The Russians hung anyone who claimed he was ‘moshiach’ – more words from the Rav
This was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever read from the Rav.
For a whole bunch of different reasons.
When I have more time, I’ll to ‘unpack’ this a little more, but Mordechai of Chernobyl has been almost totally scrubbed out of real Jewish history.
From previous research, he was apparently sharing responsibility with the Alter Rebbe of Chabad for collecting money for the chassidic yishuv in Eretz Yisrael, at some point, and was also a potential successor to the Alter Rebbe’s ‘CHABAD’ fundraising kollel.
His descendants became implacable enemies of Breslov, and harassed and persecuted the Breslovers over multiple generations, and in multiple areas.
More than that, it’s still hidden in the mist.
At least, for now.
Enjoy!
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Main shiur given on the hiloula of Rav Natan of Breslov, 10th Tevet 5785
Excerpt
The whole inyan (matter) of R’ Natan was just bizyonot (humiliation and disgrace).
“No-one has seen God other than You.”1
Rav Natan merited to such a level of bizyonot – prisons, jails, and not like those in Eretz Yisrael, where it’s a 12 star hotel. A true prison, where [he was] mamash amongst murderers, that’s where they put him.
And he gave such cries, before they tried to kill him, it’s impossible to describe it. And why [was he put in prison by the Russian authorities]?
Because [his chassidic opponents within the Jewish community] said that he said he was Moshiach.
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In Russia, whoever said ‘Moshiach’ – they hung him.
[If they say] ‘Moshiach’, in a little while you’ll have a million chassidim, ‘Moshiach’.
So, [the Russian government said] whoever says ‘Moshiach’, he will be hung now! We have a gallows here. See, here’s this gallows, [upon which we will hang] this man. Whoever says ‘Moshiach’, he will be hung!
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It was also like this by the Romans, not only oto ha’ish2 was hung, they hung everyone.
A lot of people said ‘Moshiach’, and Rome was scared.
Whoever said ‘Moshiach’, straight away they hung him. Moshiach has a million chassidim.
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He [Yoshki] went to Kfar Hittim by the Kinneret, and he cried out I am Moshiach!!!
And he told everyone, I’m Moshiach!!!
They said to him, go and say that in Jerusalem, in Jerusalem they will hang you straight away.
That’s what he said, and that’s how it was. The moment he got to Jerusalem, he got there on erev Pesach, or the day before. It’s a machloket (disagreement) between historians. One says ‘erev Pesach’, another says they hung him on Pesach.
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And the last supper was on Mount Zion.
And after this, Yehuda Ish Cariot (lit: Judah the Man of the City, a reference to Judah Iscariot) – this was across from the Lion’s Gate.
All of this, we need to know.
So, whoever said that he was ‘Moshiach’, they hung him. [So] the Jews didn’t say anything.
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All of this we are talking about, is [connected to the fact that] they libelled R’ Natan with the slander that he said that he was Moshiach, a ‘tzaddik’, like R Mordechai of Tchernobyl.
They said about him [i.e. R Mordechai of Tchernobyl] that he was a tzaddik, so they came to arrest him.
So his chassidim said to him, come, escape! He said I am not running away, I am a tzaddik. I want to be a tzaddik. What should I say, that I’m not a tzaddik?! If I’m not a tzaddik, go and arrest someone else?! No! I will say that I am a tzaddik!
After this, they [the Jewish community] needed to pay bribes and [to say] a thousand lies [in order to free Mordechai of Tchernoble from the Tsar’s prison].
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The same thing with R’ Raphael of Bershad, who crossed the border.
In his life, he’d never told a lie.
So [the border guards] said to him, is it you? He said yes! [The border guards said to him] this passport, this is you?
[Raphael of Bershad said] No, that’s not me.
It was a forged passport. And after this, [the Jewish community needed to pay] millions in bribes.
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So R Natan [of Breslov] said, all of you is just one big lie!
Even though you don’t say a single lie, all of you is one big lie!
Because the real truth [of whether someone is actually a tzaddik or not] is when a person doesn’t have a single yearning for, or enjoyment of, being honored.
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R’ Natan used to go along with a happy face – and they said about him that he was drunk.
The Shpoler3 said to the Berdichever4 that he [Rav Natan] used to drink before the prayers. He has the face of a drunk, a red face.
From all of his tremendous joy, when [Rav Natan] used to come to shacharit he was all red. [In truth, R’ Natan] used to stay up all night learning Torah, the large Shulchan Aruch, the SHACH, everything.
He used to finish the Shulchan Aruch every single month.
Translated from Shivivei Or 392.
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This is a scan of the source in Siach Sarfei Kodesh, Part II, Section 632, that describes what occurred with Raphael of Bershad:
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These words of the Rav had a profound impact on me this week.
BH, we’ll discuss more in a separate post, but I really started to wonder to myself how many of my own actions and thoughts are falling in the category of trying to be a ‘fake tzaddik’, pretending to myself that my spiritual level is much higher than it actually is.
When I have a bit more time to think, and to write, I will tell you just how much the Rav’s words helped me to resolve a big problem I’ve been having for quite a long time.
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FOOTNOTES:
1 The Hebrew reads: “עין לא ראתה אלוקים זולתך“
2I.e. Yoshki.
3R’ Aryeh Leib, aka the ‘Shpoler Zeideh’, Rabbi Nachman’s implacable enemy.
4R’ Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev.
בס”ד
Siach Sarfei Kodesh – Holy Conversations of the Righteous – Part 2, Section 632
There was a certain maskil (rationalist intellectual) named Raphael of Bershad, a disciple of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, of blessed memory.
When he accepted upon himself the truth with full sincerity, he warned himself never to utter a single falsehood and to speak only truth completely. And all his speech would be purely truthful without any deception or distortion.
Once, he was in a situation where he was faced with a dilemma—whether to act against his truthfulness or to maintain it at all costs. He then said to himself: “If the people of Israel are commanded to uphold the truth, then I too must uphold it.”
And if he had been forced to lie, he would have felt as if he had been sentenced to death. So he was careful to always say the truth, even if it might cause him suffering.
It is said that there were times when falsehood and deception surrounded him on all sides, yet he remained steadfast in his commitment to the truth. He understood that even when the truth is diminished, it is still the foundation of all existence, and so he clung to it unwaveringly.
He used to say: “Even when one sees that the world follows deception, one should not be swayed. The truth will ultimately prevail.”
And he further emphasized that in the future, when truth will be fully revealed, those who upheld it will be honored, and those who distorted it will be shamed.
This passage reflects the strong value placed on truthfulness and integrity in Jewish ethical teachings, particularly in the context of Chassidic wisdom. Let me know if you need any refinements or explanations!
“And it shall be, when he crosses the border in peace, and the war of the truth’s death that is not in its place, then the earth will incline toward one who speaks great lies, and the truth will be nullified greatly. And a great gathering will pass that was delayed because of the war over the death of truth that was not in its place.”
Interesting, thanks for the translation. Are you sure that ‘maskil’ was the word used in the Hebrew, as ‘maskil’ was a derogatory term in this context.