Preface to Likutay Moharan - The Greatness and Guarantee of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Nachman

Hagiographic Preface

Come and behold the wondrous deeds of the Lord—a marvelous revelation of the profound mystery of the greatness of the divine sage, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, of blessed memory:

Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai guaranteed that the Torah would not be forgotten from Israel through his efforts, as stated by our revered sages, of blessed memory (Shabbat 138b. T.N. the word guaranteed is found in Rashi on the verse in Deuteronomy, but not in the Talmud): When our sages entered the vineyard in Yavneh, they said, “The Torah is destined to be forgotten from Israel.” But Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai declared that it would not be forgotten, as it says, 'For it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his progeny', and as it is explained in the Zohar (Naso 124b): “Through this composition, which is the Book of the Zohar, they will emerge from exile.”

Now, come and see, and comprehend the hidden wonders of our holy Torah. For this reason, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai relied upon the verse, “For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Indeed, this very verse conceals and alludes to the mystery that through the seed of Yochai—namely, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai—the Torah will not be forgotten from Israel. For the final letters of the Hebrew words in the verse “For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed” (Ki Lo Tishakach Mipi Zaro)—י (Yud), ו (Vav), ח (Chet), א (Alef), י (Yud)—spell out the name Yochai. This verse thus reveals and signifies that “it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed,” specifically from the mouth of the seed of Yochai himself, who is alluded to and hidden within this verse, as he is the sage Yochai. Through his seed, as indicated by the final letters of this verse, which refer to Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, the Torah will not be forgotten, for through the Zohar, they will emerge from exile, as mentioned above.

Know, moreover, that the mystery of Rabbi Shimon himself is alluded to in another verse. For the holy sage Rabbi Shimon embodies the aspect of “A watcher and a holy one descended from heaven” (Daniel 4:10), where the initial letters of the Hebrew words (Ir V’Kaddish Min Shemaya Nachit)—ש (Shin, ע Ayin), ו (Vav), מ (Mem), נ (Nun)—spell out the name Shimon.

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And now, there is “A flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom” (Proverbs 18:4), from which even the watcher and holy one [as above] must draw, like a bird drinking from a flowing spring. Understand this well.

Acronym Explanation - by the English Translator

The verse “A flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom” (Proverbs 18:4) contains a hidden allusion. The initial letters of the Hebrew words Nachal (Nun), Nove’a (Nun), Makor (Mem), Chochmah (Chet) spell out the name NaChMaN, referring to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, better known as Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman.