NAHMAN BEN SIMHAH OF BRATSLAV

born 1772, Medzhibozh, Podolia, Pol. [now in Ukraine] died 1811, Uman, Ukraine, Russian Empire Hasidic rabbi and teller of tales, founder of the Bratslaver Hasidic sect. The great-grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement, Nahman was an ascetic from childhood. Married at age 13, he became a self-appointed religious leader and teacher at about age 20. After studying (179899) in Tiberius, Palestine, he returned home and declared himself the true tzaddiq (righteous man) of his generation, the one who would renew the Hasidic movement. Nahman gained a following among Hasidim but made enemies among mainstream Hasidic leaders who opposed his messianic presumptions. He moved to Bratslav in 1802, where he led a group of Hasidim. Nahman was noted for the parables, folklore, and mythic tales he told to prepare his followers to worship God. Rabbi Nathan Sternharz, his disciple, compiled and wrote down his teachings, which emphasized faith in the tzaddiq as a father confessor and mediator between God and man; the need to redeem the world from evil through simple faith; prayer, even if in Yiddish instead of Hebrew; repentance through fasting and self-punishment; and religiosity expressed through song and dance.