The Lost Princess

Aryeh Kaplan

Description

Discover the hidden secrets of Torah and Kabbalah through the
captivating stories of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.

“Rabbi Nachman’s stories are among the great classics of Jewish literature. They have been recognized by Jews and non-Jews alike for their depth and insight into both the human condition and the realm of the mysterious.”
—from Aryeh Kaplan’s Translator’s Introduction

For centuries, spiritual teachers have told stories to convey lessons about God and perceptions of the world around us. Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) perfected this teaching method through his engrossing and entertaining stories that are fast-moving, brilliantly structured, and filled with penetrating insights.

This collection presents the wisdom of Rebbe Nachman, translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and accompanied by illuminating commentary drawn from the works of Rebbe Nachman’s pupils. This important work brings you authentic interpretations of Rebbe Nachman’s stories, allowing you to experience the rich heritage of Torah and Kabbalah that underlies each word of his inspirational teachings.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Cábala
• Torá
• Mysticism
• Nachman of Breslov
• Kabbalah
• Judaism
• Aryeh Kaplan
• Religion
• Kabbale
• Torah

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 12 juillet 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580234863
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Lost Princess :
And Other Kabbalistic Tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
2005 First Printing
2005 by The Breslov Research Institute
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Original hardcover edition published by The Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem/New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Naohman, of Bratslav, 1772-1811.
[Sipure ma asiyot. English. Selections]
The lost princess other kabbalistic tales of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov / translation by Aryeh Kaplan; preface by Chaim Kramer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-58023-217-5 (pbk.)
1. Hasidic parables. I. Kaplan, Aryeh. II. Title.
BM532.N4213 2004
296.1'9-dc22
2004018729
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Manufactured in Canada
Cover design: Sara Dismukes
Published by Jewish Lights Publishing
A Division of LongHill Partners, Inc.
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, VT 05091
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.jewishlights.com
Contents
Preface
Translator s Introduction
Introduction
Second Introduction
1. The Lost Princess
2. The King and the Emperor
3. The Cripple
4. The Bull and the Ram
5. The Prince of Gems
6. The Humble King
7. The Spider and the Fly
8. The Rabbi s Son
9. The Sophisticate and the Simpleton
10. The Burgher and the Pauper
11. The Exchanged Children
12. The Master of Prayer
Bibliography
About Jewish Lights
Copyright
To make known and to reveal, that every word that is written in this holy book is Holy of Holies, according to the secrets of the Torah. One shall not think that these are simple stories. For the stories that are in this book were told by the great Tzaddik, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, may his merit protect us. His intention was to teach us how to serve God. Would it be, that we should understand the great secrets and moral guidance that are in these stories. Then we will be proper Jews, as we should be. May the Almighty send us the Messiah, quickly, in our time, Amen .
R ABBI N ATHAN OF B RESLOV
Preface
To separate between the light and the darkness (Genesis 1:4). The Midrash explains: The light is a reference to the ma asim of the Tzaddikim, the darkness is a reference to those of the wicked ( Bereshith Rabbah 20).
In Hebrew, the word ma asim has a double meaning: deeds and stories.
The teaching of the Midrash is that there are differences as great as the difference between day and night, not only between the deeds of the nations but also between their stories .
Our sages knew that in the latter generations the Jews would be exiled and would fall into a profound lethargy.
And it came to pass that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him (Genesis 15:12).
The sleep, the dread, and the darkness were a vision of the four exiles. The downfall is symbolically represented by the idea of sleep ( Bereshith Rabbah 44).
There are many who have fallen into this deep sleep. Some people believe they are serving God, but they are really sleeping. The years pass by and what are they left with in the end? There are others who are in such a deep slumber that they do not even know they are asleep ( Likutey Moharan 60).
The only way to wake people up, Rabbi Nachman tells us, is through stories.
The Torah is a powerful light which can illumine even the thickest darkness.
Just as a person who has been deprived of light for a long time must not expose himself to glaring sunlight all of a sudden, so too, one who is ignorant of Torah can only be exposed to it in a veiled form at first.
The veil of the Torah is the ma asioth , stories. These stories are a gate which is accessible even to those who are still infinitely far from God. The stories can awaken and revive them.
Our Sages themselves used this method. The Midrash tells us: When Rabbi Akiva noticed in the course of a lecture that his pupils were getting sleepy, he told them the following story; Why did Esther merit to rule over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces? ( Esther Rabbah 1). Similarly we find that when Rabbi Yehuda the Prince noticed that his listeners were beginning to get sleepy, he interrupted his lecture and said: A woman in Egypt gave birth to 600,000 babies! When his pupils shook themselves out of their drowsiness and asked him what he was talking about, he answered: It was Yocheved, who gave birth to Moses, who was equal to the 600,000 Jews in Egypt ( Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1).
When Rabbi Nachman first started telling his stories, he declared: Now I am going to tell you stories. The reason he did so was because in generations so far from God the only remedy was to present the secrets of the Torah-including even the greatest of them-in the form of stories. There was no other way to achieve the necessary impact in order to heal us.
Rabbi Nachman was especially concerned that his teachings should be available to all, and this is why he wanted translations in Yiddish and Hebrew.
Breslov Research Institute has undertaken to translate the works of Rabbi Nachman into a number of languages for the benefit of those who are interested in his teachings and stories. The present work is the second in a series of translations of the major works of Rabbi Nachman. It follows Rabbi Nachman s Wisdom.
There have been a number of translations of Rabbi Nachman s stories. The present work includes a running commentary drawn from the traditional commentaries by Rabbi Nachman s students and followers, giving insight and understanding as to what Rabbi Nachman may have been alluding to. This is the first time that this material has been accessible to the English-speaking reader.
We advise the reader to read through the story first before attempting to study the explanations. The commentary on earlier parts of any given story often contains references to later parts, and without a thorough knowledge of the story itself the reader may not enjoy the full benefits of the commentary.
To achieve a perfect translation without veering from the original by one iota is an impossible task. It is equally impossible to express the exact intention of the author without falling into a laborious literalness. Our intention has been to achieve a translation which is both readable and at the same time sufficiently close to the original that the intention of Rabbi Nachman has been fully conveyed.
Breslov Research Institute wishes to extend its most heartfelt thanks to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan for this most exacting work. Besides the translation of the stories themselves, collecting and correlating the commentaries from their different sources was a project of monumental difficulty. This will now pave the way for similar work to be done in Hebrew, French, and other languages.
Gratitude is also due to Rabbi Nachman Burstyn and Rabbi Shmuel Moshe Kramer for their valuable assistance in reviewing and editing the manuscripts for publication.
In addition, the Institute hopes to publish other works of Rabbi Nachman in the near future.
May the Almighty accord us the merit of hearing the end of the story, The Seven Beggars, (see vol. 2, The Seven Beggars , available Spring 2005) with the coming of Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, Amen.
Chaim Kramer
Founder and Director
Breslov Research Institute
Jerusalem
Translator s Introduction
Rabbi Nachman s stories are among the great classics of Jewish literature. They have been recognized by Jews and non-Jews alike for their depth and insight into both the human condition and the realm of the mysterious. As a result, almost a half dozen translations of these stories have already been made.
When the stories were first published, the book contained both a Hebrew version and a Yiddish version of the stories. There is some question as to which was the original, and it may have varied with different stories. While both versions are essentially the same, minor variations do crop up, and these have generally been noted.
There is also a huge Breslover literature on the stories that, for the most part, has been ignored by translators as well as commentators on the stories. Here, this literature has been gathered together on page notes to make it readily accessible. Many other allusions to the Bible, Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah are also included in these notes.
It is hoped that these stories will be an inspiration in translation as they were in the original.
Aryeh Kaplan
Introduction
Whatever he was, his name has already been given, and it is known that he is Man.
-E CCLESIASTES 6:10
This is the Torah of the holy man 1 -one who was worthy of completing the Form of Man 2 -for this is the entire man. 3
We are speaking of our glorious master, teacher and rabbi, the crown of our glory, 4 the pride of our strength, 5 the holy, awesome rabbi, the great lamp, 6 the highest lamp, the beautiful, holy lamp-his name is holy-our master and rabbi, the Master, Rabbi Nachman (may the memory of the saint and holy man be a blessing). 7 He was a great-grandson of the holy, awesome, Godly rabbi, the Baal Shem Tov 8 (may the memory of the saint and holy man be a blessing).
The people Israel have already enjoyed his enlightenment in his holy, wondrous works which have already been published. 9 Many saw them and rejoiced, and the upright were ecstatic. 10 The truth has shown its own way. 11
Now you can see what else is in our pouch. It is a collection of wondrous, awesome tales, which we were wo