Nachman Chazan (1813–1884) was a seminal figure in the continuation and growth of Breslov

Hasidism Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Judaism, Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory ...

in the mid-nineteenth century. The Breslov movement was founded by Rebbe

Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( he, רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( yi, רבי נחמן ברעסלאווער ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover'' ...

, who died in 1810. Rebbe Nachman's closest disciple,

Nathan of Breslov Nathan of Breslov (January 22, 1780 – December 20, 1844), also known as Reb Noson, born Nathan Sternhartz, was the chief disciple and scribe of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Hasidic dynasty. Reb Noson is credited with preservi ...

(also known as "Reb Noson"), shaped and shepherded the movement until his own death in 1844. Reb Nachman Chazan, Reb Noson's closest disciple, then assumed leadership of the movement, guaranteeing the existence and growth of the Hasidut for another 40 years. Chazan, whose grandfather was a follower of Rebbe Nachman, was born three years after the Rebbe's death and was named after him. He was orphaned as a child and was raised by his uncle in

Tulchyn Tulchyn (, translit. ''Tul’chyn'', old name ''Nesterwar'' (from Hungarian ''Nester'' - Dniester and ''war'' -town), Latin Tulcinum, pl, Tulczyn, yi, טולטשין, ro, Tulcin) is a town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, f ...

, Ukraine. There, in 1822, he met Reb Noson as the latter was passing through on his

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Reb Noson made such a deep impression on the 9-year-old boy that he decided to be close to him forever. When he grew up, Chazan became Reb Noson's closest disciple. He moved to the town of Breslov, where Reb Noson had resided, and lived there for 18 years. Then he moved to

Uman, Ukraine Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...

, the city in which Rebbe Nachman is buried, and lived there for another 18 years. This latter move shifted the focus of the movement away from the town of Breslov and onto the town of Uman, where it remains focused to this day. Chazan was an extremely modest man whose actions belied his greatness in scholarship and spiritual devotions. He served as the ''shammes'' (sexton) of the Breslover synagogue in Uman and regularly filled the water buckets for the benefit of other worshipers. In recognition of his leadership, however, he was accorded the honor of leading the prayers at the annual

Rosh Hashana kibbutz The Rosh Hashana Kibbutz ( he, קיבוץ; plural: kibbutzim: קיבוצים, "gathering" or "ingathering") is a large prayer assemblage of Breslover Hasidim held on the Jewish New Year. It specifically refers to the pilgrimage of tens of thousa ...

in Uman. His family name, Chazan, is derived from his position as

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, thi ...

(cantor) for those services. Chazan's son, Rabbi

Abraham Chazan Abraham Chazan (1849–1917) was a rabbi and key figure in the transmission of Breslover Hasidut at the turn of the 20th century. Biography He was born in Tulchyn, Ukraine to Rabbi Nachman Chazan, the closest disciple of Nathan of Breslov ("Reb N ...

, became one of the leading figures in the Breslov community after his father's death in 1884.

Publications

Chazan published the first volume of Reb Noson's

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

, ''Likutey Halachot'', while the latter was still alive. After Reb Noson's death, Chazan edited and published the remaining seven volumes of this work.

References

* Kramer, Chaim (1989). ''Crossing the Narrow Bridge''. Appendix C: Breslov Biographies.

Breslov Research Institute Breslov Research Institute is a publisher of classic and contemporary Breslov texts in English. Established in 1979, BRI has produced the first English translation of all the works of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) and selected works of Re ...

. .

Publications

References

See also