To R' Yankel in His Bereavement — A Letter of Profound Consolation

"May the days of constriction be transformed into salvations and relief" — to his honor — my beloved, my dear — like my own soul — the revered Chassid — from the precious Breslover Chassidim — who yearn and long for true drawing close to our master the Rebbe זצ"ל — his honor, his splendor, his glory, our master Rabbi Tzvi Yosef Vasilefsky[כמהר"ר = כבוד מורינו הרב רבי — the full salutation honorific.], may his light shine — and all his household[כב"ב = וכל בני ביתו — "and all the members of his household."], may they live. [בין המצרים יתהפכו לישועות ולרווחים — "May the days of constriction be transformed into salvations and relief." The salutation here replaces the usual "peace and blessing" with a prayer drawing on the period of "Bein HaMetzarim" — the Three Weeks of mourning between 17 Tammuz and Tisha B'Av (see §2 below). "Bein HaMetzarim" literally means "between the straits / between the constrictions" — derived from Lamentations 1:3: "all her pursuers overtook her in the straits." The author prays that this time of constriction be transformed into salvation — echoing the Talmudic promise that Tisha B'Av will one day be transformed into a day of rejoicing.] After inquiring after your precious wellbeing with great love. Let his honor believe me — that writing is very difficult for me because of my illness and great weakness and my terrible pains. And it has been a while that I have wanted to write to his honor — but my weakness mentioned above has delayed me. And today — returning — with G-d's help — from the hillula of our master the Arizal — I remembered his honor — that we were together in Meron — and at the gravesite of the Arizal — some years ago — I toiled with great effort to write to his honor. And therefore — on the hillula of the Arizal — who was from the sparks of the Messiah — and also because I want to begin after Tisha B'Av to print the book Part 2 of Ya'alas Chen — I said: I will try to write once more to his honor. Please send me the five hundred Israeli pounds for the book — and also the money received from the books. And do not delay the redemption — for our master the Rebbe's book — Likutay Moharan — is "the beginning of the redemption" [לק"מ אתחלתא דגאולה — "Likutay Moharan is the beginning of the redemption." A teaching from Chayyei Moharan — the record of the Rebbe's conversations (Chayyei Moharan §318 and similar). The Rebbe stated that the Likutay Moharan itself — his collection of Torah teachings — is the "beginning of the redemption." If this is so for the Likutay Moharan generally, then all the more so for a book of deep study in its teachings.] — as brought in Chayyei Moharan — and all the more so this book which is the Torah of our master the Rebbe in depth. And I have no words to describe the praise of this book — all the more so in writing.

Tisha B'Av: Weeping at Midnight; The Esrog; LT Torah 67; The Shechinah's Weeping at the Western Wall; The Seven Weeks of Consolation; Elul; The Full Tishrei Cycle And now the beginning is already upon us — for the approaching awesome days — and one must prepare oneself with charity and lovingkindness and so on. Because of my weakness — writing is very difficult for me — and even so — it is impossible to be dismissed without anything. Certainly during the Three Weeks — and in particular on Tisha B'Av — one must recite Tikkun Chatzos — and to weep. [And this weeping also — one merits through it a beautiful esrog — as our master the Rebbe זצ"ל hints in Torah 67 of Likutay Tefillot — "Bereishis — l'einei kol Yisrael" — that the weeping at midnight and during the Three Weeks is the essential — for the concealment of the grace and beauty and splendor of the entire world — which is the true Tzaddik — and he hints there that the beautiful esrog is the aspect of the grace and beauty — the beautification of the esrog is the beautification of the Tzaddik. And in another Torah — and in Shichos HaR"an — that according to the weeping of the awesome days — so is the beauty and splendor of the esrog. And therefore — it is understood — that the weeping during the Three Weeks and on Tisha B'Av is also from the beginning of the awesome days — [as brought in Likutay Halachos that the Three Weeks is already the preparation for the awesome days and for Rosh Hashana and so on] — and through it one merits a beautiful esrog.] And the essential of the weeping — as appears from the Torah "Bereishis — l'einei kol Yisrael" — and Prayer 33 of Part 2 [of Likutay Tefillot] — that the beginning of the affliction was the exile of the Ten Tribes from the Land of Israel — [that is: that they are far from the Land of Israel — and they are in exile in the diaspora] — and for this the Shechinah wept at the Western Wall of the Temple. And through her weeping — [the opposite of our weeping and the arousal to return in teshuvah — which through this would have caused the building of the Temple and the redemption] — the fiery luminaries grew stronger — and caused the exile of Judah and Benjamin — and the burning of the Temple through the fiery luminaries. And in any case — they could have given life to themselves through the holiness of the true Tzaddikim — who are they — the luminaries of light — in the aspect of the Shabbos of the entire day[בחי' שבת דכולא יומא = בחי' שבת דכולא יומא — Aramaic: "in the aspect of the Shabbos of the entire day." A Zoharic phrase describing the highest Tzaddikim — those whose entire life is in the aspect of Shabbos: entirely holy, entirely above the mundane week, illuminating all the days from their elevated station.] — who shine toward the Holy Temple — and they are the head of the house — and they are those who give life and illuminate and restore the soul. But the true Tzaddikim passed away — and their light became concealed. And this is the hardest of all — for the passing away of the Tzaddikim and their concealment is doubly hard as the destruction of the Temple — and for this one must weep greatly at midnight — and in particular during the Three Weeks — and in particular on Tisha B'Av. And even so — one must not be in the aspect of despair and complaint and anger — only in the aspect of yearning and longing in weeping — after these holinesses: the Holy Land — and the holy Temple — and holy Jerusalem — and the holy and awesome true Tzaddikim. And to believe: that through this very thing — participating in the suffering of the Shechinah and the Holy One blessed be He and so on — through this very thing one builds the Temple — and merits to find and feel the grace and beauty of the Tzaddikim — who are the Temple. And to be consoled — as all the lamentations end with consolation. And afterward — certainly begin the days of consolation: Shabbos Nachamu — Parshas Va'etchanan — see Torah 78 in Likutay Tefillot — on the matter of the true Tzaddik who is a simple person — and so on — and there our master the Rebbe זצ"ל cries out: that there is no despair at all — and the essential is drawing close to the Tzaddik in his lifetime — see there the great strengthening — the likes of which there is none. And the seven weeks of consolation — and from 8 Elul begins the holy and awesome: "I am to my Beloved" — days of mercy and will and teshuvah from love and great kindnesses — and through these days one can draw close in the path of teshuvah. And Tishrei: from Rosh Hashana until after Yom Kippur — these are days of judgment. And in Elul — teshuvah from love — will and mercy — [aspect of great kindness]. And Rosh Hashana and the Ten Days and Yom Kippur — teshuvah from awe — very difficult. And then: all the Ten Days — through which one can rectify each day from the entire year and from all the years — as brought in the writings of the Arizal: on Sunday of the Ten Days one can rectify all the Sundays of all the years — and on Monday: all the Mondays — and so on. And afterward: Erev Yom Kippur — the eating is the preparation for the fast — and if one does not eat on Erev Yom Kippur — then the fast of Yom Kippur only completes the holiness of the eating of Erev Yom Kippur — and Yom Kippur remains without the rectification of Yom Kippur. And therefore the eating is counted as a fast — for all of Yom Kippur's fast is through the vessel made by the eating of Erev Yom Kippur. And the confession of Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur — ten times — corresponding to the ten types of arrows of the sins. And afterward: Sukkos — the time of our joy — and the drawing forth of the holy spirit — and the holiness of the Sukkah and the Four Species — and the festival itself. And Hoshana Raba — the completion of the rectification. And Simchas Torah — which is the essential final purpose of all the above — and everything is preparation for this.

And when I heard that you already know — I immediately ran to seek you out, and I sought you at R.Y.D.'s and at R.Sh.K.'s [R' Shlomo — likely R' Shlomo Atik or R' Shlomo Veksler] and at R' Avner's — many times — until I found R.A. [R' Alter] and he said you had already departed. And I had anguish of soul from this — that I did not see you afterward. May Hashem grant that we merit to meet together with a joyful heart and a radiant face, from abundant joy — in the service of Hashem in truth. Amen, so may it be His will. Believe me — I am writing all of this with tears and a greatly broken heart.