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

HH

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.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman