Nefesh HaChayim, An Introduction by the Author's Son

Before God-Elohi”m took him, on that same day he pulled himself together60Heb.: ahz-eer gahrmei—This phrase is difficult to translate. Reb Itzele seems to have used an initial alef preceding an Aramic word as a reflexive indicator—doing something to oneself. Z’eer could be translated as compact, draw together, or young. So the first word of the phrase could mean “caused himself to be compacted”, or “rejuvenated”. Gahrmei could be translated as “his bones” or “himself”. So I’ve translated it as “pulled himself together”. It might also have been translated as “revived himself”. I’ve guessed as to its meaning. and set his face with a quiet voice, a speaking soul-Ruakh61Paraphrasing Onkeloos’s translation of neffesh chaya in Bereshit 2:7, arising from a living soul-Neshama. And this is what he (OBM) said: “Ahf B’ree62Heb.: ahf bree—The name of the angel responsible for rain. Rav Chayyim refers to his son by this most affectionate name. will make an effort to publish the essays quickly. And you, my son, know that although I did not merit to learn63Rav Chayyim, though a truly great scholar, considered his level of knowledge to be small., heaven rewarded me to teach others, and to cause involvement with Torah to persist. Truly, even if I didn’t merit holding God in fear/awe[*] perhaps heaven will consider me meritorious enough to accept my words in these essays, so that they cause fear/awe of God and unsullied service to take root in the hearts/minds of those upright hearts/minds who seek God’s ways64Paraphrasing Divrei Ha-yamim 1 16:10.” These are the words that he spoke to me.