The Praises of Rabbi Nachman 1-3

HH

Shivchay Huran

1-3

Shivchay Huran

The Praises of Rabbi Nachman

1. In his childhood it occurred to him to have abstinence from this world and he desired to break the desire for eating, however he still had small intellect and it seemed to him that this is impossible, for him to forego from his eating, from what he was accustomed to eat in the morning and in the afternoon etc.. therefore he settled with himself that he would swallow everything that he ate, that is that he would not chew what he ate, just swallow it the way it was, in order that he should not derive any taste from his eating. And he did this, and his throat became swollen (which is called gishvellen). And he said that he was just six years old. And this practice I heard as a great feat of a very extremely great tzadik who practice this (t.n. this is related of the Chasam Sofer who lived around that time), that he would swallow his food without chewing, however he of blessed memory, practiced this when he was 6 years old.

2. Also when he sat before his teacher to learn in his childhood, he wanted to fulfill (Psalms 16:8), "I set YHVH before me always," and he exerted himself to picture before his eyes the name YHVH blessed He, and because his thoughts were busy with this, he did not know what he was learning, and his teacher would be angry at him. And even still, his entire childhood he would do very many childish things, that is, silly things, and jumping, and hikes (which are called far shait), and he was very wont to this.

3. Afterwards he grew older, and when he became bar mitzvah, his uncle the holy Rav our teacher Rav Efraim za.tza.l., the head of the bais din (court) of the holy community of Sidilkov, called him over and told him the verse (Psalms 2:7), "I have given birth to you today" (because this is said the day that a a man becomes bar mitzvah as is brought down in the holy books (see Rashi there, and Zohar Chudush 10)). And he told him a few sparse words of ethics (mussar) and it was very extremely precious in his eyes "like finding a huge treasure/spoils (Psalms 119:162)." And afterwards he entered the chupa (wedding canopy), and immediately upon his leaving the chupa he was extremely impassioned and yearned extremely for the devotion of Hashem Yisburach and he entered (advanced into) the devotion of Hashem from day to day.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman