The Praises of Rabbi Nachman - part 2 - His Voyage to Israel 28-30

HH

Shivchay HuRan

Part 2

28.

And the epic enormity of his hasaga (-spiritual conception) that he attained in the land of Israel is impossible to explain and relate whatsoever, mamash (-really) there is not heard nor is there seen the likes of this, that one born of a woman should merit to such hasaga through the atmosphere of the Land of Israel (-the Talmud Bava Basra 158b reveals that the atmosphere of the Land of Israel make people wise), and it is impossible to speak or talk about this. And he boasted profoundly of himself, with what he merited to be in the Land of Israel, and also at the end of his life he said that he vitalizes himself immensely with his having merited to be in the Land of Israel. And he said: "This I know already, that when a person wants to do some matter of holiness and he has impediments on this etc.," as all this explained further on.

29.

And the man who denigrated him exceedingly in Istanbul (-see above article 9) passed away immediately upon his arrival home. And the aforementioned man that was with him asked Rabbainu o.b.m.: "Does it not say (Proverbs 17:26), 'Also punishment is not good for the tzadik (-Rashi in Tractate Sanhedrin 105b explains that it isn't becoming of the tzadik to have people punished on his account, i.e. even if they are guilty and culpable, so why did Rabbainu bring about this man's demise)'?" And he answered him with a parable regarding this: That there was a king, and h e loved one of the children of the nobility, and he showed him affection, and drew him close with all types of love and affection. And afterwards when he grew up, he was brazen against the king. And the king said: "Know, that even though I love you very much, even still it is impossible for me to disregard the law and ordinance of the kingdom. And your judgement is decisively for death. And immediately the king commanded to restrain him in iron fetters, And put him in prison.

And this son of nobility began to picture in his mind the suffering that he will have from the death, and he saw that his pain would not be drawn out a long time, just until he was killed. However, when he began to picture in his mind the pain of the king, he saw that the pain of the king would be very great because the pain of the king would be always. Because he knows that the king loves him very much and he will have great yearning after him, and great anguish forever. And he had more pity on the king's pain than on his (own) pain. And he contemplated contemplations how to save the king from his pain. And he came to the following resolution: Behold embarrassment is considered to be like death (Bava Metzia 58:).

And he instructed the administrator of the prison to admit him in before the king. And he said to the king: "I know the truth, that your pain is greater than my pain, however, it is impossible for you to disregard the statute and law of the kingdom. Therefore this is the advisable recourse, bring about with ruses, that someone will embarrass me in public, and the shame is considered like death. Therefore, see to it to take from the captives a thief who is to be sentenced to be killed, and I will intimidate him until he gets mad at me, and denigrates me, and hits me in public, and I will be incurred great embarrassment, and it will be considered like death. And afterwards take the thief who is liable of death regardless (of this) and kill him as is his penalty. And the world (-everyone) will think that because he denigrated the cherished servant of the king he was killed, and the honor of the kingdom and his servant shall not be profaned.

Thus, sometimes someone denigrates that tzadik, and in reality he does a great favor for the tzadik, because he brings atonement to him for what he was liable to pass away, exchanging it for this embarrassment. But even still it isn't the honor of Heaven not to exact revenge from this person who denigrated the servant so beloved to the king. But to punish this person who denigrated the tzadik for what he did, is also not pleasing before Him, because "also punishment on account of the tzadik isn't becoming." Therefore, He blessed He "turns around stratagems (Job 37:12)," and stands up against the tzadik such a person that is already culpable of death and punishment. "And He summons both of them to the same inn (Makos 10b, regarding bringing about the punishment of someone who killed unintentionally unnoticed)," and this person denigrates the tzadik, and the tzadik is thereby exonerated from his penalty as mentioned above. And this person is punished afterwards, and the Name of Heaven is sanctified, because (ostensibly) on account of the honor of the tzadik he was punished. And in reality "he killed a dead man (Bava Kama 41a)," because he was already liable for his punishment previously. "And the ways of Hashem are straight (-just, upright) (based on Hosea 14:10)," "and there is no injustice in Him (Psalms 92:16)."

30.

And in the Land of Israel he engaged in Torah and prayer, and every day he wrote by himself his Torah (-original holy insights). And he boasted tremendously and said that the difference between the Torah of chutz-lu'uretz (-outside Israel) to the Torah of the Land of Israel is like the distance between east and west (see Beraishis Rabah, parsha 16 - there is no Torah like the Torah of the Land of Israel etc.). And every single day the big/great with the small went to him to wait on him (-sheemoosh - attending to the tzadik is the greatest way of gaining his wisdom and holiness) in order to hear the wisdom of his very extremely holy and awesome Torah.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman