(י) וְע֣וֹד מְ֭עַט וְאֵ֣ין רָשָׁ֑ע וְהִתְבּוֹנַ֖נְתָּ עַל־מְקוֹמ֣וֹ וְאֵינֶֽנּוּ׃
(10) A little longer and there will be no wicked man; you will look at where he was— he will be gone.
(2) I will praise the LORD all my life, sing hymns to my God while I exist.
Nachman of Breslov (1772 - 1810 CE) was one of the most creative chassidic masters, whose thought and teachings continue to resonate. He was a great-grandson of the founder of Chassidut, R. Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov, and a grandson of another early chassidic master, R. Nachman of Horodenka. Among his many works are a profound presentation of his chassidic and mystical teaching, Likkutei Moharan (The first part (teachings 1-286) was printed in 1808 in Ostrog, still during the life of the author. The second part was printed in 1811 in Moghilev, after the death of the author. A combined edition was printed in 1821.), and a compilation of his intricate and powerfully evocative stories, Sippurei Ma'asiyot. He was severely criticized by certain contemporary chassidic masters, but defended by the leading chassidic master, R. Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev. He moved to Uman (Ukraine) less than a year before he died from tuberculosis. His grave is a pilgrimage site for thousands to this day.
(א) דַּע, כִּי צָרִיךְ לָדוּן אֶת כָּל אָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת, וַאֲפִלּוּ מִי שֶׁהוּא רָשָׁע גָּמוּר, צָרִיךְ לְחַפֵּשׂ וְלִמְצֹא בּוֹ אֵיזֶה מְעַט טוֹב, שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַמְּעַט אֵינוֹ רָשָׁע, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה שֶׁמּוֹצֵא בּוֹ מְעַט טוֹב, וְדָן אוֹתוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה מַעֲלֶה אוֹתוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת לְכַף זְכוּת, וְיוּכַל לַהֲשִׁיבוֹ בִּתְשׁוּבָה. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (תהלים לז): וְעוֹד מְעַט וְאֵין רָשָׁע וְהִתְבּוֹנַנְתָּ עַל מְקוֹמוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ; הַיְנוּ שֶׁהַפָּסוּק מַזְהִיר לָדוּן אֶת הַכֹּל לְכַף זְכוּת, וְאַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה שֶׁהוּא רָשָׁע גָּמוּר, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לְחַפֵּשׂ וּלְבַקֵּשׁ לִמְצֹא בּוֹ מְעַט טוֹב, שֶׁשָּׁם אֵינוֹ רָשָׁע. וְזֶהוּ: וְעוֹד מְעַט וְאֵין רָשָׁע – שֶׁצָּרִיךְ אַתָּה לְבַקֵּשׁ בּוֹ עוֹד מְעַט טוֹב, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ עֲדַיִן, שֶׁשָּׁם אֵינוֹ רָשָׁע, כִּי אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁהוּא רָשָׁע, אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מְעַט טוֹב עֲדַיִן, כִּי אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה אֵיזֶה מִצְוָה אוֹ דָּבָר טוֹב מִיָּמָיו...
(1) Know, that it is necessary to judge every person as meritorious. Even if someone is entirely wicked, it is necessary to search and find in him some bit of good, that in that bit he is not wicked, and by means of this, that you find in him a bit of good, and judge him as meritorious, by means of this you raise him in truth to the side of merit, and you can return him in repentance. This is "a little bit and there is no wicked, you will contemplate on his place and he isn't there" (Psalms 37:10), that is, the verse warns to judge everyone as meritorious, and even though you see that he is completely wicked, even so, you must search and quest to find in him a bit of good where he isn't wicked. This is "a little bit and there is no wicked" - you have to search out in him a bit of good that is still there, where he is not wicked, because even though he is wicked, how is it possible that there isn't still a bit of good, because how is possible that he didn't do a mitzvah or a good thing his whole life? [...]
. . . the same applies with regard to oneself. A person has to judge himself favorably and find in himself some remaining good point, in order to give himself the strength to avoid falling completely, God forbid. On the contrary, he will revive himself and bring joy to his soul with the little bit of good he finds in himself—i.e., that once in his life he merited doing a mitzvah or good deed. Likewise, he must go on searching until he finds in himself yet another good thing. And although this good thing too is mixed with much impurity, still, he must extract some good point from there as well. Indeed, he must go on searching and gathering further good points. And it is through this that melodies are made. As explained elsewhere, the aspect of playing a musical instrument is the aspect of gathering the good ruach from the ruach of gloom, depression; see there. {In essence, music is made through the separation of good from evil; by selecting and gathering the good points from the bad, melodies and songs are created. Study there well.} . . . Then, he is able to pray and sing and give praise to God. For it is known that when a person becomes depressed over his gross physicality and evil deeds, and he sees how very distant he truly is from holiness, it generally makes him completely incapable of praying. He cannot even open his mouth at all, due to the magnitude of the depression, sadness and heaviness that come over him when he sees how exceedingly distant he is from God. However, if he revives himself by means of the aforementioned suggestion . . . he brings himself vitality and joy through this; for it is certainly right that a person feel ever-increasing joy over every good point stemming from the holiness of Israel that he yet finds in himself—then, when he revives himself and brings himself to joy through this, as explained above, he is then able to pray, sing and give praise to God. This is the aspect of “I will sing to God b’odee (with the little I have left)” (Psalms 146:2). Specifically b’ODee—i.e., by means of my OD that I find in myself, the aspect of “In yet a little bit the wicked man is not,” as explained above. By means of this point I am able to sing and give praise to God, as explained above . . . Through this he will revive himself and bring himself joy, and he will still look forward to God’s help. He will be able to pray, and sing and give praise to God, in the aspect of “I will sing to God with the little I have left,” as explained above. And because of this, he will merit to genuinely return to God, as explained above.}
