BRI’s NarrowBridge.Org sends out twice weekly inspiration providing a regular dose of hope, meaning and courage. These emails include small doses of Rebbe Nachman’s wisdom, enabling us to get through the week in a more spiritual way.
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| Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught… |
“Don’t confuse heartbreak with sadness and depression. Depression is really anger, a complaint against G-d for not giving you what you want. But when you have a contrite heart you are like a little child crying because its parent is far away.” |
| What does this mean to me? |
| In our contemporary world, the word depression has assumed a clinical meaning, divorced from moral implications. For the most part, that’s a positive development; certainly there are clinically depressed people who improve with a medical approach. Do they really need to examine their motives so much? Nevertheless, Rebbe Nachman spoke at great length about the state of marah shechorah-melancholia-as a particular spiritual failing, characterized by a tendency to passivity, stagnation, and a persistent negative viewpoint when life fails to go our way. So we should not be surprised when the Rebbe teaches that “depression” is an expression of anger at G-d and His providence; it doesn’t arise in a vacuum. And he makes a distinction between depression and contrition—“brokenheartedness”—which is a necessary element of self-improvement. For if we are not pained by our distance from G-d and are insensitive to our own spiritual condition, how will we ever grow closer? |
| A prayer: |
Let my cries and sighs We encourage hearing your feedback and may anonymously publish your remarks. Please send email to: [email protected] Your Feedback: This little email was very excellent. There are months I do not use my email Loved it. You’re doing a great job. |
| These emails are sent free of charge and are part of the ongoing work of the Breslov Research Institute to make Rebbe Nachman’s Torah available to people of all languages. If you enjoy these emails and our other work and would like to contribute to our mission, we encourage you to do so by clicking here or the PayPal (P) icon below. All US donations are tax deductible. *“The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy – Timeless Wisdom from a Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov” by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Adapted by Moshe Mykoff and The Breslov Research Institute, 1994. Permission granted by Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, www.jewishlights.com. **“The Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-So-Everyday Moments – Timeless Wisdom from the Teachings of the Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov” by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Adapted by Moshe Mykoff & S.C. Mizrahi with the Breslov Research Institute, 1999. Permission granted by Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT, www.jewishlights.com. |
