Among the many names we mourn tonight as a community will be the name Nachman of Breslov, who died on this day in 1810. A great grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov, who founded Hasidic Judaism, Nachman popularized many ideas that continue to shape contemporary Jewish practice—both progressive and traditional—including extemporaneous prayer…the use of music for spiritual development…even the power of positive thinking.
Rebbe Nachman taught his disciples to consider their merits and those of others in order to approach life with joy. Should one fail to find merit in himself, he taught, consider one’s actions. If those actions, in turn, were influenced by impure motives, then consider the positive that came from them. Failing that, he taught, consider the merit afforded by simply being Jewish.
Many Jews know Reb Nachman through one of his most famous teachings, “All the world is a very narrow bridge, but the point is to fear nothing,” a saying popularized in song at many Shabbat tables and Camp Wise, or through his tale, “The Rooster Prince,” often recited to children in Jewish communities across the world.
A renowned scholar and rabbi who taught us to be in conversation with God and to fully embrace the joy and wonder that the world has to offer, the name Nachman of Breslov remains a blessing to us all.
— Rabbi Josh Knobel