Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Who was Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (5532 to 5571; 1772 to 1810) was a Chassidic rebbe, a descendant of the Baal Shem Tov (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קכ״ט) and the founder of Breslov Chassidut. He lived and taught in what is today Ukraine, and died young, at the age of about 38 and a half (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ק״ד). Many of his teachings and talks were preserved in writing thanks to his disciple Rabbi Nathan, who wrote them down as he heard them and copied and arranged them at his teacher's instruction (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות שס״ז, חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קפ״ד).

What makes him distinctive is the combination of kabbalistic depth with a very direct turn to the individual: to someone who falls, despairs, is searching for themselves, or does not know how to pray. Much of what he said was given as practical advice, and so it is studied to this day even by people who do not see themselves as Breslov Chassidim.

His life

Most of what is known about his life comes from Chayei Moharan, which Rabbi Nathan wrote from what he saw and heard. At the opening of the biographical part he sums up the beginning and the end of his life:

Childhood in Medzhybizh

Rabbi Nachman was born on Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5532 (April 4, 1772) in the town of Medzhybizh, the town of the Baal Shem Tov. Chayei Moharan tells how his mother, Feiga (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות י״ד), asked him when he would go to his great-grandfather, to the grave of the Baal Shem Tov (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קכ״ט). According to Rabbi Nathan, his childhood and youth, up to his marriage, were all spent in Medzhybizh (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ק״ה).

The Land of Israel

Rabbi Nachman traveled to the Land of Israel (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות נ״ד). He himself later spoke of the longing that came before the journey:

Breslov and Rabbi Nathan

After years in Medvedevka and Zlatopol he came to the town of Breslov at the end of 5562 (1802), and his Chassidut is called by its name to this day (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות נ״ט). By his first Rosh Hashanah there, Rabbi Nathan was already among those close to him. Rabbi Nathan writes about this himself:

In Breslov he also wrote a book that he later ordered to be burned, known as "the Burned Book". Rabbi Nathan, who copied it in his presence (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קע״ה), tells about it in Chayei Moharan (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ק״ע).

Uman

In 5570 (1810) he moved to Uman, and he died there during Chol HaMoed Sukkot, on 18 Tishrei 5571 (October 16, 1810):

What is distinctive in his teaching

Rabbi Nachman's teachings are usually built like a sermon: a verse, a saying of the Sages or an idea from the Zohar, linked to one another until a path in the service of God emerges from them. But within this structure a few simple, sharp principles come back again and again, and you can take advice from them even without knowing all the background:

• A personal, direct conversation with God, in a person's own words: hitbodedut.
• Joy as a form of service, and not only as a feeling that comes by itself.
• Looking for the good, in others and in yourself, as a way to change reality.
• An absolute ban on despair, and starting over each time, even after a fall.
• Simplicity and plain faith, alongside great intellectual depth.

He did not say these things as slogans. Each of them appears in whole teachings, with reasoning and with practical advice. The sections that follow bring the original text for each of them.

Hitbodedut

For Rabbi Nachman, hitbodedut is not silent meditation but speech: a set time when a person goes out alone (to a room or to a field) and talks with God in their own language, about what they are really going through. In Likutei Moharan II he writes:

He stresses that the conversation should be in the language a person speaks every day, because that is where the heart is drawn. And to someone who feels they have nothing to say, he says explicitly that even a little is enough:

In Likutei Moharan I, 52 he also describes hitbodedut as a way to nullify one's desires and become included in God's oneness, and notes that it is mainly at night, in a place where there are no people. If you want to begin, the guided path for those who do not know how to begin praying can help.

Go deeper: Hitbodedut in Rabbi Nachman's teaching · all the sources, from the language you speak in to what to do when there are no words.

Joy

Rabbi Nachman's best-known sentence about joy opens Likutei Moharan II, 24:

What is new here is in his wording, "מצוה" and "להתגבר": joy is not a mood you wait for, but something you work on, sometimes by force. In the same teaching he adds that one should set aside an hour a day for a broken heart and for speaking with God, but the rest of the day should be spent in joy. And where does one begin to be joyful? He himself points to Torah 282:

For anyone weighed down by sadness, there is a guided path for when sadness feels heavy.

Go deeper: Joy in Rabbi Nachman's teaching and Sadness and melancholy.

The good point

Likutei Moharan I, 282: Azamra is perhaps the text of Rabbi Nachman that most people meet first. It is named after the verse "אזמרה לאלקי בעודי" (Psalms 146), and its message begins with how we relate to another person:

In other words, finding the good is not just politeness or a "positive outlook". According to Rabbi Nachman, the very act of searching for and finding a good point changes the person and raises them up. And right after that he turns the same tool inward:

From here the teaching goes on to describe how you look for another point and then another, and so come out of sadness, and from there it moves on to prayer, to melody, and to the prayer leader who gathers the good points of everyone praying. It is worth reading all of Likutei Moharan I, 282. Another way into it is through the guided paths starting from what is already in you and when it is hard to see the good in yourself.

Go deeper: The good point (Azamra).

Finding strength and starting over

Rabbi Nachman speaks a great deal about falling, not as a failure to be hidden, but as an expected part of the path. His advice to someone who has fallen is to start over, just like the first time:

No despair at all

And elsewhere, in Likutei Moharan II, 78, comes the sentence about which the book itself records that it was said "בכח גדול ובעמקות נפלא", so that it would be remembered for generations:

The same idea appears in the well-known saying about the narrow bridge:

If you are at exactly this point right now, you can begin with the guided paths when you do not know where to start, when you simply need strength right now or when the way feels blocked.

Go deeper: Finding strength in Rabbi Nachman's teaching and Starting over.

Tikkun HaKlali

Tikkun HaKlali is ten psalms that Rabbi Nachman revealed, saying that they are of great benefit, and he passed on their list to his disciples. Sichot HaRan brings the list itself (שיחות הר״ן · אות קמ״א):

He also made an explicit promise to anyone who comes to his grave, gives a coin to charity and says the ten psalms (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות רכ״ה). In the words of Chayei Moharan:

Go deeper: Tikkun HaKlali · the psalms, the reason for the name, the mikveh and the promise, each with its source.

Likutei Moharan

Likutei Moharan is Rabbi Nachman's central book of teachings. It has two parts: the first part was printed in his lifetime, in 5568 (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ל״ג), and the second part, known as "Likutei Moharan Tinyana", was printed in 5571. Rabbi Nathan wrote down many of the teachings as his teacher spoke them (ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · תורה י״ט · אות ט׳), and at his instruction copied them in order into one volume (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קפ״ד). Rabbi Nachman gave the book for printing to a man who came to him from Medvedevka (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קפ״ד).

This is a book to study slowly. It contains long, complex teachings, each of them a whole path, alongside short talks and practical advice. All the teachings quoted on this page are taken from it. The site's library currently holds 411 chapters of the book, each at its own permanent address.

What Rabbi Nachman himself said about studying his books: How do you study Likutei Moharan?

Sippurei Maasiyot

In the last years of his life Rabbi Nachman began to tell "maasiyot": long stories with many layers, in the form of tales about kings, princes, sages and beggars. Sippurei Maasiyot contains thirteen stories, and the first of them is "The Lost Princess".

Why stories? In Likutei Moharan I, 60, he explains that there are people who cannot be awakened directly, and then the Torah has to be clothed in a story:

All 13 stories can be read in full in the library.

Rabbi Nathan of Nemirov

When Rabbi Nachman came to Breslov, in the month of Elul 5562, Rabbi Nathan was in nearby Nemirov, and he drew close to him right away (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קט״ו). Rosh Hashanah 5563 was, in his words, "ראש השנה הראשון לישיבתו פה ולהתקרבותי אליו" (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות א׳).

From this came his role: to write down his teacher's words. In Chayei Moharan he records what he was told Rabbi Nachman said at the time he drew close:

He wrote down teachings as his teacher spoke them (ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · תורה י״ט · אות ט׳), copied and arranged them at his instruction (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קפ״ד), and wrote Chayei Moharan (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות תרי״ד). In Chayei Moharan he also refers to his own work, Likutei Halachot (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות מ״ג), which is not in the site's library at present.

That is why this site, too, is "the digital home for the teachings of Rabbi Nachman and Rabbi Nathan", and the books of both of them have a place in its library.

More about Rabbi Nathan, from the sources

Chayei Moharan

Chayei Moharan is Rabbi Nathan's book about his teacher (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות תרי״ד). It contains talks, memories, accounts of journeys, details of when and where each teaching was said, and stories about Rabbi Nachman's conduct. Most of the biographical facts on this page (the birth in Medzhybizh, the arrival in Breslov, Rabbi Nathan drawing close, the move to Uman and his passing) are based on it, and their references lead straight to it. The library currently holds 613 sections of the book.

