actually die Gf. So that would be the ultimate reminder of death, but being that the Talmud is talking about when a person is inundated with the craziness of the evil inclination and is probably not in any frame of mind to avidly picture for himself death as described above, therefore his only final recourse would be to bring upon himself some real physical pain which is also an aspect of death.


Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'Uman