Rebbe Nachman: Jewish Cosmology

A great deal has been written about Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav. Particularly over the last 30 years a so, as the New Age and ba'al teshuva (Jewish penitent) movements would occasionally converge, some interesting mixes of traditional Hassidic Jewish themes and New Age concepts haven given rise to a rather diverse assortment of literature and music, under the (often unofficial) banner of Bratslav Hassidism.

The Ba'al Shem Tov
Our discussion will focus on Rebbe Nachman's take on Jewish cosmology, that is, understanding the world from a Jewish mystical perspective. Yet first, let's begin with some background on Hassidism. Much has been written about Hassidic Judaism, and it's almost universally acknowledged founder, the Ba'al Shem Tov. Often referred to by his abbreviated name, the Besh"t, a wealth of material has become available on this towering figure in Jewish religious history and mysticism. The Besh"t also happened to be an ancestor of Rebbe Nachman. The essenence of the Besh"t's teaching is that God can be activated in the world through the conscious use of language.

Fixing the World the Ba'al Shem Tov's Way
In contrast to Lurianic Kabbalah, developed by the Ari Za"l, which is considerably more deeply esoteric and complex, the the Ba'al Shem Tov advocated a non-judgmental approach to life whose basic concept is rather simple. That is, the Besh"t's approach to Hassidism is very much predicated the human condition, specifically the awareness that what's troubling you about others is just a manifestation of what's bothering you about yourself.

That is, when encountering difficulty with another human being, no matter how disturbing or unpleasant, the question is "What did I do to deserve this encounter?," has opposed to the knee-jerk "What's wrong with them? What must I do to fix them?" On the contrary, the "tikun," or repair" is for you to do on yourself.

The Ba'al Shem Tov: The Years of His Life

 * 1700 - born


 * 1730 - revealed himself as an attained being


 * 1760 - died

Modernism and Approaches to God
Although the changes brought on by the Besh"t were never universally adopted by religious Jews--in fact, his teachings often encountered bitter opposition--it is undeniable that by placing the key focus on the human condition, the human being and his relationship with God, the Besh"t revolutionized religious Judaism.

In the pre-modern world of the Besh"t, the key problem is evil, whereas the path to good is through mitzvot (commandments). On the other hand, in the modern world, the problem is both evil "and alienation." That is, where there is an absence of God, there is no meaning, and in turn, no life and therefore nothing for the human to connect to.

Whereas the Besh"t lived his life entirely within the confines of the pre-modern world, Rebbe Nachman, while considered a pre-modern, did encounter the emerging modern world of the Enlightenment, and made some perhaps halting yet constructive attempts to confront it.

It's important to note that while the Ba'al Shem Tov doesn't probe into alienation, Reb Nachman does! This probing extends deeply into the inner psyche of the human being. From a Jewish mystical perspective, it was far-reaching.

The Tzadik: The Role of the Righteous Person


The Maggid - "צדיק יסוד עולם" (reference to Book of Chronicles) The tzaddik of the generation is the foundation. Tzaddik is the ladder for you to climb. Jacob is the ladder in his dream. The ladder was there all along for him to use. It just needed to be revealed to him.

The Sephirot: כתר crown חוכמה wisdom בינה understanding

חסד loving kindness גבורה strength תפארת glory נצח victory הוד splendor יסוד foundation kingship מלכות

The first three are inaccessible to us; the last 7 are accessible.

The Origin's of Hassidism in Kabbalah


Original divinity - Lurianic Kabala responds to Christianity 

'''Original sin - long precedes Adam and Eve. '''

'''Chabad - Aristotle - categories and rational proofs - modern. '''

'''Rebbe Nachman - Neo-Platonic - images, intellect speaks to heart and soul - post-modern. '''



'''The rise of Kabbala, which took off in the 13 century was a reaction to the Rambam. '''



'''Rebbe Nachman - לקוטי מהורן - his magum opus. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Alienation - experiential reality of there not being God. This is the philosophic reality that Nachman was aiming to address. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Goal - reveal God's qualities in proportion. Satisfy flaming passion to reach all the way to Ain Sof. We want infinite light, not an intimate friend; this puts us all at risk. We don't need to make God infinite, as God is already so. Instead, allow God's qualities to come through. '''

Materialism and the Void
<here's a dump of my notes from the 20 May 2007 session - develop into a narration>

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Materialism of the void - חלל הפנוי[need to explore this] 

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Spiritual master idea - not necessarily Jewish, but in the world of Rebbe Nachman and Hasidism, it is expressed in Jewish language. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Parshat Bo: 

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Pharaoh exemplifies quality of void in the mystery of creation. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Need annihilation in order to reach revelation. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Rebbe Nachman's big innovation was that he mapped secular alienation into the Jewish cosmology. There is space in God's universe where it's very natural to lose track of God. We live in a Godless universe. It had to be that way, otherwise there would be no world, just God. We live within the tension of overwhelming infiniteness, while at the same time living in universe that's Godless. Thus, the void is an absolute necessity. Make God remote so that other things can happen. '''

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">'''<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">In Rebbe Nachman's world, the name of the game is to <span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">reveal the qualities of God <span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Verdana;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">. That's what creation is for. The song of the tzaddik connects with God and brings [???] into the world. '''

Recommended Resources
The Essential Rabbi Nachman, by Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum