Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (April 4, 1772—Oct. 16, 1810) was born in modern day Medzhybizh, Ukraine, to Simcha, the son of one of the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples for whom Nachman was named, and Feiga, the granddaughter of the Baal Shem Tov. Nachman at age 13 married Sashia, daughter of Rabbi Ephraim, and moved to his father-in-law’s house in modern day Staraya Osota, Ukraine.
In 1798, Nachman traveled to Israel visiting Hasidim living in Haifa, Safed, and Tiberias returning home in 1799, moving in 1800 to the town of Zlatopol, and then in 1802 to Bratslav, today known as Breslov. Rabbi Nachman also is known as the Breslover Rebbe.
Before she died of tuberculosis in 1807, Sashia and Nachman had four daughters who survived to adulthood: Adil, Sarah, Miriam, and Chayah. Following Sashia’s death became engaged to a woman with the surname Trachtenberg, and almost immediately afterwards, contracted tuberculosis. In 1810, Jews belonging to the enlightenment movement (maskilim) invited him to live with them in Uman, but his illness worsened and, at the age of 38, he died on the fourth day of Sukkot in 1810 and was buried in the local cemetery.
Subsequently, Nathan Sternhartz, his student and transcriber, led annual pilgrimages to his grave, which continue to this day. Rabbi Nathan compiled Rabbi Nachman’s best known work, Likutei Moharan.
His teachings included the idea that every Hasid must search for a saintly exemplar, or tzaddik, for himself. He rejected the idea that such saintliness can be inherited. A tzaddik must elevate the community through his observance of the commandments and performance of good deeds. People might confide in a tzaddik as part of a process of unburdening their souls, but they should pray only to God. He urged his Hassidim to spend one hour a day in private conversations (hitbodedut) with God, perhaps in a place of nature such as a forest or a meadow. Whatever one does, whether sexual intercourse or something more mundane, should be elevated with respect for God’s laws. He emphasized the importance of music in spiritual practice, encouraging followers to clap, sing and dance during and after their prayers.
Some of his ideas are reflected in sayings attributed to him: “It is very good to pour out your heart to God as you would to a true, good friend.” “When a person realizes that he is on a very low level and far from God, this itself is a reason to feel encouraged. Before this, he was so far from God that he did not even know it. Now at least he knows it, and this itself is a sign that he is drawing closer.”
“The essence of wisdom is to realize how far from wisdom you are.” “Know that [when] a person needs to cross a very, very narrow bridge, the general principle and main point is not to make oneself at all terrified.” And “It’s a great mitzvah to be happy always.”
He related much of his philosophy through the telling of parables, as exemplified in the video above featuring Rabbi Avraham Shira.
Tomorrow, April 5: Judith Resnik.
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SDJW condensation of a Wikipedia article supplemented with information from Chabad.org