The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - His Voyage to Israel - 34 to End

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Shivchay HuRan

Part 2

34.

And it was already heard from his holy mouth that he said, that there are tzadikim that served (Hashem) and labored until they merited some high level, each one according to his prominence/virtue, like for example by a king whose ministers merit through their service, each one to some prominence, to some high office according to his service. However, of himself he said, that if he were to know that he is now on the same height and level as a year ago, he would not be conciliated ("desirous of") with himself at all, (and he spoke disparagingly of himself regarding the aforementioned matter if he were to remain in the level of the previous year), just, every time he ascends from level to level.

And there is a very great deal to speak about this matter, however, it is impossible to relate all of this in writing whatsoever, only someone who merited to see with his eyes and hear with his ears was able to fathom in his heart a slight bit of this matter, how he never stood on one level anytime, just, immediately he would yearn to ascend to a higher level until he merited etc. and so forth forever. And he was a great novelty in this matter. And all of this is according to our minuscule grasp (-comprehension), but there is more to this, there is in this matter hidden secrets, wondrous wonders, but suffice with this.

35.

And regarding the matter of "the tachlis (-ultimate extent or purpose) of knowing is not to know," he also spoke with us a little a few times how in every knowledge there is this tachlis. And therefore even though one merits to come to this tachlis of not knowing, even still this is not yet the final tachlis, because this is still not the tachlis of the (-all) knowledge just for this knowledge, and it is necessary afterwards to labor to merit to a higher tachlis, to merit to a higher level of the tachlis of not knowing, and so forth forever. (And this is already explained a little in our words elsewhere). And this matter is very extremely deep and hidden. And there is more to this matter, what we heard one time after Passover, and it will explained elsewhere G-d willing (see The Life of Our Leader Rabbi Nachman 282, Rabbainu said that he had just gained knowledge that the tachlis of knowledge is not knowing, means really not knowing, and this is something that seems obvious and cannot be explained, but was a new understanding, and even though he had now attained this understanding he still knows nothing, because previously he had also thought that he had come to this tachlis of not knowing and yet only now he understands that it is to really not know, and he had been very far from this new comprehension, see there).

36.

One time a king sent three men to a country with a secret message to a different king. And they passed through countries where there were opposers to the king.

And the first (of the three men) conducted himself shrewdly, and concealed the matter completely, and he crossed the country and they didn't discern at all that he has (-had) a hidden agenda (/secret message). And the second (of the three men) traversed there, and the people of the country picked up on the matter, and they understood that he has a secret agenda/message and they grabbed/incarcerated him so that he should tell (it to) them. And he acted shrewdly or with might, and he escaped from their hands. The third (of the three men) traversed there, and they also caught on to him, and they figured out that he has a secret, and they incarcerated him, and they tortured him with very profusely with many, many tortures, and all that they did to him, tortures, and torments, and great duress, and (-even still) he didn't say anything, and he withstood the trial and didn't reveal the secret. Until they saw that nothing will work on him and they let him go (because they thought that he presumably doesn't know anything at all), and he passed through and came to the king.

And they were appraising which of the aforementioned three is deserving more reward. Some said, "To the first more is due, because he acted shrewdly to be completely discreet." Some said, "To the second more is due, for they had already figured out his intent and even still he escaped from them with his wisdom etc." as mentioned above. The king said: "To the third is due more reward than all of them, because he was already caught in their stronghold, and certainly he also wanted to be discreet but was unsuccessful, and he was caught in their hands. And they tortured him and made him suffer with such suffering and torture, so that were he to reveal one secret, everyone would have been chasing after him, and even still he stood up to such a test and did not reveal anything, therefore he deserves more reward than all of them. (And the moral is slightly understandable a bit to the understanding).

The End

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The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - His Voyage to Israel 24-25

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24.

