Nachman of Breslov
(Hebrew: נחמן מברסלב) also known as Reb Nachman of
Bratslav, Nachman from Uman, or simply as Rebbe
Nachman (in local Yiddish: Reb Nokhmen Broslever)
(April 4, 1772 – October 16, 1810 [18 Tishrei]) was
the founder of the Breslov Hasidic dynasty.
Born at a time when the influence of his
great-grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, was waning,
Rebbe Nachman breathed new life into the Hasidic
movement by combining the esoteric secrets of Judaism
(the Kabbalah) with in-depth Torah scholarship. He
attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime,
and after his death, his followers continued to regard
him as their Rebbe and did not appoint any successor.
Rebbe Nachman's teachings continue to attract and
inspire Jews the world over.
His life
Nachman was born in the
town of Medzhybizh in the Ukraine. His mother, Feiga,
was the daughter of Adil (also spelled Udel), who was
the daughter of Rabbi Israel, the Baal Shem Tov,
founder of Hasidic Judaism. His father Simchah was the
son of Rabbi Nachman of Horodenka (Gorodenka), one of
the Baal Shem Tov's disciples, after whom Rebbe
Nachman was named. He had two brothers and a sister;
it is not known if he or another brother was the
oldest.
Nachman told his disciples that as a small child, he
eschewed the pleasures of this world and set his
sights on spirituality. His days were filled with
Torah learning, prayer, fasting, meditation, and other
spiritual devotions. He would pay his melamed
(teacher) three extra coins for every page of Talmud
that he taught him, beyond the fee that his father was
paying the teacher, to encourage the teacher to cover
more material. From the age of six he would go out at
night to pray at the grave of the Baal Shem Tov.
As was the custom in those times, he married at the
age of 13 to Sashia, the daughter of Rabbi Ephraim,
and moved to his father-in-law's house in Ossatin (Staraya
Osota today). He acquired his first disciple on his
wedding day, a young man named Shimon who was several
years older than he. He continued to teach and attract
new followers in the Medvedevka region in the coming
years.
In 1798-1799 he traveled to the Land of Israel, where
he was received with honor by the Hasidim living in
Haifa, Tiberias, and Safed. In Tiberias, his influence
brought about a reconciliation between the Lithuanian
and Volhynian Hasidim. Upon his return to Ukraine, he
visited the Shpola Zeide, who greeted him with great
respect and affection and hosted a festive meal in his
honor.
Shortly before Rosh Hashana 1800, Rebbe Nachman
decided to move to the town of Zlatopol. The
townspeople received him with great honor and invited
him to have the final word on who would lead the Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur prayer services. The man chosen
to lead Neilah, the final prayer service of Yom
Kippur, did not meet the Rebbe's approval. Suddenly
the man was struck dumb and forced to step down, to
his great embarrassment. After the fast of Yom Kippur
ended, Rebbe Nachman spoke in a light-hearted way
about what the man's true intentions had been, and the
man was so incensed that he denounced Rebbe Nachman to
the Shpoler Zeide in nearby Shpola. This began the
Shpoler Zeide's vehement campaign against Breslov
Hasidism (see below, "Controversy about his beliefs").
In 1802 Rebbe Nachman moved to the town of Bratslav,
Ukraine, known in the Jewish world as "Breslov". Here
he declared, "Today we have planted the name of the
Breslover Hasidim. This name will never disappear,
because my followers will always be called after the
town of Breslov" (Tzaddik #115).
His move brought him into contact with Nathan of
Breslov ("Reb Noson"), a 22-year-old Torah scholar who
was then living in the nearby town of Nemirov, located
eight miles north of Breslov. In Rebbe Nachman, Reb
Noson found a teacher and personal adviser with whom
he was intimately associated for the next eight years.
Reb Nusn became the Rebbe's scribe, recording all his
formal lessons as well as transcribing Nachman's
magnum opus, Likutey Moharan. After Nachman's death,
Reb Noson also recorded all the informal conversations
he and other disciples had had with him, and published
all of Rebbe Nachman's works as well as his own
commentaries on them.
Rebbe Nachman and his wife Sashia had six daughters
and two sons. Two daughters died in infancy and the
two sons (Ya'akov and Shlomo Efraim) both died within
a year and a half of their births. Their surviving
children were Adil, Sarah, Miriam, and Chayah. All
their descendants came from Adil, Sarah, and Chayah.
Sashia died of tuberculosis in 1807. At the same time
as Rebbe Nachman became engaged to his second wife
(name unknown) in the summer of 1807, he contracted
tuberculosis, and predicted that this sickness would
take his life.
In May 1810, a fire broke out in Bratslav, destroying
the Rebbe's home. A group of maskilim (enlightened
Jews) living in Uman, Ukraine invited him to live in
their town, and made accommodations for him in rented
homes when his sickness worsened. Many years before,
Rebbe Nachman had passed through Uman and told his
disciples, "This is a good place to be buried." He was
referring to the cemetery where more than 20,000
Jewish martyrs were buried following the Haidamak
massacre of 1768. Rebbe Nachman died of tuberculosis
at the age of 38 on the second day of Chol HaMoed
Sukkot, and was buried in that cemetery.
During the Rebbe's lifetime, thousands of Hasidim
traveled to be with him for the Jewish holidays of
Rosh Hashana, Chanuka, and Shavuot, when he delivered
his formal lessons. On the last Rosh Hashana of his
life, Rebbe Nachman stressed to his followers the
importance of being with him for that holiday in
particular. Therefore, after the Rebbe's death, Reb
Noson instituted an annual pilgrimage to the Rebbe's
gravesite on Rosh Hashana.
This annual pilgrimage, called the Rosh Hashana
kibbutz, drew thousands of Hasidim from all over
Ukraine, White Russia, Lithuania and even Poland until
1917, when the Bolshevik Revolution forced it to
continue clandestinely. Only a dozen or so Hasidim
risked making the annual pilgrimage during the
Communist era, as the authorities regularly raided the
gathering and often arrested and imprisoned
worshippers. Beginning in the mid-1960s, Hasidim who
lived outside Russia began to sneak into Uman to pray
at Rebbe Nachman's grave during the year. After the
fall of Communism in 1989, the gates were reopened
entirely. Today, more than 20,000 people from all over
the world participate in this annual pilgrimage.
His teachings
In his short life, Rebbe Nachman achieved much acclaim
as a teacher and spiritual leader, and is considered a
seminal figure in the history of Hasidism. His
contributions to Hasidic Judaism include the
following:
He rejected the idea of hereditary Hasidic dynasties,
and taught that each Hasid must "search for the
tzaddik ('saintly/righteous person')" for himself --
and within himself. He believed that every Jew has the
potential to become a tzaddik (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom,
p. 29).
He emphasized that a tzaddik should magnify the
blessings on the community through his mitzvot.
However, the tzaddik cannot "absolve" a Hasid of his
sins, and the Hasid should pray only to God, not to
the Rebbe. The purpose of confiding in another human
being is to unburden the soul as part of the process
of repentance and healing. (Modern psychology supports
this idea, which is the "Fifth Step" in many 12-step
programs for recovery.)
In his early life, he stressed the practice of fasting
and self-castigation as the most effective means of
repentance. In later years, however, he abandoned
these severe ascetisms because he felt they may lead
to depression and sadness. He told his followers not
to be "fanatics". Rather, they should choose one
personal mitzvah to be very strict about, and do the
others with the normal amount of care (Rabbi Nachman's
Wisdom #235).
He encouraged his disciples to take every opportunity
to increase holiness in themselves and their daily
activities. For example, by marrying and living with
one's spouse according to Torah law, one elevates
sexual intimacy to an act bespeaking honor and respect
to the God-given powers of procreation. This in turn
safeguards the sign of the covenant, the brit milah
("covenant of circumcision") which is considered the
symbol of the everlasting pact between God and the
Jewish people.
He urged everyone to seek out his own and others' good
points in order to approach life in a state of
continual happiness. If one cannot find any "good
points" in himself, let him search his deeds. If he
finds that his deeds were driven by ulterior motives
or improper thoughts, let him search for the positive
aspects within them. And if he cannot find any good
points, he should at least be happy that he is a Jew.
This "good point" is God's doing, not his.
