Posted by Debbie

[Aryae Coopersmith]

Do you remember how the entire House went to Marin County (I think, somewhere like that) for Shabbos? We made an eiruv (that was the first time that I had ever heard of an eiruv). There were two things I recall about that Shabbos that impacted my life. One, somehow I missed the communal bentching. When I said something to (I think) Aryae (or maybe it was Moshe Fohrman a"h) he said "Why don't you bentch alone?" It had never occurred to me that I could bentch without everyone there-- that I could pray without the community's arms around me.. In other words, that I had to develop my own connection to Hashem.

The other thing totally changed me: someone brought a mimeographed copy (one of a half dozen in the entire world) of Rabbi Shechter's translation of Meshivas Nefesh, Restore My Soul. I spent almost the entire Shabbos sitting on a stone next to the brook that ran through the campground reading that sefer. I was so, so, so very moved. It was a major catalyst in solidifying my determination to grow in Torah. Anyway, this last summer I was in the United States with Breslov Research Institute interviewing people for a biography on Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh Rosenfeld z"l. Rabbi Kramer did a Breslov Shabbos in the Carlebach shul, and of course I was there! At Kabbalas Shabbos when eveyrone started dancing, little Chayala floated past me! I was excited to see her and we spent most of the Shabbos walking through Golden Gate (oops, Central) Park reconnecting and sharing our lives. She told me that after I left, she published a thousand copies of Rabbi Shechter's translation of Meshivas Nefesh, and distributed it for free to fellow searchers. Then she said (this totally "blew my mind"), "Debbie, I approached your father to help me publish this book, and he paid for the entire thing."

I was flabbergasted, and extremely moved. . . That sefer was the very first of Rebbe Nachman's writing published in the English language, and it was my father who made that possible! When my son-in-law heard this story, he mamash started dancing. "Shvigger, in that zechut(merit) your father has so many children and grandchildren following in Rebbe Nachman's derech."

I wrote this story for my coming book, b'ezras Hashem. (Bridging the Golden Gate was a sell-out in the "frum" stores, but I want to get it out to the general public too...) and it can be seen on the Breslovworld.com website:http://breslovworld.com//DynamicArtical.aspx?linknumber=1793

Aren't Hashem's ways amazing?

Debbie