Nachman of Breslov

Nachman of Breslov
Breslover Rebbe
Grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
Full name	Nachman of Breslov
Main work	Likutey Moharan
Born	4 April 1772 (Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5532) Międzybóż, Kingdom of Poland
Died	16 October 1810 (18 Tishrei 5571) Uman, Ukraine, Russian Empire
Buried	Uman, Ukraine, 17 October 1810 (19 Tishrei 5571)
Dynasty	Breslov
Predecessor	none
Successor	none
Father	Simcha
Mother	Feiga
Wife 1	Sashia, daughter of Rabbi Ephraim of Ossatin
Children 1	Adil Sarah Feiga Chaya Miriam daughter (died in infancy) Yaakov Shlomo Ephraim
Wife 2	name unknown

Nachman of Breslov (Hebrew: נחמן מברסלב‎‎), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover (Yiddish: רב נחמן ברעסלאווער‎), Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – October 16, 1810), was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement.

Rebbe Nachman, a great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, breathed new life into the Hasidic movement by combining the esoteric secrets of Judaism (the Kabbalah) with in-depth Torah scholarship. He attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime and his influence continues until today through many Hasidic movements such as Breslov Hasidism. Rebbe Nachman's religious philosophy revolved around closeness to God and speaking to God in normal conversation "as you would with a best friend." The concept of hitbodedut is central to his thinking.

Rebbe Nachman was born in the town of Międzybóż in eastern Poland (now Ukraine). His mother, Feiga, was the daughter of Adil (also spelled Udel), daughter of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidic Judaism. His father Simcha was the son of Rabbi Nachman of Horodenka (Gorodenka), one of the Baal Shem Tov's disciples, after whom Rebbe Nachman was named. Rebbe Nachman had two brothers, Yechiel Zvi and Yisroel Mes, and a sister, Perel.

Rebbe Nachman told his disciples that as a small child, he eschewed the pleasures of this world and set his sights on spirituality. He paid his melamed (teacher) three extra coins for every page of Talmud that he taught him, beyond the fee that his father was paying the teacher, to encourage the teacher to cover more material. From the age of six, he would go out at night to pray at the grave of his great-grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, and immerse in the mikveh afterward.