He placed great stress on living with faith,
simplicity, and joy. He encouraged his followers to
clap, sing and dance during or after their prayers,
bringing them to a closer relationship with God.
He emphasized the importance of intellectual learning
and Torah scholarship. "You can originate Torah
novellae, but do not change anything in the laws of
the Shulchan Aruch!" he said. He and his disciples
were thoroughly familiar with all the classic texts of
Judaism, including the Talmud and its commentaries,
Midrash, and Shulchan Aruch.
He frequently recited extemporaneous prayers. He
taught that his followers should spend an hour alone
each day, talking aloud to God in his or her own
words, as if "talking to a good friend." This is in
addition to the prayers in the siddur. Breslover
Hasidim still follow this practice today, which is
known as hitbodedut (literally, "to make oneself be in
solitude"). Rebbe Nachman taught that the best place
to do hitbodedut was in a field or forest, among the
natural works of God's creation.
[edit] Tikkun Ha-Klali (The General Remedy)
Another prominent feature of Rebbe Nachman's teachings
is his Tikkun Ha-Klali ("General Remedy") for
spiritual correction. This general rectification can
override the spiritual harm caused by many sins, or
one sin whose ramifications are many. Rebbe Nachman
revealed that ten specific Psalms, recited in this
order: Psalms 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137,
and 150, constitute a special remedy for the sin of
wasting seed, which defiles the sign of the covenant
(the brit milah) and, by extension, all the other
mitzvot. Most Breslover Hasidim try to say the Tikkun
Ha-Klali daily.
In April 1810, Rebbe Nachman called two of his closest
disciples, Rabbi Aharon of Breslov and Rabbi Naphtali
of Nemirov, to act as witnesses for an unprecedented
vow:
"If someone comes to my grave, gives a coin to
charity, and says these ten Psalms [the Tikkun Ha-Klali],
I will pull him out from the depths of Gehinnom!"
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom #141). "It makes no difference
what he did until that day, but from that day on, he
must take upon himself not to return to his foolish
ways" (Tzaddik #229).
This vow spurred many followers to undertake the trip
to Rebbe Nachman's grave, even during the Communist
crackdown.
Controversy over his beliefs
Nachman lived at a time of controversy between Hasidim
and more traditional Orthodox Jews, known as misnagdim
for their opposition to hasidism. It was also a time
of friction between hasidim and proponents of Jewish
emancipation and Haskalah. Joseph Perl wrote a
denunciation of hasidic mysticism and beliefs, in
which he criticizes many of the writings of Nachman.
Austrian imperial censors blocked publication of
Perl's treatise, fearing that it would foment unrest
among the empire's Jewish subjects.
During his lifetime, Rebbe Nachman encountered
opposition from within the hasidic movement itself,
from people who questioned his new approach to Hasidut.
One of these was Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Shpola, known as
Der Shpoler Zeide (Grandfather/Sage of Shpola)
(1725–1812), who had supported Rebbe Nachman in his
early years but began to oppose him after he moved to
Zlatipola, near Shpola, in 1802.
The Shpola Zeide saw Rebbe Nachman's teachings as
deviating from classical Judaism and from the
teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. Some postulate that
the Zeide felt threatened because Rebbe Nachman was
moving in on his territory and taking disciples away
from him. Still others claim that Rebbe Nachman was a
threat to other rebbes because he opposed the
institutional dynasties that were already beginning to
form in the Hasidic world. (Rebbe Nachman himself did
not found a dynasty; his two sons died in infancy and
he appointed no successor.)
Did he believe he was the Messiah?
Breslov view
Rebbe Nachman taught the concept of the Tzaddik Ha-Dor
("Tzaddik of the Generation"), which, in Hasidic
thought, is the idea that in every generation, a
special, saintly person is born who could potentially
become the Jewish Messiah, if conditions were right in
the world. Otherwise, this tzaddik lives and dies the
same as any other holy man. Rebbe Nachman never
claimed that he was the Messiah. Toward the end of his
life he said, "My light will burn until the coming of
the Messiah"—indicating that the Messiah had not
arrived yet. Breslover Hasidim today do not believe
Rebbe Nachman was the Messiah, but they do believe
that the light of his teachings continues to
illuminate the paths of Jews from many disparate
backgrounds.
Secular academic view
The Encyclopedia Judaica and other secular academic
sources claim that Rebbe Nachman did see himself as
the Messiah. One proof that secular academics offer is
that the messianic personality is expected to rectify
errant souls. While Rebbe Nachman did speak to his
disciples about the principle of tikkun (rectification
of souls), and even suggested that he was capable of
rectifying souls, this power was also claimed by
Rebbes of other Hasidic sects. The principle of tikkun
is also found throughout the teachings of (Rabbi Isaac
Luria), who preceded Rebbe Nachman by several hundred
years.
Some secular academics postulate that Rebbe Nachman
was influenced by the teachings of Sabbatai Zevi and
Jacob Frank, false messiahs of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, respectively, but that he was
not actually a Sabbatean or Frankist. As proof, they
note that Rebbe Nachman's thinking on tikkun olam, the
Kabbalistic healing of the universe, bears
similarities to the teachings of Sabbatai Zevi.
However, this cannot be true, since in his own
writings, Rebbe Nachman refers to Sabbetai Zevi as the
SHaTZ--an acronym for the name SHabbetai TZvi--and
concludes the reference with the expression "yimach
shemo", which means "may his name be obliterated". The
expression is generally reserved for the worst enemies
of the Jewish people.
It should be noted that the Sabbateans based their
teachings on the same Zohar and Lurianic kabbalah that
are considered part of classical Judaism by Hasidism.
Where the Sabbateans diverged from accepted teaching
was in believing that Sabbatai Zevi was "the Messiah"
and that the Halakha (Jewish law) was no longer
binding. Rebbe Nachman did not do the same. He did not
claim he was the Messiah, and when asked, "What do we
do as Breslover Hasidim?" he replied, "Whatever it
says in the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law)." To
this day, Breslovers are considered to be Orthodox
Jews, and they are considered part of Haredi Judaism.
Published works
Nachman's Torah lessons and stories were published and
disseminated mainly after his death by his disciple,
Reb Noson. They are as follows:
Likutey Moharan ("Collected Teachings of Rebbe Nachman")
(vol. i., Ostrog, 1808; vol. ii., Moghilev, 1811; vol.
iii., Ostrog, 1815)—Hasidic interpretations of the
Tanakh, Midrashim, etc.
Sefer HaMiddot (The Aleph-Bet Book) (Moghilev,
1821)—Treatises on morals, arranged alphabetically as
a primer.
Tikkun Ha-klali ("General Remedy")—Rebbe Nachman's
order of ten Psalms to be recited for various
problems, plus commentary by Reb Noson. Published as a
separate book in 1821.
Sippurei Ma'asiyyot (Rabbi Nachman's Stories) (n.p.,
1816)—13 seemingly simple "tales" in Hebrew and
Yiddish that are filled with deep mystical secrets.
The best-known of these tales is The Seven Beggars[1],
which contains many kabbalistic themes and hidden
allusions. Several fragmentary stories are also
included in Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's translation, Rabbi
Nachman's Stories. Kaplan regarded himself as a
disciple of Rebbe Nachman.
Rebbe Nachman also wrote two other books, the Sefer
Ha-ganuz ("The Hidden Book") and the Sefer Ha-nisraf
("The Burned Book"), neither of which are extant.
Rebbe Nachman told his disciples that these volumes
contained deep mystical insights which few would be
able to comprehend. He never showed the Sefer Ha-ganuz
to anyone, and instructed Reb Noson to burn the
latter's copy of Sefer Ha-nisraf in 1808. No one knows
what was written in either manuscript.
Quotes
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"It is a great mitzvah to be happy always."
-
"If you believe that it is possible to break, believe
it is also possible to fix."
-
"It is forbidden to be old"*
-
"It is very good to pour out your heart to God like a
child pleading with his father"*
-
"And know that a person needs to traverse a very, very
narrow bridge, but the fundamental and most important
principle is to have no hesitation or fear at all…"
(This saying has been set to music in Hebrew as the
song Kol Ha-Olam Kulo (MIDI: [2]) (MP3: [3])
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