Rabbi Nachman's Stories
by Aryeh Kaplan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Aryeh KaplanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1985-04-01
ISBN: 0930213025
Number of pages: 552
Publisher: Breslov Research Institute
Book Reviews of Rabbi Nachman's Stories
Book Review: Ian Myles Slater on: A Pietistic Rendering
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hasidim (Chasidim) are, literally, "the Pious Ones" (or perhaps "the Faithful"). It is a very old term in Hebrew. In current Jewish usage the word refers mainly to a popular mystically-inspired movement which emerged in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, and which persists today, chiefly as communities around charismatic leaders, the heirs, or their appointed successors, of their original founders. (There are other Hasidic movements in Jewish history, the most notable being one in Second Temple times, and another, also with mystical leanings, but elitist, in medieval France, the Rhineland, and the German states.)
The community founded by Nachman (Nahman) of Breslov, however, never recognized a successor to the original Rebbe (Rabbi), and continues to regard the writings and traditions of their founder as their truest guide. This has produced a body of commentary around Nachman's writings, and the recollections of his immediate disciples, and a major effort to translate portions into English. The late Aryeh Kaplan played a major part in this effort, which can be called "Pietist" in a more general sense of reverent deference to the past.
Aryeh Kaplan's translation of, and commentary on, stories told by the Nachman of Breslov (late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries) is an example of Breslover Hasidic piety in two ways. One, in faithful adherence to the text, as it is understood by the Breslover Hasidim. Second, it is faithful in the pious endeavor to explain the text in an edifying, and doctrinally consistent, way. It includes a set of now-classic major "Tales," and some other stories told by Rebbe Nachman. for the thirteen "canonical" tales it gives full attention, in a line-by-line commentary, to both the Hebrew and Yiddish versions (see below), and offers identifications of allusions to Biblical, Rabbinic, and Kabbalistic texts, not all of them equally plausible or helpful.
Aryeh Kaplan had earlier (1973) translated "Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom: Shevachay HaRan [&] Sichos HaRan," two pious memoirs by Rabbi Nathan of Nemirov, Rabbi Nachman's leading disciple, as part of a project of making the Bratislaver literature available in English.
In both senses, this is an improvement on Martin Buber's famous "Tales of Rabbi Nachman," which launched the tales into the larger world. These are often thought to be translations (first into German, and for English readers from German to English) of the series of allegorical or symbolic stories which "Rebbe Nachman" told his closest disciples, who took them down in both Hebrew and Yiddish versions. In fact, Buber retold the frequently enigmatic stories in this series in the interests of psychological insight and to make clear moral points, which is something the original teller didn't seem to have in mind. Rabbi Nachman's public discourses show that he was both interested in, and capable of, expressing such things, but apparently not in the "Tales," despite telling his listeners that the stories were filled with meaning. (Buber's rendering of the town's name as Bratzlav, however is not an error or innovation; Bratzlav, Bratslav, Breslov, Breslau, Breslow, and several other spellings can refer to the same place under different political and linguistic regimes, and competing spelling systems -- just as Wilno is also Vilna and Vilnius.)
On the other hand, the Aryeh Kaplan translation is not always the most charming reading imaginable, although apparently faithful, and the received interpretations may strike the reader as rather forced (a common reaction outside the movement). The stories themselves are splendid fairytales, even if it is not always clear what, if anything, a particular passage was intended to represent -- beyond Rebbe Nachman's impressive storytelling ability when he let himself go.
Jewish Lights Publishing has apparently re-issued this collection in two volumes, as "The Lost Princess & Other Kabbalistic Tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov" (December, 2004) and "The Seven Beggars & Other Kabbalistic Tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov" (April, 2005); I haven't seen either volume, and can't comment on whether any changes were made in the text or presentation. (The publisher lists them as 400 and 192 pages respectively, which suggests a complete reprinting, with some repeated material, rather than an abridged edition.)
For those of a more secular turn of mind, or with less patience with exhaustive explications, "Nahman of Bratslav: The Tales," translated with commentaries by Arnold J. Band, is an alternative version, very literate, and both fully informed and very informative, without being smothered in details. It is restricted to the thirteen "major" tales. Band takes the stories very seriously as literature, and as possible expressions of Rebbe Nachman's personality, and is less impressed by their traditional interpretations, although he does show that recurring themes and images do reflect mystical teachings and concerns. (The book was published by the Paulist Press in the Classics of Western Spirituality series, in 1978, about five years before Kaplan's, and presumably is not well regarded by the Breslovers....)
The "Tales" are, in any case, superb examples of storytelling, which seem to hint of some profound meaning at almost every turn -- even if that meaning remains elusive. Readers intrigued by either rendering, or that of Buber (which has its good points as literature, if not as a reliable source), might then turn to other publications of the Breslov movement for highly traditional raw materials, and, for modern views, to Arthur Green's biography, "Tormented Master: The Life and Spiritual Quest of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav," and Ora Wiskind-Elper's rewarding, but sometimes difficult, "Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav."
Summary of Rabbi Nachman's Stories
RABBI NACHMAN'S STORIES Translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan The Sages always told stories to convey some of the deepest secrets about God and His relation to the creation. Rebbe Nachman developed this ancient method to perfection. More elaborate than any previous teachings, his stories are fast-moving, richly structured and filled with penetrating insights while spellbinding and entertaining. Rabbi Kaplan's translation is accompanied by a masterful commentary drawn from the works of Rebbe Nachman's pupils. For the first time the English-speaking reader has access to authentic interpretations of the stories. Size: 6" x 9." 552 pages. Bibliography and Index. Hardback. ISBN 0-930213-02-5Hebrew Books
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