Azamra / Rabbi Nachman: Who He Was - Part 6

In a letter from Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin (published at the end of Ulim Litrufa – Leaves For Healing, letter #5), one of the most dedicated students of Rabbi Nussun, he writes that he heard from the holy mouth of Rabbi Nussun, "Just Azamru etc. and just Azamru etc.."

In Koachvay Ohr (-Stars of Light, from Rabbi Avrohom the son of Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin) there are a few stories which convey the importance of this Torah-lesson.

Koachvay Ohr, Article #18

"Once, Rabbi Meir of Teplik came to our teacher Rabbi Nussun o.b.m. and Rabbi Nussun asked him about a certain man in Teplik who espoused him a little, and he replied offhandedly, as if to say that this was no one to talk about. Rabbi Nussun spoke up and said to him, “Listen now (/please) to what I am saying; if you wish to look with such an eye (-attitude) you will inculpate the entire world, because [you will] set yourself out to test, and [you will] look at all the inhabitants of your city whom you know, and [you will] start with he who lives at the end of the city, and when you take a good look at him, certainly you will inculpate him, and similarly from house to house, until you reach your house, that you are the kosher (-upright) man (Yiddish: Ehrlicher Yid) from the whole city?” He replied, “I am also not a kosher man.” Our teacher Rabbi Nussun o.b.m. spoke up and answered him, “You also are not a kosher man? If so who is a kosher man? However, when you look with a good eye, then even when you look well on the lowest of the low, you will find in him some good thing, and all the more so with someone who is not so inferior, and similarly with each and every one, and also in yourself there is good to be found, and in this way you can merit the entire world.”

Koachvay Ohr, Article #19

"Additionally, Rabbi Nussun spoke once about this way of judging favorably even the lowest of the low, and to search and to find in everyone some bit of good, and through this he is actually raised to the side of merit, to the extent that it is possible to return him in repentance through this, as all this is explained at length in the books of Ad.m.ur. (-Our Chasidic master, leader, and rebbe) za.tza.l (~tzadik o.b.m.), and when he was speaking about this, my father, I am an atonement of his resting, and out of his hearts strong desire of his pleasant words, he repeated them after him silently word for word. Our teacher Rabbi Nussun spoke up and said to him, “You think that this is a simple and easy matter, I will explain to you the difficulty of this matter, because do not forget what Ad.m.ur. za.tza.l. said, that through this they are actually lifted to the side of merit and to be returned in repentance, and if we had the ability to fulfill this, we would have the ability to return the whole world in repentance.[8]”

Koachvay Ohr, Article #29:

"Once, there was a fire in Breslov, and afterwards our teacher Rabbi Nussun o.b.m. went with some other men to see the place which was burnt down, and he saw a homeowner crying very much and searching for any piece of wood or metal which he would yet need when building his house anew, and he collected them one by one. Rabbi Nussun spoke up and said to his men, “Did you see! How this homeowner, whose house was burnt down, even still he does not despair of himself from returning to build it, and he collects all the things that he will need when he builds. So it is in spirituality as well, even though the ‘bal duvur’ (-litigator-evil inclination – Satan) rises very strong over a person, and just about burns him down completely, even still it is forbidden to despair of oneself, just it is necessary to collect and search for some good points from the midst of the many since he blundered in, and through this he will merit to truly return to Hashem Yisburach, as is explained in the Torah-lesson ‘Azamra’ - Torah 282 (of Likutay Moharan)."

Thus we see that the Torah of Azamruh holds a vital and prominent role in Breslov. However, there is a need for clarification as to which parts of this Torah every person is tasked to practice on his own, and which parts are the role and function of the true tzadik, in which case the job of a person would be to draw himself close to that true tzadik who exemplifies them. The role of the chazzan and shiliach tzeeboor who can collect all the good from all of Israel and make melodies from it, is obviously that of the highest tzadik, and the rest of Israel can only pray to draw close to him. In Rabbi Nussun's prayer for Azamru he makes a distinction between the role of such a tzadik and the ability to at some time do "azamru" on a very wicked person, praying to merit to be able to do the latter, while contending that all he can do is pray to draw close to such a tzadik as the former. The probable difference is that the tzadik does azamra collectively on each and every Jew, specifically and generally, whereas praying to be able to do "azamru" is for a very isolated instance, when it presents itself. Even still, Saba Yisroel (R' Yisroel Dov Odesser, the key bearer of the Breslov tradition in our times) writes very clearly in Blossoms of the Spring ("Eebay Hanachal" – letters to the President of Israel, Mr. Zalman Shazar) that only the tzadik can do azamru on a very wicked person. There would still be place to pray to merit to this, as it is not necessarily the exclusive role of the tzadik, like that of being the shiliach tzeebur, and therefore it is definitely something to pray for, however in actuality Saba Yisroel asserts that only the tzadik can do azamruh on a wicked person.

Regarding doing azamruh on a wicked person Saba wrote as follows (Blossoms of the Spring, volume 3, 314, in other editions 2:33):

"Those alienated and overly execrable, who have already aged in their wickedness, and have become very coarse and uncouth, it is forbidden to engage in their rectification – (for) someone who does not have extremely great power, because they can severely harm him. Only the true tzadik, who is the true Rebbe and leader (manheeg) of all the generations, whose power is formidable and very extremely strong, can (draw them close and rectify them), to rectify them and to raise them to bring them to the good tachlis (purpose, end), because this tzadik binds himself even with the lowest of the low, and the pettiest of the petty, and raises everything to (the pan/side of) merit, and finds merit and good even in a completely wicked person[9], because there is Divinity even in the lowest echelon[10], and through this he raises him to the side of merit in truth, and rectifies him, and returns him in repentance… and he collects and culls, and collects and raises and garners, and raises the good points that are in them, from each one, and through this he raises him (and raises all) to the side of merit in truth, and he rectifies him, and returns him in repentance."

Even when it comes to doing azamruh on regular people, who aren't wicked, this is no simple task. Rabbi Nussun, in Likutay Halachos, stresses and reiterates that it is only possible with the power of the tzadik. Saba Yisroel does not seem to propound this at all. The general outlook on others is prescribed in the Story of Ancient Times of a Clever Man and a Simple Man, "That's the other person's affair and this is my affair. And besides, why do we have to talk about other people?" Azamru on others also must concur with another critical Torah-lesson of our Sages espoused strongly by Rabbainu (Ethics of our Fathers 2:4), "Do not judge your friend until you are in his place," in Breslov they said that when one judges his friend he "makes a Rosh Hashana (-New Years – Day of Judgement) on him (Parpiru-oas Lichuchmu, Likutay Moharan, volume 2, Torah-lesson 1, article 22)," so even though it is important to ingrain in oneself the ways of Azamru, so that when looking upon others, even subconsciously, one seeks to see just the good in them, it is not right for a regular person to actually decide the status of a person, even if it is in an attempt at just favorably securing the person on the side of merit. Just someone who is really qualified and capable would be fitting to endeavor such a thing.