Uman and Rosh Hashanah

Rabbi Nachman moved to Uman in the spring of 5570 (1810) and died there a few months later. Rabbi Nathan writes that it was "העיר אשר בחר בה בחיים חיותו לשכב שם" (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ק״ד), and he is buried there.

Rosh Hashanah held a special place for him. Chayei Moharan records:

Rabbi Nachman stressed how important his Rosh Hashanah was (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ת״ג), and Chayei Moharan also records his words "ואתם תבואו על קברי" (חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קצ״ז).

For more, with all the sources: Rosh Hashanah in Uman: what Rabbi Nachman said about his Rosh Hashanah (an article in Hebrew).

His passing and the day of the hilula

Rabbi Nachman passed away in Uman on Tuesday, 18 Tishrei 5571, the second day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, and was buried there the next day. This is how Rabbi Nathan opens the account of his passing in Chayei Moharan:

Since then, 18 Tishrei has been the day of his hilula. He spent his last days in severe illness, and on his last Rosh Hashanah, as the illness grew worse, he said:

For more, with all the sources: The hilula of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, 18 Tishrei: his passing, his promise, and what the sources say (an article in Hebrew).

How to begin learning Rabbi Nachman

There is no single right way. Here are four ways in that work well for beginners:

1. Start from what you are going through

   The guided paths start from a situation (needing strength, fear, wanting to start over) and lead to one passage from the sources, with the book and the place it is taken from.

2. Read one teaching to the end

   Torah 282 is a good place to start: relatively short, clear, and close to life itself. After it you can move on to Likutei Moharan II, 24 (on joy).

3. Search for a word or a topic

   Searching the sources works in Hebrew. It finds words and phrases even without vowel marks, and also a book name and number, such as "ליקוטי מוהר״ן רפ״ב".

4. Browse the library

   The library is arranged by author (the teachings of Rabbi Nachman and the writings of Rabbi Nathan), with a table of contents for each book and navigation between chapters.

Topics in his teaching

Each topic has its own page: a short explanation, the passages themselves in the original Hebrew, and a link to each passage in its place in the book. The topic names below are in Hebrew.

• אמונה · תמימות
• תפילה · התבודדות
• התחזקות · הנקודה הטובה, להתחיל מחדש
• שמחה
• עצבות
• פחד ודאגה
• כעס
• תשובה
• רצון וכיסופים
• מחשבות
• פרנסה וביטחון
• תיקון הכללי
• שבת
• ניגון ושירה
• צדיק
• תורה ולימוד
• ראש השנה ואומן
• תיקון המידות

Questions people ask about his teaching, each with the page that answers it: Questions about Rabbi Nachman's teaching, and 15 frequently asked questions with sources (in Hebrew).

Sources and further study

The quotations on this page are drawn from the texts in the site's library, and next to each one it says which book it is from, with a link to the full passage. The details of each edition (source, rights status and extent) are on the Sources and Rights page, and an explanation of how the site is built is on the About page. The biographical facts are based on Chayei Moharan; the Gregorian dates and printing years follow accepted encyclopedic sources.

The books

• Likutei Moharan · the central book of teachings, in two parts. A study guide (in Hebrew)
• Sippurei Maasiyot · the thirteen stories
• Chayei Moharan · his life and talks, as recorded by Rabbi Nathan

Sources quoted on this page

• Rabbi Nachman on himself: חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות רנ״ו
• The good point: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · תורה רפ״ב · אות א׳
• Hitbodedut: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק ב׳ · תורה כ״ה · אות א׳
• Joy: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק ב׳ · תורה כ״ד · אות א׳
• Starting over: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · תורה רס״א · אות א׳
• There is no despair at all: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק ב׳ · תורה ע״ח · אות ז׳
• A very narrow bridge: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק ב׳ · תורה מ״ח · אות ב׳
• Why stories: ליקוטי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · תורה ס׳ · אות ו׳
• His birth and passing: חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ק״ד
• Rabbi Nathan draws close: חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות א׳
• Rosh Hashanah: חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות ת״ג
• Tikkun HaKlali: שיחות הר״ן · אות קמ״א
• His passing: חיי מוהר״ן · חלק א׳ · אות קצ״א