Shivchei HaRan, An Account of His Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
וְאָמַר: "עַל כָּל פְּסִיעָה וּפְסִיעָה שֶׁל נְסִיעַת אֶרֶץ־יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיֶה לִי מְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ". וְאָמַר: "אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לִנְסֹעַ מִיָּד, אֵיךְ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, אֲפִלּוּ בְּלִי מָעוֹת, אַךְ מִי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה לְרַחֵם עָלַי יִתֵּן לִי מָעוֹת עַל הוֹצָאוֹת".
The Rebbe said, “Every step that I take to the Holy Land will be at the risk of my life. I want to leave right now, no matter how, even without a penny in my pocket. Those who take pity on me will give me something.”
וְתֵכֶף נָסְעוּ אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלוֹמֵנוּ בָּעֲיָרוֹת הַסְּמוּכִים וְקִבְּצוּ מִיָּד אֵיזֶה סַךְ לְמַעַן יִהְיֶה לוֹ עַל כָּל פָּנִים עַל הוֹצָאוֹת לִנְסֹעַ מִבֵּיתוֹ, כִּי הַנְּסִיעָה הָיְתָה בִּנְחִיצוּת גְּדוֹלָה וְרָאוּ שֶׁאִי־אֶפְשָׁר לְעַכְּבוֹ בְּשׁוּם אֹפֶן אֵיזֶה זְמַן כְּלָל.
Those closest to him immediately traveled to the nearby villages to gather a small sum, accumulating enough for him to leave. He made plans for the journey with the greatest urgency, not wanting to delay for any reason whatsoever.
וְנָסַע מִיָּד בִּזְרִיזוּת מִבֵּיתוֹ בְּחַ"י אִיָּר וְהִמְתִּיק סוֹד יַחְדָּו עִם אִישׁ אֶחָד מֵאֲנָשָׁיו שֶׁיִּסַּע עִמּוֹ בְּצַוְתָּא חֲדָא.
On Lag BaOmer, the eighteenth day of Iyar 5558 (May 4, 1798), he set forth quickly and enthusiastically.⁸ He made a pact with one of his followers,⁹ and they traveled together.
footnotes: ⁸ Rebbe Nachman left his home just two weeks before Napoleon launched his Egyptian campaign from Toulon on May 19, 1798. That campaign threw France and Turkey into a state of war, which ultimately involved Rebbe Nachman. ⁹ There is no record of this attendant’s identity.