Rebbe Nosson
BSD TENTH OF TEVET, YAHRTZEIT OF REBBE NOSSON BRESLOVER
A few stories about Reb Nosson the foremost student of the Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman…
Reb Nosson was a genius in Torah, a scholar who was forever searching for truth in serving Hashem. He had studied under the greatest Torah sages of his era, and still was not satisfied that he had the true Derech for himself. He began to search among the Chassidic greats, despite the fact that both his father and his father in law, who were renown Rabbanim, were against Chassidut. Even among the great Rebbes, he found his soul unquenched.
Then he heard about a young Rebbe in a nearby town. This man, a great grandson of the holy Baal Shem Tov was supposed to be of a totally different genre and character, a unique Tzaddik. Rebbe Nosson began to travel to this Tzaddik. On his way, he heard two men talking about their actual encounter with Rebbe Nachman. The men were disappointed with Rebbe Nachman, and so, Reb Nosson began to listen to their story.
It seems that they came to Rebbe Nachman as most people come to a Rebbe- to give a pidyon and ask for a Bracha. These men had come as business partners, asking for a Bracha that their business venture should succeed. After presenting their pidyon and request to the Rebbe, they were surprised that he refused both the Pidyon and their request. “But you just gave so and so a Bracha for Parnassa,” one of the men complained.
Rebbe Nachman answered by telling them a story. Once, a merchant came to buy merchandise from his distributor. He bought so much that his full wagon would not budge. The supplier ran out and gave him some grease for his wheels and the wagon moved along smoothly. An onlooker, who also had squeaky, un-cooperating wheels went into the supplier and asked for some grease for his wagon. The man was chased away- “I don’t sell grease!” “But you just gave that other man grease for his wagon.”
The supplier replied, “That man just bought from me a huge order and has to transport it home, so of course I helped him in this little matter of grease. But I am not a grease seller, and you, who have bought nothing from me certainly don’t deserve any.”
Rebbe Nachman told the men- I am interested in helping Jews serve Hashem. When a person comes to me and asks me, implores me to direct them in serving Hashem, I am overjoyed to comply. If this person needs some blessings of good health and fortune to allow him the presence of mind to serve Hashem, this too I am happy to bestow. But just gashmiyus for the sake of gashmiyus- this is not my business.
When Reb Nosson heard this story, he knew that Rebbe Nachman was the one he was searching for. For Rebbe Nosson was only looking for ways to come close to Hashem. Everything else was secondary.
If not for Reb Nosson and his total dedication to Rebbe Nachman and to spreading his teachings, the world would not know anything of the great Tzaddik.
Rebbe Nosson himself was a very humble man and wanted no kovod- no honor for himself. He could very easily have taken over the mantle of leadership after Rebbe Nachman’s untimely early passing. He did not assume any leadership role, did not become the next Rebbe and spent his entire life in complete Bittul to the teachings of his Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman.
Rebbe Nosson taught the teachings of Rebbe Nachman that Simcha is crucial to a Jew at all times, and that also a person must always have their eye fixed on the Tachlis- the end and point of all life. To this end, he would often just go to any place of Jewish celebration even if he was not personally acquainted with the celebrants. He went, just to open his channels of Simcha. And he would likewise attend funerals and pay Shiva calls to families he did not know, just to remind himself of the shortness of life, so that he could push himself to more accomplishment.
Once, on his attempt to travel to Eretz Yisrael, he saw a group of non Jewish sailors dancing. He joined them in their dance. He said, “They had their thoughts, and I had mine.” He later said that this dancing brought his to Eretz Yisrael.
My own personal love of mainstream Breslov began with something that Rebbe Nosson wrote. I was in a book store and saw a beautifully bound sefer that was put together by Simcha Raz, an author whose other works I had enjoyed. I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed the biographies of R Aryeh Levin and Rav Kook by this author and anticipated this new book that I found. As I began leafing through, I saw it was of a different type. There were poems, lines of beautiful prayers, some sounding like Tehillim, some sounding like my own journal. Tears in my eyes, I felt like I had written this book or that at least I recognized the author from a very deep place within my own soul.
The book contained snippets of selected passages from Rebbe Nosson’s Likutei Tefillos. When Rebbe Nachman taught that a Jew must talk to Hashem daily in their own language, and beg for all that is needed in spirit and body, Reb Nosson taught us how, he actually recorded many of his own personal conversations with Hashem, and directed our path in this great service called Hisbodedus. His words opened my heart in a powerful and truthful way, and for that, I remain eternally indebted to him. May his Neshama have an Aliyah and may he return to us soon, in Techiyas Hamaisim, along with his great Rebbe and along with all the great souls, with the coming of the greatest soul, Mashiach Tzidkeinu now and immediately.
