English-Siporay-Masi
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Table of Contents Salutation .................................................................. 4 Introduction............................................................... 6 1. The Lost Princess ................................................. 14 2. A King and an Emperor ........................................ 23 3. A Lame Son ..........................................................42 4. The King Who Decreed Forced Conversion….…..62 5. The King’s Son - Made of Precious Stones ……. 70 6. A Humble King .................................................... 75 7. A Fly and Spider .................................................. 80 8. A Rabbi and His Only Son ................................... 89 9. The Clever One and the Simple one ..................... 95 10. The Burgher and the Pauper ................................125 11. The King’s Son and the Maid’s Son Who Were Exchanged ......................................................156 12. The Prayer Leader ............................................. 186 13. The Seven Beggars ............................................ 245 Salutation Excite to see the power of your master, who illuminates for us the Torah from the Heavens, to give us life this very day and for all eternity, and in our bondage, our G-d has not abandoned us, and He has pitched upon us kindness in every generation, and he sent us saviors, righteous rabbis foundations of the world, to show us the way, the early ones already traversed, and His mercy has not been withheld at every time and at every hour, and he has been charitable with us to draw water from the fountains of salvation, primeval words, concepts that are of the hidden core of the world, under wondrous and awesome clothing. Look and understand and see his awesome and wondrous way, an inheritance to us from our holy fathers who were previously in Israel, for this is the way of the supreme holy ones, harvesters of the Divine Field, who lifted their hands and hearts to G-d, to dress and conceal the treasures of the King in the recounting of stories, according to the generation and according to the time, knowledgeable and understanding of the times, to know what Israel is to do, until He rises and saves Zion and returns to build the destructed Temple, as this very time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel what G-d has done. On the Jewish New Years of the year 5567 (which fell out on Saturday and Sunday. 1807) Rabbi Nachman gave over a teaching in which he revealed the concept, source, root, and power of stories from ancient times (this awesome teaching is 4 recorded in Likutay Moharan – A Collection of the Teachings of Our Master Rabbi Nachman, Teaching 60. In the summer preceding, Rabbi Nachman had begun to reveal the stories, and had told over the first story of the Loss of a Princess). After giving over this teaching, Rabbi Nachman made a clever quip (The Life of Our Master Rabbi Nachman, 25): Today I said three things contrary to what the world say: The world says that telling over stories is propitious to induce sleep. And I said that telling over stories is propitious to arouse people from sleep. The world says that from talking about things nothing can be born. And I said that the tzadik’s talking about things arouses people from their sleep, which causes barren women to conceive. - Rabbi Nachman expressed his desire that the stories should be published also in the spoken Yiddish, and he said, that it is possible for it to be very easy for a barren woman to read from them any story and through this she would have a good conception and merit to have children. The world says that the true tzadik of towering stature doesn’t need a lot of money, because why does he need money? And I said that a true tzadik needs all the fortune of the world. 5 Introduction Mah shehayah kvar nikra shemo venod`a shehu adam/[His greatness] in the past, his fame has long since been declared, and it is known that he was a [great] man”. Vezot torat ha’adam/and this is the Torah of a great manof holiness, who merited to complete the image of man, “...ki zeh kol ha’adam/for [he] is the entirety of man”. Is it not his honor, our lord, our master, and our rabbi, crown of our glory, pride of our strength, the holy and the awesome Rav, the major luminary, the upper light, the honorable and holy light, of holy renown, our master the great NACHMAN, mention of the righteous and holy bring blessing, grandson and nephew of the holy and awesome Rav the Godly Baal-Shem-Tov, mention of the righteous and holy bring blessing, whose light Yisrael have already enjoyed in his holy and wonderful compositions which have already come to light. Many are they who have seen and rejoiced, and the upright who have been gladdened; let the truth shoot forth his way. And behold, see what else is in our sack -- wonderful and awesome story tales, which we have been privileged to hear directly from his holy mouth, who balanced, probed and establish many similes, clothing and concealing lofty and awesome perceptions in story tales in very wonderful and awesome ways. Because so was [the custom] long ago in Yisrael, regarding redemption and regarding exchanging, that when they wanted to speak of the hidden things of God, they would talk in the manner of riddles and similes, and they 6 clothed the hidden things of the Torah, the treasuries of the King, in many, many different clothes and garments, as it is conveyed after the tale of the King’s Son and the Maid’s Son [#11 in this book], where Rabeinu z”l said then, that in the early days, when the friends would talk and speak Kabbalah, they would speak in such language, because until Rashbi they would not speak Kabbalah openly etc. And for the most part after several stories he would reveal a little bit, a drop in the sea of some clues where the things reach to, as the things and the clues which he told after each and every story are explained below in their places. And behold, until now the these things were hidden with us, but only because many said to our souls, “Mi yirenu tov/Who can show us anything good?”, because they are many who are with us, fellow believers as us, whose souls have hoped and been consumed to always hear the words of the Living God which came out of the mouth from Rabeinu Hakadosh z”l, and particularly these stories he hold, which they had not yet merited that they reach them, except in handwritten copies via various copiers, through which the errors multiplied greatly and the meaning was spoiled, and therefore their great desire compelled us and their strong hope pressed us, until we were forced to fulfill their wishes and bring them to the printhouse. And also because there was a realization from the mouth of our great Rabbi z”l, that once he revealed his mind that he wanted to print story tales, and he said in these words before several people: “Beda`ati lehadpis sefer ma`asiyot, veyihyeh lema`alah katuv bilshon hakodesh ulematah bilshlon la`az/I have in mind to print a book of story tales, and it should be written above in the holy tongue and 7 below in common tongue.” And he said, “halo mah yuchlu ha`olam ledaber `al zeh, halo `al kol panim hem ma`asiyot na’im lesaper/Really, what can the world say against this, for anyways are they not nice stories to tell?!” etc. Such words were heard from his holy mouth explicitly, and this is what aroused us to bring them to the printhouse. And if we would have indeed known, and had it not been hidden from our eyes, that many arose against him, nevertheless the truth is witness for itself, and we are obligated to do his will, and Hashem will do what is good; the one who hears will hear and who refrains will refrain. And also because, praise God, until now His mercies have have helped us, for his holy compendiums have spread out within the Holy People, in the community and congregation and Yisrael, and his words have been joy and happiness to them, and have been sweet as honey in their mouths. All will be satiated and delight from his goodness; their souls be satisfied as with grease and fat, and with shouting lips their mouths shall praise. And they are more who are with us, than those who argue against the truth, who speak arrogantly against the Tzadik in pride and disdain which they fabricated from their hearts things that were not on his mind, and we need not prolong and talk about this, because it is a thing of Hashem’s concern. And several worlds have been turned over because of that person because of the great controversy, which has increased in our days between the chakhamim and the tzadikim, and who can criticize the King for what has already been done? But let this be known, that our whole intention in printing these story tales is only for anshei shlomeinu/our own people, 8 who take refuge in his holy shade, who crave and hope and yearn to hear his holy words. And if actually the words are printed in a book, it is as if they were said before a great assembly. On the other hand, we have already seen that the words have already begun to spread in writing via many copies, and there is no difference between writing and print, and also from the start they did not speak secretly, because whoever has eyes will see, and whoever has a heart will understand, “ki lo davar reik hu, mikem/because it is not an empty word/thing, [unless it seems empty] due to you,” [Deut 32:47] because these words stand at the heights of the very heights.