INTRODUCTION:
The Breslov Movement was originally very small in terms of numbers
and followers. Rabbi Nachman (1772-1810) never had more than a few hundred followers his
lifetime. The movements was persecuted by both Chassidim and Mitnagdim
and was at one stage was almost on the verge of ‘extinction’. However, over the
past twenty years or so it grown so large and popular with many sub-sects and
nuances that it has arguably become unrecognizable.
(I maintain strong personal connections with one of the core
teachers of the mainstream Breslov community, but now sadly feel that the
movement has been hijacked, distorted and has lost much of its truth and wholesomeness.)
Incidentally, the name Breslov is an adaption of the
original name Bratzlav. The Chassidim preferred the name Breslov as it is a
play on the Hebrew words Lev Basar (‘heart of flesh’ – as opposed
to ‘heart of stone’) which will dominate during the messianic era. R. Nachman only arrived in the town in 1802, eight years before he passed away.
MEGILAT SETARIM:
There is one startling chapter in the Breslov tradition which offers a fascinating narrative about a ‘secret scroll’.
This is the story:
Just over 200 years ago Rabbi Nachman was riding
in a carriage between Ladizin and Breslov with some of his closest disciples
including R. Natan and R. Naftali.
During this trip, Rabbi Nachman spoke in great detail about his view concerning
the advent of the
Mashiach (or Messiah).
After the ride, none of those present could remember the
details of the talk except for R. Naftali and R. Natan (his closest disciple)
who wrote down what he had heard in coded form or ‘hints, acronyms and
abbreviations’. This was because Rabbi Nachman told his travelers not to
reveal the contents to anyone. Thus the text would be in existence but its
content would not be decipherable except to those who knew how to crack the
code.
Sometime later, in 1809, Rabbi Nachman repeated his
messianic discourse and again it was recorded by R. Natan. The second talk took
place in the study hall which was next to Rabbi Nachman’s house and it was so
secretive that they waited for the Rav of the city to depart from the building
before they began the discussion.
Both these recorded versions were put together in a single coded
manuscript which became known as Megilat Setarim (or Secret Scroll).
This scroll became a closely guarded secret and was handed
down to only one Breslover follower in each generation.
In what may have been an attempt at distracting anyone from
trying to find the secret scroll, an editor of R. Natan’s memoirs added
in his own words that “the holy manuscript of Megilat Setarim was stolen or
lost and we still do not know where it is.”
That should have put paid to the quest of ever discovering
the manuscript. - But it didn’t.
According to a relatively recently published work on the
oral traditions of Breslover Chassidut known as
Siach Sarfei Kodesh,
it appears as if the coded scroll was passed on to R. Aaron Lipvetzker
,
who in turn passed it on to R. Avraham Chazan.
Then, in what may or may not have been another attempt to
throw people off the scent, the story took another twist:
While R. Chazan lay on his deathbed, the daughter of R. Lipvetzker,
Tzirel, accosted and rebuked him (R. Chazan) for not transmitting the code and interpretation
of the secret scroll to the next generation. But R. Chazan had already
lost his faculty of speech and, while the coded scroll survived, he died taking
the secrets of its interpretation to his grave.
Then amazingly, in 1963 the
Megilat Setarim surfaced
again when it was smuggled out from behind the Iron Curtain by R. Gedaliah
Fleer.
The scroll was given to him R. Michel Dorfman, a leading Breslover personality
living in Moscow at the time (who had spent almost 7 years in Siberia and was
only released on Stalin’s death). He was afraid the manuscript would be
confiscated by the Russian authorities so he asked R. Fleer to take it to Israel.
Back in Jerusalem R. Fleer showed the manuscript to R.
Lippel
(a student of R. Avraham Sternhartz
,
another major exponent of Breslov, who had escaped from the Soviet Union in
1940). R. Lippel claimed R. Sternhatz taught him how to break the code of the
script while the two of them were still in the Ukraine.
At first R. Lippel refused to divulge the code to R. Fleer
but eventually did, on the condition it remain a secret
.
R. Fleer made copies of the text which he distributed to some members of the
Breslover community in Israel but withheld the ‘code’ and interpretation as to
its meaning.
Sometime later with the emergence of the popularity of the
once tiny and close knit group of Breslovers, word leaked out of the existence
of the elusive Megilat Setarim, and the secret was no longer a secret.
