Rebbe Nachman and the Fallen Wisdom of the Tzaddik
Who is Rebbe Nachman of Breslov?
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) was a Hasidic master and the great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. He emphasized joy, simplicity, personal prayer (hitbodedut), and unwavering faith, even amid doubt and despair. Through his teachings and allegorical tales, he sought to awaken spiritual renewal and inner honesty in every Jew.
Rectifying the Fallen Wisdom of a Tzaddik
eRebbe Nachman once wrote, "One who loves the Tzaddik must keep him from getting a bad name" (Sefer ha’Midos, Tzaddik I.69). But what happens when a tzaddik, such as Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, acquires a bad name? For centuries, the Jewish People have rejected him as the Messiah, claiming that he taught many things contrary to God's holy and eternal Torah. However, as Rambam (Maimonides) admits,
- "Quite some time after [him], a religion appeared the origin of which is traced to him by the descendants of Esau [i.e. Rome], albeit it was not the intention of this person to establish a new faith" (Iggeret Teimanim 10).
So what happened? How did Jesus get blamed for creating an anti-Torah religion? Rebbe Nachman well understood this situation and describes it in these terms:
- “The only true wisdom is the wisdom of the Tzaddikim. It brings them to a lofty perception of God and gives them the power to communicate their perception to those who follow them. Compared with this wisdom, all other ideological systems are utter foolishness. But because of our many sins, it can happen at times that this genuine wisdom falls into the hands of the heathens and the forces of the Sitra Achra, the Other Side. Their new-found wisdom gives them power and dominion, and then the heathensgain the upper hand, God forbid. Who can bear the sound of the great and terrible cry when this wisdom falls into their hands and fools affect to be wise [i.e. fools come to be seen as wise]. They try to adapt this genuine wisdom to their own purposes, as if it could be made a part of their own ideologies – as if their own foolishness had anything to do with the knowledge of God. They start claiming that they alone are the wise ones and there is no wisdom greater than their own erroneous speculation, parasitic as they are on the fallen, genuine wisdom. God Himself cries out because of this. Every Jew has a part to play in the task of identifying how this wisdom that has fallen into their hands can be separated from them and elevated in order to return it to its [godly] source. The way to achieve this is through… the guidance and inspiration of the Tzaddikim” (Advice, Alien Philosophies & Ideologies 1).
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, a prominent kabbalist in Israel, confirms: "Rebbe Nachman was actually greater than his grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, in attempting to bring people of the past back and to rectify them" (Source: The Needle in the Nose: Evil Kings and Messianic Sparks, 1:16:15-1:19:10).
Rabbi Ovadiah Hears the Rebbe's Call!
Rabbi Ovadiah ben HaKallah, a devoted disciple of Rebbe Nachman, has embraced the rebbe's call to action with great passion. He realizes that he is personally included in the phrase 'every Jew.' Therefore, Rabbi Ovadiah has committed his life to fulfilling Rebbe Nachman's directive to rescue Yeshua from the shadows of Gentile Christianity and to restore his teachings, which represent 'the fallen wisdom of the tzaddik,' back to its rightful place within Orthodox Judaism.
Tikkun Olam: A Global Movement for Rectification
While Rebbe Nachman stated that it was the obligation of "every Jew," he certainly did not intend to exclude the righteous among the Gentiles, including the Messianic community. They too can assist the Jewish People in this holy mission. No one should say to themselves, "there is no room for me." There is room for you and many others.
For decades, righteous individuals from among the Gentiles have been awakening to the beauty and truth of Torah. Day by day, the kingdom of Hashem expands across the earth. Yet, within this dawning light is a shadow.
Many self-identified "Messianics" and "Torah-keepers" persist in their belief that their lord was opposed to the rabbinic Sages of Judaism, favoring a "Written Torah-only" approach. On the contrary, Rabbi Yeshua was, by definition, a rabbinic Jew! In fact, I would assert that he was much more Jewish than even the Messianics and Torah-keepers will acknowledge.
The time has come to overturn entrenched myths and stereotypes. We must act now to rectify the misconceptions surrounding the Nazarene by addressing faulty understandings in both the Synagogue and the Church. The Church has long asserted that Jesus came to save humanity, but now it is time for us to save Jesus.
In the merit of all the tzaddikim, all the learned, all the wise, all the holy, and every member of Am Yisrael - especially in the merit of our holy tzaddik, the wellspring and ever-flowing river of wisdom, Rebbe Nachman ben Faige, and most importantly, with Hashem's loving assistance, may we see the total rectification of Christianity and the return of Jesus of Nazareth back to Judaism speedily and within our generation.