(א) וְדַע, שֶׁמִּי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵלּוּ הַנִּגּוּנִים, דְּהַיְנוּ לְלַקֵּט הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁנִּמְצָא בְּכָל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, אֲפִלּוּ בְּהַפּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּנַּ"ל, הוּא יָכוֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי הָעַמּוּד, כִּי הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי הָעַמּוּד, הוּא נִקְרָא שְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִשְׁלָח מִכָּל הַצִּבּוּר, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שֶׁיְּקַבֵּץ כָּל נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה שֶׁנִּמְצָא בְּכָל אֶחָד מֵהַמִּתְפַּלְּלִין, וְכָל הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת יִהְיוּ נִכְלָלִין בּוֹ, וְהוּא יַעֲמֹד וְיִתְפַּלֵּל עִם כָּל הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה, וְזֶהוּ שְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר, וְצָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בּוֹ בְּחִינָה גָּבוֹהַּ כָּזוֹ, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִהְיוּ כָּל הַנְּקֻדּוֹת תְּאֵבִים אֵלָיו, וְיִהְיוּ נִכְלָלִין בּוֹ,
(ב) וּמִי שֶׁיָּכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת נִגּוּנִים הַנַּ"ל, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁיָּכוֹל לָדוּן אֶת כָּל אָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת, אֲפִלּוּ אֶת הַקַּלִּים וְהָרְשָׁעִים, כִּי מִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְחַפֵּשׂ וּלְבַקֵּשׁ לִמְצֹא בְּכֻלָּם נְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת כַּנַּ"ל, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נַעֲשִׂין נִגּוּנִים כַּנַּ"ל, זֶה הַצַּדִּיק שֶׁאוֹחֵז בְּמַדְרֵגָה זֹאת, הוּא יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת חַזָּן וּשְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר, דְּהַיְנוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי הָעַמּוּד, כִּי הוּא יֵשׁ בּוֹ בְּחִינָה זוֹ הַצְּרִיכָה לְהַשְּׁלִיחַ־צִבּוּר הֶהָגוּן בֶּאֱמֶת, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בּוֹ בְּחִינָה, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כָּל הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת תְּאֵבִים אֵלָיו וְיִהְיוּ נִכְלָלִין בּוֹ כַּנַּ"ל, כִּי הוּא יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּץ כָּל הַנְּקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁנִּמְצָא בְּכָל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, אֲפִלּוּ בְּפוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כַּנַּ"ל:
(1) 3. Know, too, that someone who is capable of making these melodies—i.e., gathering the good points that are to be found in each Jew, even a Jewish sinner, as explained above—he can lead the communal prayers. For one who leads the communal prayers is called the messenger of the people; he must be sent by all the people—i.e., he must gather every good point that is to be found in each of the congregants. All these good points are merged in him, so that when he stands up to pray, it is with all this good. This is the meaning of “messenger of the people.” Thus, he must have within him this exalted aspect, as a result of which all the points are drawn to him and become merged within him.
(2) And someone who can make the aforementioned melodies—i.e., he is capable of judging all people favorably, even the rabble and the wicked, because he persistently searches and seeks to find the good points in all of them, through which melodies are made, as explained above—this tzaddik, since he is on this level, is capable of being the cantor and messenger of the people. That is, he can lead the communal prayers, because he has within him this aspect, which is a necessary requirement to be a truly fitting messenger of the people. For he must possess the aspect whereby all the good points are drawn to him and are merged within him, so that he is capable of gathering all the good points that are to be found in each Jew, even a Jewish sinner, as explained above.
"Nahman also uses the verb lekhaven in the sense of 'tuning' the voice in his tale 'The Seven Beggars.' The fourth beggar is described as a wonderful musician who is superior to all others because of his extraordinary ability to tune (lekhaven) his voice so as to mimic every sound that is heard in the world, and his power to project (literally to 'throw') his voice to far off places. By means of his special tuning skills he is able to restore to happiness the lovebirds who had been separated from one another in the tale..."
"While tuning a musical instrument requires the musician's skillful hands, the quality of and purity of one's singing is directly affted by one's ethical behaviour... A pure voice has such immense power that G-d responds to it even when it is raised as a wordless melody: 'Now, when his voice is purified, then by making only his voice heard [even] without words, the Holy One, Blessed be He, saves him at his time of afflication. This is as in [Ps. 106:44], 'He saw their affliction, when He heard them singing.' [L.M. 1 27:5]"
"Where both musical instrument and strings represent certain aspects of a person, the act of 'tuning' each note clearly applies to the self. In playing music, one is effectively tuning one's soul."
(Chani Haran Smith, Tuning the Soul: Music as Spiritual Process in the Teachings of Rabbi Nahman of Bratzlav, 67-69)
דוד סימנא הוה ליה דאמר רב אחא בר ביזנא אמר רבי שמעון חסידא כנור היה תלוי למעלה ממטתו של דוד וכיון שהגיע חצות לילה בא רוח צפונית ונושבת בו ומנגן מאליו מיד היה עומד ועוסק בתורה עד שעלה עמוד השחר
David had a sign indicating when it was midnight. As Rav Aḥa bar Bizna said that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida said: A lyre hung over David’s bed, and once midnight arrived, the northern midnight wind would come and cause the lyre to play on its own. David would immediately rise from his bed and study Torah until the first rays of dawn.