Rabi Nahman:

Nahman of Breslov is also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Nachman from

Uman, or simply as Rebbe Nachman (April 4, 1772 October 16, 1810) was the
founder of the Breslov Hasidic dynasty.
His father was one of the famous disciples of the founder of the Hasidic movement -
Rabi Bal Shem Tov. His mother was the granddaughter of the Rabi Bal Shem Tov.
He was born in Medzhybizh, Ukraine in the time when the Hasidic movement started
to decay. Got married at the age of 13 (as was the costume at that time) to Sashia.
Already in the day of the marriage he met his first disciple, which was older than him
in a few years. From the age of 13 until the age of 18 he used to mortify (isolate), to
fast a lot and to purify the body in all sorts of ways.
A few years after his marriage, he moved to the town Madvika and there many
disciples started to come closer to him. From this city he came to visit Israel at the
age of 26 (there he stayed for about 2 months, mostly in the Galilee) that was the
time of Napoleon in Europe and Israel, and accordingly, his journey was full of
dangers and difficulties. When he came back to Ukraine, disputations came around
him. However he was grateful for this by claming that only by disputations and
thereafter tolerance on your side, you can really get spiritually higher, and as an
example showed that all the great spiritual beings got chased after.
Later on, at the year of 1802 he moved to the town of Breslov, and there he created
the essence of his doctrines. In Breslov he lost his wife and few of his children who
died due to diseases. As the custom at that time, he got remarried. Short time later on
he got sick with tuberculosis (which didn't have a cure at that time) and eventually
passed away from this disease 3 years later.
While he was sick he published the first volume of his great book - Gathering of
""MOHARAN"". Then also he started to tell his famous story tales and revealed the
book of measurements.
When he saw his death was close, he decided to be buried in the city of Uman (Where
above 20,000 Jews got murdered and he said "Many saints are buried in Uman. It
would be good to lie down there amongst them"). He arrived to Uman On 9 of May
1810.
At that time he used to speak more of rectification of souls, and also revealed the
"Tikun Ha-Klali"(The general remedy/rectification), which is specific 10 chapters
from Psalms whom you read in a specific order. He claimed the general remedy as
his supreme act, and that even after his days on earth will finish, who ever will come
to his grave and choose to benefit his actions from now on and say this general
remedy and give a coin to charity, then even if his sins are very great, he will make his
best effort to save him and give him eternal favor in the next world. Many thousands
of people from all over the world are still coming to visit his grave every year and to
say this general remedy, and thus to gain his famous promise.

Rabi Nahman emphasized the value of praying, isolation (seclusion) and the simple
innocent faith. Most of his writing were written by his greatest disciple Rabi Nathan
from Breslov, taken from verbal conversations they had.
He placed great stress on living with faith, simplicity, and joy. He encouraged his
followers to clap, sing and dance during or after their prayers, bringing them to a
closer relationship with God
He taught that his followers should spend an hour alone each day, talking aloud to
God in his or her own words, as if "talking to a good friend", to make oneself be in
solitude. Nahman taught that the best place to do this was in a field or forest, among
the natural works of God's creation.

Even though Rabi passed away almost 200 years ago, his candle is still on fire and
enlightening, and his doctrine is giving light and happiness to myriads of people.

The chair:
This chair was used by him while given his doctrines at different occasions.
According to the tradition, this chair was a gift given to the Rabi by one of his
disciples in the end of 1808. The person was a slaughterer as an occupation, and he
worked on the chair for a period of 6 months. When he brought his present to the
Rabi, the Rabi asked him: ""Did you make it all day long ?"" Then he replied: ""No,
but everyday I worked on it for one hour."" The Rabi answered with admiration:
""Asa ? You thought of me half a year, every day, for one hour !""

After the death of the Rabi the chair was held in Tesharin a town in Ukraine by a
disciple named Rabi Hirsh. In The second decade of the 20th century, the chair was
disassembled and hidden. In 1936 a Ukraine family brought it to Jerusalem. In
Jerusalem he was renewed in the Museum of Israel in the year of 1959 and latter was
repaired.