## Shivchei HaRan Chapter 19

###### Shivchei HaRan 19:1
[Shivchei HaRan 19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:1)

גַּם הָיָה רָגִיל מְאֹד בִּימֵי קַטְנוּתוֹ וּבִימֵי יַלְדוּתוֹ לָרוּץ בְּכָל פַּעַם עַל קֶבֶר הַבַּעַל־שֵׁם־טוֹב זצוק"ל, לְבַקֵּשׁ מֵאִתּוֹ שֶׁיַּעְזְרוֹ לְהִתְקָרֵב לה' יִתְבָּרַךְ.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
During his childhood, the Rebbe constantly visited the grave of the holy Baal Shem Tov. He would speak to his great-grandfather and ask him to help him draw close to God.


###### Shivchei HaRan 19:2
[Shivchei HaRan 19:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:2)

וְהָיָה רָגִיל לֵילֵךְ לְשָׁם בַּלַּיְלָה. וּבִזְמַן הַחֹרֶף, בְּעֵת שֶׁהָיָה הַקְּרִירוּת גָּדוֹל מְאֹד, הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ לְשָׁם בַּלַּיְלָה, וּמִשָּׁם חָזַר וְהָלַךְ אֶל הַמִּקְוֶה. וְהָיָה שָׁם מִקְוֶה חוּץ לַמֶּרְחָץ, וּמִקְוֶה אֶחָד בְּתוֹךְ הַמֶּרְחָץ. וּבָחַר לוֹ לֵילֵךְ בְּהַמִּקְוֶה שֶׁחוּץ לַמֶּרְחָץ, בְּעֵת הַקְּרִירוּת גָּדוֹל.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
He would go at night, even during the great winter frosts. After leaving the gravesite he would immerse in a *mikvah*.²⁵ ad loc.; *Yad Chazakah, Mikvaot* 1:2. He may have immersed upon returning from the cemetery because the latter is considered an impure place. The town of Medzeboz, where he lived as a child, had two *mikvaot*. One was inside the bathhouse and the other was in the outside courtyard. The Rebbe always chose to immerse in the outdoor *mikvah*, even during the great frosts when he was thoroughly chilled from his trip to the Baal Shem Tov’s grave.

footnotes:
²⁵ A special ritual pool used for purification, prescribed in Leviticus 11:32; cf. Sifra


###### Shivchei HaRan 19:3
[Shivchei HaRan 19:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:3)

וּכְבָר הָיָה קַר לוֹ מְאֹד מֵחֲמַת שֶׁבָּא מֵהַקֶּבֶר הַנַּ"ל, כִּי הָיָה דֶּרֶךְ רָחוֹק בֵּין בֵּיתוֹ לְהַבֵּית עָלְמִין, וְכֵן מֵהַבֵּית עָלְמִין לַמִּקְוֶה. מִלְּבַד הַשְּׁהִיּוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁתָּהָה הַרְבֵּה עַל הַקֶּבֶר. אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אַחַר כָּל זֶה הָיָה הוֹלֵךְ דַּוְקָא לִטְבֹּל בְּהַמִּקְוֶה שֶׁהָיְתָה עוֹמֶדֶת בַּחוּץ, כְּדֵי לְסַגֵּף עַצְמוֹ. וְכָל זֶה בְּהֶצְנֵעַ בַּלַּיְלָה.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
It was a long walk from the Rebbe’s house to the cemetery. Then the Rebbe could spend a long time at the grave. After this, he had another long walk to the *mikvah*. He would arrive there frozen, but would still use the outdoor *mikvah*. He forced himself to do this in order to gain total self-mastery. All this took place late at night, when he could not be seen.


###### Shivchei HaRan 19:4
[Shivchei HaRan 19:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:4)

וְשָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאֶחָד שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁשָּׁמַע מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ: שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁעָשָׂה הַנְהָגוֹת אֵלּוּ, לֹא הָיָה כִּי־אִם בֶּן שִׁשָּׁה שָׁנִים.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
I heard this from another person who heard it from the Rebbe’s own holy lips. This practice took place when the Rebbe was no more than six years old.


###### Shivchei HaRan 19:5
[Shivchei HaRan 19:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:5)

וְכָל כָּךְ הָיָה מֻצְנָע בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ מִבְּנֵי אָדָם, עַד שֶׁפַּעַם אַחַת הָלַךְ לַמִּקְוֶה בַּבֹּקֶר בַּחֹרֶף, וּבָא מֵהַטְּבִילָה וְהַפֵּאוֹת הָיוּ לַחוֹת מֵהַמַּיִם. וְתָמְהוּ עָלָיו הָעוֹלָם; שֶׁבַּחֹרֶף יִהְיֶה הָאָדָם חוֹפֵף ראֹשׁוֹ?. כִּי לֹא עָלָה עַל דַּעְתָּם שֶׁהָיָה בַּמִּקְוֶה, רַק סָבְרוּ שֶׁחָפַף ראֹשׁוֹ. וְתָמְהוּ עָלָיו עַל שֶׁחָפַף ראֹשׁוֹ בִּקְרִירוּת כָּזֶה. וְהָיוּ מַחֲזִיקִים זֹאת לְמַעֲשֶׂה נַעֲרוּת שֶׁלּוֹ. כִּי הָיָה מֻצְנָע מְאֹד מְאֹד בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
The Rebbe concealed his devotions to such an extent that there were often humorous results. One icy winter morning, he went to the *mikvah* and returned to the synagogue with dripping wet *peyot*.²⁶ and *Shaar HaMitzvot* ad loc. The people looked at him with surprise, wondering why his hair was wet. They never imagined that such a young child was immersing in the *mikvah*, and thought that he had washed his hair. But washing one’s hair early in the morning on such a frigid day seemed ludicrous, so they dismissed it as another one of his childish ways. No one ever imagined the truth, so completely did he conceal his devotions.

footnotes:
²⁶ Long sidelocks grown in accordance with the Kabbalistic interpretation of Leviticus 19:27. Cf. Likutey Torah HaAri


###### Shivchei HaRan 19:6
[Shivchei HaRan 19:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Shivchei%20HaRan/r/19:6)

גַּם כָּל הַתַּעֲנִיתִים הָרַבִּים מְאֹד שֶׁהִתְעַנָּה, לֹא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ מֵהֶם שׁוּם אָדָם בָּעוֹלָם, אֲפִלּוּ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וּקְרוֹבָיו. רַק אִשְׁתּוֹ לְבַד הָיְתָה יוֹדַעַת מִזֶּה. וְהָיָה מַשְׁבִּיעָהּ שֶׁלֹּא תְּגַלֶּה לְשׁוּם אָדָם. וְהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה תַּחְבּוּלוֹת לְהַעֲלִים וּלְהַסְתִּיר כָּל הַתַּעֲנִיתִים שֶׁהִתְעַנָּה בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁלֹּא יָדַע מֵהֶם אִישׁ.

**Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, trans. Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem. Breslov Research Institute, 1973:**
The same was true of his many great fasts. Not a single person knew about them, not even his parents and relatives. Only his wife knew that he was not taking his meals, and he made her swear not to reveal it. The Rebbe used every device possible to conceal his fasts so that no one knew about them at all (see “*His* *Wisdom*” #160-162).