The next morning, the harbor patrol⁴⁹, from the German for "fire watch" (Yemey Moharnat II, #80). It appears that this was a form of harbor patrol. boarded the ship. The Rebbe and his attendant searched for the captain, ready to fall before his feet if necessary and beg for permission to return with the patrol. But before they could find him, the ship lifted anchor and the wind carried them out of the harbor. The sounds of battle were coming closer and the sailors were very frightened, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

footnotes: ⁴⁹ In Hebrew, brand wach

From where the Rebbe and his attendant stood on the ship, they could hear the sound of the bombs and cannon, even though they were already very far away. The very thought of their great peril drained them of all strength and they both fell into their cots, thoroughly exhausted.

Even as they lay there, they became aware of a new crisis. They had not brought any supplies and now found themselves without even water to drink. But here again, God was with them. The ship’s cook learned of their plight and had pity on them. Every morning and evening, he would sneak a cup of black coffee to each of them. This sustained them, but their strength was rapidly draining away.

They soon reached the point that they did not have enough energy to leave their cots. Closed up in their cabin, they had no idea at all where the ship was headed. For a while, they heard a storm raging outside and felt the ship being carried rapidly along. But all the while, they did not know where they were going.

Eventually they heard the sounds of their ship being tied up at a port. They crawled out of their cabin to see where they had landed. Realizing immediately that it was not Istanbul, they asked the Turkish cook where they were. He replied that this was the land of Adal.⁵⁰

footnotes: ⁵⁰ Most probably Antalya, Turkey, formerly known as Adalia.

They had already heard of Adal. The people there had a rule that any Jew who fell into their hands should be killed as a human sacrifice. When the Rebbe and his attendant understood that this was where they were, they fled to their cabin and locked themselves inside. For three days they hid there, utterly terrified. They knew they could not remain concealed much longer, and had no idea how long the captain would stay there.

Suddenly a storm arose, snapping the anchor ropes. The sailors had no chance to raise sail, and without an anchor, the ship was totally out of control. There was a great cry on board, for even the Turks were terrified. From where they were huddled, the Rebbe and his attendant could hear their cries: “Homan! Homan! Woe! Woe!”

The ship tossed at sea all that night. In the morning, the wind subsided and they were glad because the seas were quiet (cf. Psalms 107:30). But they had not been led to their desired haven (ibid.), for the storm had carried them back to within a day’s journey of Acre.

Another storm broke out that afternoon, sweeping the ship along. For several days and nights, the ship was tossed about at sea. They mounted to the heavens and plunged to the depths (ibid., 107:26). The captain and his mates had no idea how to control the vessel. They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their wisdom was in vain (ibid., 107:27).

That Thursday at noon, they began pumping the third compartment as usual. It usually took about fifteen minutes to pump out all the water that accumulated in the bilge each day. This time, they pumped all day and were still drawing water by nightfall.

Soon the entire upper deck was awash with water pumped up from the bilges. The water seeped into the Rebbe’s compartment, making it impossible for him and his attendant to sleep on their cots. The Rebbe climbed to a higher place in the compartment and lay down there; his attendant found a similar place. They remained inside, not wanting to be seen by the Turks.

The water continued to rise until the pumps could no longer function. The sailors had to tear out the pumps and install pulleys in an attempt to remove the water with large barrels. Meanwhile, the storm continued to rage, whipping up mountains of water. The waves seemed to rise to the very height of the heavens. This continued all through the night.

When his attendant approached him the next morning, the Rebbe told him, “My heart is faint with terror. Deep down, I know that we are in great danger, and this is by no means a simple matter. I do not know what they are doing, but the heart still sees.”

His attendant comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Thank God, everything is fine.”

The attendant then went to look into the hold where they were drawing out water. He saw nothing but water rippling, just like in a river. Cargo normally took up all but a third of the ship’s capacity, but it had been thrown overboard. Only water was left in the hold. Still, the vessel was riding very low and it was obvious that the water’s weight far exceeded its capacity. The sailors were trying feverishly to pump out the water, but still it continued to rise.

Realizing that nothing less than a miracle could save them, the Rebbe’s attendant returned to their compartment. He was trembling with anguish and terror, and could not get a word out of his mouth.

The Rebbe saw him and said, “Where is your tongue? You yourself said that nothing was wrong. Why are you so afraid?”

The attendant replied that there was no logical way they could be saved without a miracle. The water was now rising faster than the men could remove it, and the laborers’ strength was failing (cf. Nehemiah 4:4). The sailors had gone without food, water and sleep for almost twenty-four hours.

The attendant then told the Rebbe that he had not yet said his morning prayers. The Rebbe told him, “You need not recite the entire service now. Accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven in the first verse of the Shma,⁵¹," the declaration of faith in God's oneness, whose recital is termed "accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven" in Berakhot 13a. For the ruling mentioned here about not reciting the entire service, see ibid., 16a. and say the first and last three blessings of the Amidah (cf. Orach Chaim 110:1). That is enough at a time like this” (see Berakhot 4:5).

footnotes: ⁵¹ "Shma Yisrael

Then the Rebbe told him, “Take every penny that we have and divide it in half. Bind your half next to your body, and I will do the same with mine.”

His attendant was mystified. “Why bother?" he asked. "Can’t the fish swallow us without money?”

The Rebbe replied, “Do as I tell you. The Jews were inside the Red Sea and did not drown. At least we are still in a ship … .”

Having taken care of this, the Rebbe told his attendant to dress himself in his fur coat and bind his belt tightly around it. The Rebbe did the same, acting as if he were preparing to embark on a journey.

The Rebbe’s attendant asked him, “Why don’t you pray for us? I cannot even recite the prayers that I say every day, and certainly cannot open my mouth to God at a time like this. But you, Rebbe, know how to pray at all times, for the general and the specific.”

The Rebbe replied, “I am now in a state of constricted consciousness.⁵², a Kabbalistic term referring to the immature state of the transcendental intellects. Cf. Etz Chaim 22. I am far from God. Still, my counsel is faithful. We are now in fierce danger and I have no other choice. God knows that I have never made use of the merit of my fathers, but now I am compelled. I pray that God help us for the sake of my grandfather, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory; for the sake of my grandmother, Adil; and for the sake of my grandfather, Rabbi Nachman Horodenker.”⁵³ #14. See Tovot Zikhronot 7, where it states that Rebbe Nachman used his ancestral merits threee times: Once, on his return from the Holy Land; the second time, to bring Rabbi Aharon to be the Rav in Breslov; the third time is unknown. The Rebbe said no more.

footnotes: ⁵² Mochin deKatnut ⁵³ Cf. Tzaddik

They looked up and suddenly saw a thick, dark cloud in the distance. Their hearts filled with dread, since this was the type of cloud that usually creates a waterspout. If the ship were to be drawn into the vortex, it could easily be sunk. The only solution would be to fire at the cloud with cannon, but the sailors were too busy bailing out the ship and could not stop for an instant. It seemed as if one trouble was coming on top of another, like a wasp and a scorpion biting at the same time.⁵⁴ 5a.

footnotes: ⁵⁴ Each requiring conflicting remedies; Chagigah

Again God came to their rescue and a very strong wind began to blow. The ship began to skim across the waves like an arrow shot from a bow. When it approached the waterspout, the cloud opened up like a mountain pass and the ship crossed through safely.

God also enlightened the sailors’ eyes and they discovered the place where the ship’s hull was leaking. The Turks slaughtered a ram and used its skin to repair the leak.

They had been in fearsome peril, but had managed to come through safely. It was a Friday, and everybody on the ship rejoiced greatly. In the afternoon prayers before Shabbat, the Rebbe chanted Psalm 107 (“Give thanks to God”) with great joy.⁵⁵" #270.

footnotes: ⁵⁵ This is a regular part of the Chassidic rite. See "His Wisdom

They continued on their voyage, passing many places. During the entire voyage, the only thing the Rebbe and his attendant had to eat was the dried bread that the cook gave them from the ship’s stores. Their meager rations were often putrid and crawling with maggots. Even for these morsels, they had to plead with the cook like beggars until he had pity on them.

As the days passed, they realized that Pesach was rapidly approaching. One day, they discussed this and were very concerned. The food from the ship’s stores could not be eaten during the festival, and it would be impossible to fast for the entire week.

After an hour or two, they came to a large city perched on a rocky mountain in the middle of the sea.⁵⁶ The Turks bought a considerable amount of fruit there. For a thaler, the Rebbe and his attendant were able to buy a bushel of carobs – what we call buxer.

footnotes: ⁵⁶ One of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwest coast of Turkey. The description most closely fits Lindos on the island of Rhodes or Voladha on the island of Karpathos.

The Rebbe said, “This is also very good right now. If necessary, we can subsist on these carobs alone during the eight days of Pesach. Now, if God helps us, we will also have matzah and the Four Cups of wine for the Seder.”