Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was one of the most unique and impactful tzadikim of the last 250 years. He was a special type of leader, uplifting so many Yidden and infusing them with a fiery passion for Avodas Hashem. Remarkably, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s influence has only continued to grow since his passing, becoming stronger and more widespread with each generation.
Rebbe Nachman had greatness in his blood. His mother, Feige, was the granddaughter of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of chassidus, making Rebbe Nachman a great-grandson of a true revolutionary.
Rebbe Nachman’s Torah is very unique. He was famous for always being m’chazek people and encouraging every Yid in every type of situation. But although “ein shum yi’ush ba’olam klal! — There is no despair in the world at all!” might be one of his most famous teachings, there is a lot more to Breslov Torah than meets the eye.
Rebbe Nachman provided a very real and practical pathway to serving Hashem, giving his students a variety of tools of chassidus and continuing the mission of the Baal Shem Tov to help us find Hashem in every aspect of our lives.
In honor of his 216th yahrtzeit on 18 Tishrei, Chol Hamoed, let’s be mekasher to the tzadik by taking a look at some of the foundational teachings of Rebbe Nachman. And even if you don’t see yourself as a “Breslover Chassid,” maybe there is a tool you can pick up along the way that will enhance your Avodas Hashem.
The Greatness of Every Yid
Rebbe Nachman taught that there is no avodah or mitzvah in the world that is “off limits” to a Yid. Any Yid can grow and accomplish great things! One should see himself as being a “big tzadik” already, with the ability to accomplish great things according to his level.
Tikkun Chatzos
This is why Rebbe Nachman stressed to his talmidim the greatness of saying tikkun chatzos, a special tefillah said at midnight that focuses on mourning over the churban Beis Hamikdash (Likutei Moharan Tinyana 67). Although some might see this avodah as being only for great tzadikim, Rebbe Nachman taught otherwise, and many Breslover chassidim today say tikkun chatzos. He also revealed that although on the simplest level, tikkun chatzos is all about the churban, on a deeper level, a Yid should cry out to Hashem about whatever is going on with him personally (ibid., 101).
Davening with Fire
Rebbe Nachman also taught that even saying tikkun chatzos in the middle of the night shouldn’t take away from tefillas Shacharis. He taught his students to put all of their strength into the words of davening (Sichos Haran 66). Even if someone doesn’t feel connected while saying the words, he should try to say them with excitement and fire, and eventually the inner feelings will come (ibid., 75).
This is not “fake it till you make it,” but rather a true power that we have to influence our heart through the motions of the body. He taught that we should be happy with whatever davening we can have, even if we can just read the words like a schoolchild, and not be discouraged if we struggle with having the right intentions all the time.
Learn the Whole Torah
Rebbe Nachman held that every Yid should set out to learn the whole Torah and try to feel Hashem’s presence in every word he learns. He should make time to learn whenever possible, start a sefer, finish it, and then start it again (Sichos Haran 76). Breslover chassidim are known to always have pocket-size seforim with them, utilizing any extra time to chap arein!
He encouraged his chassidim to finish all four sections of Shulchan Aruch every year. If one is learning and doesn’t fully understand something, don’t “get stuck” and risk losing your learning routine. Move along to the next part, and you will see that the next time you review your learning, Hashem will help you understand it better.
Turning Torah into Tefillah
Rebbe Nachman taught that when someone learns something, it starts as something intellectual, as thoughts in our mind. But a Yid should then take that idea and ask Hashem to help him internalize it and acquire whatever good traits are related to it. In this way, we “turn our Torah into tefillah.”
Hisbodedus
A classic Breslov practice is hisbodedus, or isolated, private prayer. A Yid has to live his whole life with Hashem by his side and find Him in everything he does. This doesn’t only mean asking Hashem for the things he needs in his own words, but rather discussing every aspect of life with Him.
For some people, hisbodedus starts with simply speaking to Hashem and telling Him everything that happened that day, and then just letting the conversation flow — sharing what happened, how he felt, what he wishes he could do better, what he is grateful for, and so on.
There is no right or wrong way to do hisbodedus. The main thing is to become comfortable talking to Hashem in your own words and realizing that He loves you, He is close to you, and He wants to hear from you! It’s not always easy to make time for this every day, but it is one of the most powerful ways to build your personal relationship with Hashem (see sefer hishtapchus hanefesh, a compilation of all Rebbe Nachman’s Torah on hisbodedus).
Eating with Holiness
When we eat, says Rebbe Nachman, we can access heoras haratzon (Liku”m Tinyana 7:10), a feeling of Hashem’s kindness to us and an increase in our desire to get close to Him. When one eats, he feels Hashem’s shefa, His outpouring of kindness, and he can become filled with a strong yearning to connect to Him in return. It’s as if we are making “eye contact” with Him.
Ahavas Yisroel
Rebbe Nachman taught his talmidim that the love one Yid feels for another Yid should be so obvious that people who observe it should be taken aback by the powerful Ahavas Yisroel they are witnessing (Chayei Moharan 292). He taught his talmidim to be m’karev other Yidden, to bring them closer and closer to avodas Hashem wherever possible, all through the power of their pure love for them and a desire to share the truth of Torah with them.
Mitzvah Gedola Lihyos B’Simcha Tamid!
Rebbe Nachman coined the famous phrase, “Mitzvah gedola lihyos b’simcha tamid — it is a great mitzvah to be happy, always!” (Liku”m Tinyana 24) This might sound simple, but we can’t just flip a switch and become happy. It is a lifetime avodah that involves acquiring real tranquility, connecting everything that happens to us back to Hashem’s kindness, and understanding that everything that comes our way is for our best.
But even the feeling of happiness itself is important. He even taught people to do external actions to brighten their own mood when they don’t currently feel happy (ibid).
Basic Yiddishkeit, says Rebbe Nachman, should be enough to fill us with joy. A Yid should be so happy that he’s a Yid! He gets to do so many mitzvos, learn Torah, and live a life full of meaning! (Chayei Moharan 593)
Holy Aspirations
Although Rebbe Nachman taught his students to be b’simcha with whatever they have in Yiddishkeit, he also taught them never to be satisfied with what they’ve already achieved, but rather to keep working toward acquiring the greatest levels in avodas Hashem. No peak should be too high to conquer, and we should keep climbing! (Likutei Moharan 6)
Finding Hashem When We’re “Low”
Rebbe Nachman taught that a Yid can find Hashem even in the lowest of places, with work. He held that this is actually a much more common avodah, as a person may find himself in a “low” state frequently. His main focus at those times should be to remember that Hashem is with us in every situation, standing at our side.
Whenever a person falls in his spirituality, it is another opportunity to stop and find Hashem at that level. In this way, the person merits to reveal Hashem’s presence in a brand-new place where it was never revealed before (ibid).
Dealing With Spiritual Disconnect
Avodas Hashem, he would teach, shouldn’t be based on how we feel. Even if we feel spiritually disconnected (called “katnus,” or smallness), we shouldn’t stop pursuing any mitzvah. We should keep doing the simple actions of avodas Hashem with humility, because even if we don’t feel just how great those actions are, the truth is that they haven’t gotten any smaller!
However you’re feeling at the current moment, that’s how Hashem wants you to serve Him. Even a “little bit” is a lot in ruchniyus. One should respect even the slightest move in the right direction (ibid).
Temimus Up’sheetus
A common theme in Rebbe Nachman’s teachings is the need for a Yid to have emunah full of temimus up’sheetus — simple but steadfast — and to engage in Yiddishkeit as it is, not trying to be anything special other than a regular Yid (which is already truly special!). A Yid should connect to Hashem from wherever he is, not only with his intellect and thoughts, but with his whole heart (Liku”m Tinyana 12 and 19).
Fighting the Desire for Money
We all have a natural desire for many things, such as food and water. Rebbe Nachman taught that there is a separate natural desire for money (taavas mamon). A person has a craving to amass wealth, which can lead to all sorts of issues. He would tell his students that an important way to beat this temptation is to excel in the mitzvah of giving tzedaka (see Liku”m 23, Sipurei Maasiyos 12).
Hishtokekus (Yearning)
Another amazing avodah that Rebbe Nachman emphasized was hishtokekus, or yearning. We might think that yearning is only valuable because it pushes us to eventually reach greater levels in avodas Hashem — as the saying goes, ואין לך דבר העומד בפני הרצון, “nothing stands in the way of one’s will.” But Rebbe Nachman taught that holy yearning is much more than just a means to get somewhere else. The yearning itself is a powerful avodah. Even when a person has not yet reached the level he longs for, the very fact that he truly wants to come closer to Hashem is precious and creates a real closeness to Him (Sichos Hara”n 51).
The Fire Burns On
The backbone of all these teachings is that Hashem is very real. He is with us in everything we do, and He wants us to serve Him from exactly where we are.
Rebbi Nachman’s Torah demonstrates that when two middos of avodas Hashem seem to contradict each other, we don’t have to settle for ‘one.’ We can feel good about what we’ve done without losing our motivation to do more, and we can be motivated to do more without being discouraged by what we haven’t done. We can live with real joy, even while we go through painful challenges. We can feel like we really are a big, big tzadik, while also feeling like we have barely just gotten started in our spiritual growth. We can be obsessively in love with another Yid while also not being negatively influenced by his mistakes.
We can learn when to focus on which middah to give us the right balance of living a life of simcha and dveykus and non-stop growth! It takes intentional, inner work to internalize this, but it can be done and we should not settle for anything less than holding on to both truths at the same time.
Rebbe Nachman left behind a real and practical path in avodas Hashem — a way for any Yid, on any level, to live a meaningful life with a deep connection to Hashem. Perhaps that is why, more than two centuries after his passing, more and more Yidden continue to discover his teachings and find themselves strengthened by them. Rebbe Nachman famously said, “My fire will burn until the coming of Moshiach.” Looking at the way his teachings continue to spread and inspire Yidden today, those words feel more alive than ever.
הַכְּלָל: שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לְהַכְרִיחַ עַצְמוֹ בְּכָל הַכֹּחוֹת לְכָל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה, מְאֹד, בִּפְרָט לַתְּפִלָּה. וְאִם אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן אֵינוֹ זוֹכֶה, אָסוּר לוֹ לִפֹּל בְּדַעְתּוֹ כְּלָל. וִיחַזֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ וִיחַיֶּה אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּכָל מַה דְּאֶפְשָׁר
As a rule, one must push himself to do every holy task with all his strength, and specifically to daven properly. But if nevertheless one does not merit to achieve this, it is forbidden for him to become discouraged at all! Strengthen and cheer yourself as much as you can.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 100 – Sukkos.