Researchers, such as Dr. Zvi Mark
from Bar-Ilan University have tied to crack the code and the following picture
- which paints a young, very gentle and universal Messiah - emerges:
The Messiah, according to text, would begin his work already
as a young child. He would then marry while in his teens and assume a
leadership role. Far from being a vengeful religious leader with a destructive
apocalypse he would instead take lead the world without any violence
whatsoever.
On the contrary, he would use music and healing of illness through
innovative new medicines, to unite all humanity, Jew and non-Jew, in peace and
goodwill.
There is also a reference to a ‘general redemption’ as well
as a ‘personal redemption’ that will occur in messianic times. The latter is
when Mashiach will reveal to every individual their personal spiritual status
as well pointing out which spiritual aspects and traits need to be improved
upon.
Allegedly, the exact date of the Messiah’s arrival is
missing from the current text and it seems that was lost with the passing of R.
Chazan.
-----------------------
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Rabbi Nachman had much to say, in his published writings,
about the Messiah:
SHLOMO EFRAIM:
Apparently Rabbi Nachman believed the Messiah would come
soon after the birth of his son, Shlomo Efraim. Accordingly, his son would play
a part in, if not actually be, the Messiah himself. But when his young son passed
away one year and two months later, he
said that Mashiach would be delayed by more than a hundred years.
“THERE IS ONE TZADIK”:
Although extremely controversial, subject to much
interpretation and admitted censorship, the work describing the life of Rabbi
Nachman, Chayey Moharan, contains the following passage:
“He (Rabbi Nachman) presented the teaching at the morning
meal...he said there are seventy nations divided between the domains of Esau
(Christianity) and Ishmael (Islam). Each of these domains is composed of 35
kingdoms, and they will be conquered in the future by the two messiahs Mashiach
ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David.
And there is one tzadik in whom these two
messiahs are combined.
He said several other things, more than have been
printed.
At that point the table broke because so many people were
pressing around him.”
The inference being that whenever the expression ‘there
is one tzadik’ was used, his disciples knew exactly to whom he was
referring – possibly to himself as Mashiach ben Yosef – the precursor to
Mashiach ben David.
THE STORY OF THE BREAD:
Not all of Rabbi Nachman’s famous stories have been
published. One of them is the ‘Story of the Bread’, which describes
among other things how Rabbi Nachman allegedly ‘received the Torah into his
own body’. This material has also been recently published by one of the new
populist Breslov groups that have emerged who believe that now is the time to
‘reveal all’.
OTHER REFERENCES TO ‘MEGILAT SETARIM’:
I counted 10 references to Megilat Setarim in Siach
Sarfei Kodesh. Here are six of them (my loose translation follows):
“R. Natan said; ‘The (apocalyptic) war of Gog
and Magog is not mentioned in Megilat Setarim. The implication being that the
(battle will instead an ideological one) directed against the spirit of atheism
that will be prevalent at that time.’”
“In Megilat Setarim, R. Natan and R. Naftali reveal the
order of the arrival of the Redeemer. It is known that our master (Rabbi
Nachman) said; ‘In the future nothing will remain of the great Russia except
for a small mound and a small tree’. “
“...It is written in Megilat Setarim that during the lead
up to the Messianic age there will be (world) leaders and kings who will not
want to partake in warfare and will rather desire to dwell in quiet and
tranquility...but they will be forced to do battle against their will.”
“R. Lipvetzker once asked R. Naftali; ‘You heard Megilat
Setarim from our master (Rabbi Nachman). What is its status now?’ R. Naftali
responded firmly; ‘Have you not studied our master’s other books? We have a tradition
from him that that when his books are widespread throughout the world then
Mashiach will come.’ (R. Naftali was reluctant to reveal any more to his
questioner, but) after some time he eventually handed the text (of Megilat Setarim) over to him.”
“R. Hazan said; ‘Beware of the year TRZ”V, which have the
same letters as tzarot (travail).’ –This turned out to be the year Nazis rose
to power. It was also the year the Communists closed down the shul in Uman. The
Chassidim understood that he knew all this from the Megilat Setarim.”
“
When the Radziner Rebbe published his book which dealt
with the blue (tzitzit) thread, R. Chazan said he had no need for his arguments
(in favor of the blue thread) because he had older (and more authoritative)
proof, which appears to have come from Megilat Setarim.”
.jpg)
