I had a few days off, up North.

Honestly, I could have a few weeks off at the moment, and it probably still wouldn’t be enough.

But slowly, slowly, I am feeling like the strength is coming back, enough to keep going at least with the day to day.

So, slow posting here on the blog at the moment, except, I made a commitment to myself to share at least one thing from the Rav, and one thing from Rebbe Nachman every single week, and I realised we got to Friday, and I didn’t do that yet.

So, let’s start with the ‘one thing’ from Rabbenu, first.

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The following comes from a collection of Breslov writings called Kuntres haHosafot, gathered together by R Avraham Chazan, and stuck up on Wikisource in Hebrew by a Na-Nach guy, HERE.

The translations to English are automatic AI, but pretty good.

And here is the one that took my eye, today:

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Rabbeinu z”l said that Mashiach will have to do more work with the Chassidic mefursamim shel sheker/ imposters, than the work he’ll have with the fraye/”liberated” [secularist] and apostate Jews. Because the latter want to understand only with wisdom, and Mashiach will be superbly wise and will show them by wisdom that he is right, so they’ll acknowledge him.

But those Chassidic fakers who believe in emunoth cozeviyyot/false faiths, when Mashiach shows to their eyes how it is, they’ll reply, “I believe” (Ikh glayb). Even though he shows to his eyes what the truth is, he still believes (in the sheker) even though he understands intellectually.

He said it in these words, (Az Mashiach vet hobn mer arbayt mit di falshe chasidim vi mit di frayen, varn di fraye vet er vizin mit chokhma veln zey mode zayn. aber di falshe chasidim vifil er vet oys vizin der emet veln zey zagn “Ikh glayb,” klomar chotchye ikh farshtay, nit azoi glayb ikh fart). H”Y guard us from this! Amen ken yehi ratzon.

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רבינו ז”ל אמר שלמשיח יהי’ יותר עבודה עם החסידים המפורסמים של שקר, מהעבודה שיהי’ לו עם החפשיים והפיקורסים כי הם רוצים להבין רק על פי חכמה ומשיח יהיה חכם גדול ויראה להם על פי חכמה שהצדק איתו אז יודו לו. אבל החסידים השקרנים הנ”ל שהם מאמינים באמונות כוזביות. וכשמשיח יראה לו בעין שהוא כך יענה ויאמר לו אני מאמין (“איך גלייב”). אעפ”י שיראה בעיניו שהאמת כך אבל הוא מאמין בהשקר אעפ”י שהוא נגד השכל ובזה”ל אמר. (“אז משיח וועט האבין מער ארבייט מיט דיא פאלשע חסידים וויא מיט דיא פרייע. ווארין די פרייע וועט ער ווייזין מיט חכמה וועלין זייא מודה זיין אבער דיא פאלשע חסידים ויפול ער וועט זייא אוס ווייזין דעם אמת וועלין זייא זעגין “איך גלייב” כלמור חאטשי איך פאר שטייא ניט אזוי גלייב איך פארט”). השי”ת ישמרנו מזה ומזה אכי”ר.

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There is really only one source of the ‘fine, Hungarian wine’.

Appearances notwithstanding.

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Something else, last week my husband pointed out the verse in Tehillim that talks about ‘mountains melting like wax’.

It’s in Kabbalat Shabbat, Tehillim 97, which goes like this:

Hashem has reigned, let the world rejoice. Let the numerous islands be glad. Cloud and dense darkness surround Him, righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

Fire goes before Him, and consumes everything around His enemies. His lightning bolts lit up the world, the inhabitants of the earth saw, and trembled.

Mountains melted like wax before Hashem, the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens did declare His righteousness, and all the peoples did see His glory.

All those who worship idols, and pride themselves with worthless gods, will be humiliated…

…O lovers of Hashem, despise evil!

He guards the lives of his chassidim [look it up, that’s what it says] and rescues them from the hand of the wicked.

Or tzaruya laTzaddik, v’le’yishrei lev simcha…

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In case you didn’t know already, or tzaruya is the song they sing by the Rav before davening, sometimes for 40 mins…

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The mountains are melting in Nepal and Tibet, home of the Boodha; apparently, the mountains are also now starting to ‘melt’ in the Alps too, just not yet on the same scale, and also in Spain.

We live in interesting times…

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The Rav put out a recording from Uman this week, where he warned that people need to focus on being by Rebbe Nachman whilst in Uman, and no-one else – including the Rav himself.

We are there to crown Hashem King of the world on Rosh Hashana.

The Rav also warned that Uman Rosh Hashana is no place for women, and if any women went, they should turn around and come home by Rosh Hashana.

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It’s very interesting, that the one year when I went to Uman for Rosh Hashana, that three week odyssey when I spent a day with my kids, alone, under armed guard in a Kiev airport, ahead of the first Covid Rosh Hashana – that was the most horrible Rosh Hashana I ever, ever had.

I felt like it took me three years to recover, spiritually, and I really wondered, if I should have actually gone there, as a woman, for Rosh Hashana, even with the best of intentions.

So, each person will do as they see fit, but let’s just say I have absolutely no plans to ever go back to Uman for Rosh Hashana, ever.

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Shabbat shalom, my sweet readers – and friends.

Each time I debate whether I should just close the blog down permanently, I remember how many good, amazing, sincere Jews I have met, including in person, from the blog.

And that keeps me going.