Who Was Rebbe Nachman?

Early years

Raised among Hasidic leaders, Rebbe Nachman chose a path of intense prayer, study, and inner work from youth. He warned against self-harm even while demanding spiritual seriousness. His mother, Feiga, was a granddaughter of the Baal Shem Tov; his father, Simcha, came from the line of Rabbi Nachman of Horodenka.

Breslov and Uman

In 1802 he settled in Bratslav (Breslov). There he formed a close circle of students and delivered the lessons later collected as Likutey Moharan. In 1798–1799 he traveled to Eretz Yisrael, a journey he treated as a turning point in his life.

In his final year he moved to Uman, choosing to be buried among the martyrs of the 1768 massacre. That grave — the Tziyun — became the heart of the Breslov Rosh Hashanah gathering.