And on the first day of Chol Hamo-ed (-intermediary days of Passover) the man went to the Chacham, and the Chacham instructed him to take surreptitiously all their money and to bring it to the city, in order that they would not steal their money. And he did so. Afterwards the Chacham went with two wealthy men, and they said to the captain: "Give us these two souls." And he replied to them: "What business do you have with these souls? I won (-acquired, got) them from hefker (-abandoned or otherwise ownerless property)!" And he told them all the troubles that they had encountered on the way. And he said: "And not only this that I am telling you, but there was almost no moment without calamity. And these souls, we could already have drowned them at sea or sold to the Ishmaelites, and all their money and possessions would all have been ours without anyone uttering a word or making a peep (in protest) whatsoever. However, what can be done, because their mazal (-luck, fortune) is great to the heart of the heavens, because not only did Hashem Yisburach perform such a miracle for them, that with their mazal the boat suddenly arrived here, but moreover a miracle within a miracle was wrought for them, that Hashem Yisburach diverted/unsettled my heart and dulled my mind so that I took one of them into this city. And now certainly I am no longer permitted even to take their money, just in order that my slaves shouldn't complain, give me 200 thaler, and take them from aboard the boat. And so it was, that they gave him immediately as he said, and they saved them from the hands of the pirates, from death to life, from servitude to redemption.

25.

And then they both came to the city, Rabbainu o.b.m. with the aforementioned man who was his shamish (-attendant). And upon their arrival at the city the Ishmaelites said that they were spies, and great fear fell upon the Sephardim (-the locals) themselves. And immediately they brought them their (style of) clothing, and they were forced to dress themselves in their (-the local Sephardic) dress in their fashion. And Rabbainu had great anguish from this, and the aforementioned man was gleeful, and Rabbainu o.b.m. was angry at him, and said to him: "You do not know of the kitroog (-accusations) that are upon us in supernal world," and he then said a wondrous thing to the aforementioned man, and he (-the man) doesn't want to reveal it.

And Rabbainu was received before the Chachumim, and he was very fine in their eyes, and they held him to be a great novelty. And afterwards Rabbainu o.b.m. himself came with/to happiness and said: "Baruch (-blessed is) Hashem Yisburach that we merited to this salvation. And he was there (accorded) with very great honor until after the holiday. And the people of the city themselves gave from their (own) pockets the 200 thaler mentioned above, and afterwards they did not want to receive them in return from Rabbainu there, even though he had a lot of money there.

And after the holiday they purchased fares for a boat to Istanbul. And they (-the people or Chachumim of Rhodes) gave them a letter (of introduction), perhaps Heaven forbid there would occur to them some induction, that they (-the people of that place wherever it may be) would rise to their aid in every single city. And they went with this boat. And there were many Grekin (-Greeks) there and they harbored an epidemic. And they didn't know, but they saw that people were dying on the boat. And Baruch Hashem (that) there was a storm wind and it carried the boat speedily to the holy community of Istanbul. And even though they suffered from the seething of the sea and from boat's flying so fast, however, even still it was beneficial for them that they traversed quickly and they came on the third day to the holy community of Istanbul, and they were there for ten days.

And also in Istanbul they were in danger because they didn't show their passports there (on the way in) when they traveled there, therefore they did not want to allow them now to leave there. And they levied on them a heavy fine to give an enormous sum to entitle them to attain the passports from the Tugar (-Turkish government as explained previously). And the amount that they ordered to give was a very enormous sum that was not in any way in their ability to discharge. And Hashem Yisburach had mercy on them and summoned for them a man that they did not know (him) and did not recognize (him), and he went to some official of the Ishmaelites and deceived him, and they have no idea how much he gave him. And he received a kvitel (-note, in Yiddish) to allow them out of the gate of the aforementioned holy community. And he warned them, for the sake of Hashem, to conceal the matter very, very well. And through this they escaped from there safely.

And they went on the sea from Istanbul to Galutz. And they reached some city in the islands of the sea, and there they were taken to the prison, and they were forced to give four adumim for every soul. And from there on forward nothing happened to them, just the seething of the sea occurred some times. And one boat full of Grekin (-Greeks) broke and sank, and there were no survivors except a scant few. And Hashem in His mercies led them to their desired destination, and they traversed safely until they came safely to Galutz for the holiday of Shavuos.

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The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - The Order of His Voyage to the Land of Israel 15-16

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Shivchay HuRan

Part 2

15. And after a day or two the boat was left without drinking water, because all the drinking water that was on the boat was finished by them, and they only had left but one vessel of filthy murky water, and bugs were crawling in them, and these waters were apportioned to the people on the boat in rations, one ackee (t.n. the Ottoman's have a: çeki - 225.789 kg (497.78 lb), but probably didn't ration by weight, so this is probably referring to the Turkish word for tea, there should have been another word given to specify which tea measurement, but presumably it would not be the teaspoon, but the Tea glass  = ‘Çay Bardağı’ (CHAI’ BAR-dah-uh) -  this means a small glass Turkish tea glass, whichever was on hand (i.e. there is no set standard, just the general size of tea glasses)) - per person, and they were in great danger of thirst more than all other dangers, so the men, women, and children prayed from the depths of their hearts, and again a great storm wind whipped up, and it brought the boat after two 24-hour cycles to the Holy Land, to the shores of Jerusalem, to the holy city of Jaffa. And Rabbainu o.b.m. wanted to disembark there from the boat to go to Jerusalem together with the aforementioned Sage, as mentioned above, but from Hashem there was a factor, and the Ishmaelites did not allow him to enter to them, because they looked at is clothes and upon the countenance of his face, that he has long pehyos (-sidelocks), as is customary in our country, and that he does not know their language and so forth, and they said that he's certainly one of the French spies, and no appeasement or supplication were to avail, and Rabbainu o.b.m. remained on the boat.

And the captain planned on staying there with the boat, to hold up and rest there for some days, and it was then two days before Rosh Hashanah, however, the boat was not able to stand there, because the waves of the sea wanted to overturn it, and no remedy or scheme was to any avail (for this). And the matter was a great wonder in the eyes of the captain, and he asked: "What is this? And why is this?" And the Sephardic chuchumim (-rabbis) answered him, that there's a tradition in their hands, (from a continuum of transmission) man directly from (the mouth of) man, that in this place the prophet Jonah son of Ameettai was cast (overboard). And the boat was unable to stand there that night, and they were forced to move with the boat from there, and they went from there, and they came in the evening, the night of "Zichor (remember) bris (the covenant - This refers to the Slichos - special prayers said the night before Rosh Hashana)," to the holy city of Haifa, and they stood by Mount Carmel opposite the Cave of Elijah, and in the very early morning ("ashmoares haboaker," Exodus 14:24, the last watch/quarter/third of the night) all the people said Slichos with great joy, and afterwards they prayed the morning prayer (-shacharis), and afterwards they all went to the holy city of Haifa, men, women, and children.

And then Rabbainu Hakadosh o.b.m. entered the Holy Land (t.n. from a strictly halachic viewpoint, when the boat was in the harbor it was already in the Holy Land, obviously there is extra significance in actually walking on solid ground, and this is beyond the scope of these mere glosses), to the place which he longed for and he yearned for with very, very great craving, and longing, and yearning, and he was moaser nefesh (-self sacrifice) thousands of myriads of times for this, and he jeopardized his life for this. And the greatness of the enormity of the joy that he had in that moment, that he entered and stood on the holy ground, is impossible to fathom in the mind; if all the oceans were ink etc. they would not suffice to explain a fragment of the fringe of this, because promptly and immediately he attained what he attained, because he said, that immediately when he walked four cubits in the land of Israel, he accomplished what he desired to attain.

And after midday they went to the mikvah, and afterwards - to the synagogue, and they tarried (there) until the night, and when Rabbainu o.b.m. came to his house, to his lodgings, he had very great and ecstatic joy, and every single moment he said to the man that was with him: "Fortunate are you, that you merited to this, to be with me here." And he ordered to have read and mentioned before him from the note all who were inscribed there, i.e. his whole retinue who gave him notes with their names. And they ate there the feast of the night of Rosh Hashana, and everything - with great joy, until after the feast, until they lay down to sleep. 

And in the morning they went to the synagogue, and after they came from the synagogue, there aroused in him worry, and a very broken heart without measure, and he did not speaking an iota with any person.

16. And immediately after Rosh Hashanah it was the desire of Rabbainu o.b.m. to return immediately to his home, and he did not want to travel at all anywhere, not to Tsfas (-Safed) and not to tiberias, however, the man that was with him, had a very strong yearning to feast his eyes on the places of the Land of Israel, and he came to Rabbainu o.b.m. and said to him, that there is a caravan that they can go with to Tiberius. And he (Rabbainu) answered him: "You have yearning for Tiberius - go charter donkeys." And he did so, and he gave them a down payment ("adruf").

And upon his return from the owner of the donkeys, he (Rabbainu) said to him immediately: "You chartered donkeys(?)." 

He replied: "Yes." 

Rabbainu o.b.m. said to him: "Promptly and immediately go and take from them the down payment, and if they do not want to return it to you, then leave the down payment forfeit, because I do not want to go there;" And after 2 or 3 hours the aforementioned man that was with him fell into great weakness, may the Merciful One save us, and then he gave praise and thanks to Hashem Yisburach for preventing him from going with the aforementioned caravan.

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