Thus with regard to doing azamruh on other people, we rely primarily on the tzadik to do this, and we pray to merit the ability to do so, and do our best to train ourselves to have this outlook, to see only the good in others, especially bringing it into play when we do judge people subconsciously, or in extenuating circumstances when we are confronted head on and challenged forthright, and so forth. See also Likutay Moharan (volume 2, Torah-teaching 17) that one should emulate the way of Hashem which is to only pay attention to the good, and to respond and interact only with the good that people do, anything else is not His affair. In the anecdote brought above from Koachvay Ohr (article 18), Rabbi Nussun told R' Meir of Teplik to have a good eye, looking for the good in others, even in the lowest of the low – perhaps one could argue that the lowest of the low doesn’t refer to the completely wicked, however what was cited above from The Life of Rabbi Nachman (article #34), almost certainly includes the most wicked, and this in fact just brings out the point made above, that this Torah-teaching is primarily propounding its initial concept that there must be some good point, however shallow or artificial, and that is what a person should focus on, the beholder’s outlook is a reflection of his own paradigm, and he must see to it that he is completely good[11], so that even when he looks around he is only seeing the good and not giving tribute to the evil[12]. However with regard to himself, a person will be taking this Torah-teaching further, working at connecting and identifying himself with that good, and working at cultivating it and building upon it, and this is what a true tzadik will be doing even with others, and even in the most wicked, whereas a regular person should not be concerning himself so much with others, and definitely not with the very wicked. The role of a regular Jew is not to be examining or judging others, but to know that in the eyes of the tzadik they will be judged favorably, and should be drawn closer to Hashem Yisburach and the tzadik, Rabbi Nachman, in every way possible. Similarly, in Likutay Moharan, Torah-teaching 17, Rabbainu revealed that tzadik in fact is very proactively searching to see the special qualities of every Jew, even the most wicked, this would be the role of the tzadik, whereas a regular person will be concentrating more on his own vantage and viewpoint, that he will be seeing good no matter who it is before him, not concerning himself with the nature of the goodness, just that he has something good to focus on.[13]

Saba wrote (Blossoms of the Spring, volume 3, letter 194) that through the holy books of tzadik, each and every one can find the complete aitzu (remedy, advice, recourse) he needs, for the specific place and predicament he is in, providing that he has the faith in the tzadik. Immediately after this, Saba continues to write how the tzadik lowers himself down to even the most alienated and how the tzadik endeavors to find in them some good points. From this it can be understood that the way to invoke azamru on others, is by providing them with the holy books of Rabbainu, and bolstering their faith in Rabbainu, and then they will find for themselves, their specific true recourse, even as Rabbainu will be seeking to arouse them and draw them close to Hashem Yisburach. This is the true way of Breslov, the way of the Nanach.

Thus the main prominence and role of the practical enactment of the Torah Azamru in Breslov is not the judging, but just the seeking to see only the good, and primarily in oneself, as Rabbainu's exhortation brought in the actual Torah in brackets, that one should practice this Torah, clearly and specifically speaks of this aspect of judging oneself alone, with the main interim attainable goal being joy (even song), which is the gateway to repentance[14]. Even doing azamru on oneself, Saba Yisroel writes very clearly, can only be accomplished by means and power of the tzadik.

Blossoms of the Spring 1:27 (in some editions 25. An almost identical paragraph can be found in letter 121, where Saba adds that the tzadik is even more active in this after his passing):

"The true tzadik is the aspect of Messiah, who is constantly engaged in rectifying the souls of Israel, to arouse them from their slumber through the good points which he finds in each one, and he inspires in the heart of each on of Israel to search, and to seek, and to find in himself always good points, in order to arouse him from his slumber and his fall, so that he doesn’t fall completely Heaven forbid. And most essentially, when the heaviness of sleep overwhelms the soul of an Israelite through his abundant sins and defections, to the extent that he will just about fall completely Heaven forbid, specifically then, he will inspire in him with his kindness, to arouse, and to strengthen (himself) to find his good point, to save him and to arouse him. And the redemption in general and in particular is contingent upon this!"[15]

There is however one area where Saba Yisroel asserts unequivocally that one must actively seek and search for the good in another as prescribed in the Torah of Azamru, and that is to fulfill the commandment to love a fellow Jew:

Blossoms of the Spring; Letter 70 (in some editions 66):

When two Israelites who love each other get together and meet with love and peace, and are happy upon seeing on another, then they bless "shehecheyunoo <He has given us life> vikeyimunoo <and has sustained us> etc.," for this is the main vitality and upholding of all the worlds[16]. It is necessary to seek and to find in every one of Israel some merit and good in order to love him as oneself, because every one of Israel – as long as he is called by the name of Israel, it is impossible that he does not have some good side and merit, and it is necessary to bind oneself with the good in them, and to be subsumed together with them with love and unity! The more the gathering of the true tzadik grows larger, the more the glory of Hashem becomes greater and the more they are subsumed in His unity blessed He[17].