Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman

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A reproduction of the "Letter from Heaven".

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman (Hebrew: נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן‎) is a Hebrew language mantra used by a fringe group of Breslover Hasidut colloquially known as the Na Nachs. The complete phrase is Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'uman. It is a sound poem based on the four Hebrew letters of the name Nachman, referring to the founder of the Breslov movement, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, along with a reference to his burial place in Uman, Ukraine.

[edit] History of the mantra

Rabbi Yisroel Odesser, teacher of the Na Nach Nachma mantra. Died in 1994 and was buried in Jerusalem.

Although Na Nach Nachma is based on the name of Rebbe Nachman, he himself did not use it, and it was unknown in his day. However, he did say that repeating one word over and over was an effective form of meditation (Likutei Moharan Tinyana #96). His own personal mantra was Ribono shel Olam (Master of the Universe) which he pronounced with the Yiddish intonation as: Ree-BOY-noy shell OY-lahm. Many Breslover Hasidim today still prefer this mantra.

The Na Nach Nachma phrase was "revealed" and taught by Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser, a well known Breslov figure in the 20th century. Odesser was born in 1888 in Tiberias, Israel. He was among the first Breslover Hasidim in Israel, having learned about the movement from Rabbi Yisroel Halpern when he was a young yeshiva student. Odesser's parents, who were Karliner Hasidim, strongly opposed his joining the Breslov movement, and worked hard to discourage him. Young Odesser went through many hardships, but he remained steadfast to the Breslov way.

When he was 33 years old, Odesser was overcome with weakness and hunger on the Fast of Tammuz. He decided to eat. But immediately after eating, he felt great sorrow at having succumbed to his own physical temptations. After five continuous days of prayer, a powerful thought came to him: "Go into your room!" He obeyed the inner voice, went to the bookcase, and randomly opened a book. In the book was a piece of paper that he would later call "The Letter from Heaven." The paper contained a greeting, some text that referred to the Fast of Tammuz, and the Na Nach Nachma mantra. It read as follows:

It was very hard for me to descend to you, my precious student, to tell you that I benefited greatly from your service. And to you I say, my fire will burn until the coming of the Messiah — be strong and courageous in your service — Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'Uman. And with this I shall tell you a secret: Full and heaped up from line to line, and with strong devotional service you will understand it. And the sign is: They will say you are not fasting on the 17th of Tammuz.

Odesser believed the letter to be a message of consolation, directly from Rebbe Nachman's spirit to himself here on earth. Odesser adopted Na Nach Nachma as his personal meditation, and became so totally identified with it that he later said, "I am Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'Uman." (This quote appears on Odesser's tombstone in Jerusalem.)

[edit] Pronunciation and meaning of the phrase

During his lifetime, Rebbe Nachman spoke of a "Song of Redemption" that would be revealed before the coming of the Jewish Messiah. This song would be in a "single, double, triple, quadruple" form. (Likutei Moharan II, #8). The Na Nach Nachma phrase has such a structure (keeping in mind that Hebrew often omits the vowels) and is based on the Rebbe's name, "Nachman":

• Na (one Hebrew letter: Nun) -- נ

• NaCH (Two Hebrew letters: Nun-Chet) -- נח

• NaCHMa (Three Hebrew letters: Nun-Chet-Mem) -- נחמ

• NaCHMaN (Four Hebrew letters: Nun-Chet-Mem-Nun) -- נחמן

• Me'Uman (a double entendre: it can mean "from Uman" -- Rebbe Nachman's burial place and can also mean "believed" or "accredited.") -- מאומן

The mantra is pronounced with a soft A sound as in "ah" and a guttural KH sound as in German "ach." It is usually accented as follows:

Nah-nakh-nakhmah-nakhman-meh-oo-mahn.

Speakers of Yiddish have also noted that na nach can mean "now to," which would loosely translate the phrase as "Now to Nachman from Uman," that is, traveling to the Rebbe on pilgrimage to his gravesite or in one's heart.

[edit] Controversies

A Na-Nach Breslover Hasid stands beside a van emblazoned with images of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser and the "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman" mantra in downtown Jerusalem.

Not all Breslover Hasidim use Na Nach Nachma (some groups actually oppose it) and not everyone believes it is an authentic writing from Rebbe Nachman. The following are some of the diverse opinions:

• Rabbi Odesser believed the "Letter from Heaven" was a genuine miracle, pointing out that the bookcase where the petek (note) appeared was locked at the time, and he had the only key. His followers believed in the miracle also. They continue to this day to chant the phrase as a "Song of Redemption" for the coming of the Jewish Messiah. Odesser's personal account of how he found the Letter has been translated into English under the title The Letter from Heaven: Rebbe Nachman's Song.

• In May 1984, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote a letter of approbation, endorsing Odesser's efforts to raise funds for publishing Rebbe Nachman's books. In this document, Feinstein said: "I am writing on behalf of a most unusual individual, Rabbi Yisroel Dov Odesser, shlita, from Israel. This individual is a gaon of Torah. I had the pleasure of recently meeting with him and was inspired by a secret document which he possesses." This seems to imply that Rabbi Feinstein thought the letter was authentic, although he did not explicitly say so. (The Letter from Heaven: Rebbe Nachman's Song, p. 2)

• Some people believe that the letter was a note written to someone by Rebbe Nachman when he visited Tiberias during his pilgrimage to Israel in the early 19th century. Somehow it was placed in the old book, but Odesser's finding it was a coincidence (or miracle of timing), as was the reference to someone eating on the Fast of Tammuz.

• Still others believe it was a well-intentioned forgery, written by one of Rabbi Odesser's fellow students in order to cheer him up after he got depressed from breaking his fast. However, this could hardly be proven to be true. After Rabbi Odesser told the Slonimer Rebbe in Tiberias about the letter; this Rebbe, who was revered by everyone, asked his followers if they knew anything about this letter, but no one said any anything about it.

[edit] Popularity of the mantra today

Whatever the origins of this mantra, it is now very popular among a fringe group of Breslover Hasidim who follow Rabbi Odesser, who are colloquially known as the Na Nachs. The mantra has been incorporated into both traditional and contemporary Jewish music, appeared on bumper stickers, billboards and public graffiti throughout Israel, and is used on jewelery and amulets.

Besides the Na Nachs, some non-Jews use the mantra as a form of kabbalah meditation.^{[citation needed]} Among some groups of Sephardic Jewish youth in Israel, it has become a sort of rallying cry for returning to traditional Judaism, although not necessarily to mainstream Breslov. Many of these followers expereince profound religious states of ecstasy after repeatring this mantra for more than 12 hours continuosly in the holy cities in Eretz Yisrael.^{[citation needed]}

Typical white "Na Nacher" style yarmulke with the mantra woven into it. Made in Jerusalem in 2005

More recently, some people have begun to wear it on large, white, crocheted yarmulkes with a little tassel on top. (These hats are a modification of a traditional white yarmulke that has been worn in Jerusalem for centuries. That style, in turn, apparently evolved from the medieval Jewish hat with the ball on top — hence the tassel.) When Rabbi Odesser was still alive, some of his followers were already wearing large white yarmulkes, but without the mantra on them. Today, the Na Nachs make this crocheted yarmulke part of their uniform attire. Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman yarmulkes in other colors are also appearing on the market and are a popular item for Purim. In 2008, an Israeli seller on eBay offered a white baseball cap with the mantra embroidered on it.

[edit] External links

• Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser page -- direct link to the section discussing the authenticity of the Letter from Heaven (including handwriting analysis, police lab analysis of the paper, etc.) and cites references to similar miraculous letters mentioned in the Talmud.
• Virtual Photo Gallery of Na Nach Nachma graffiti in Israel.
• Israel Sabba Autobiography of Rabbi Yisroel Dov Ber Odesser
• Na-Nah.infoA site about Rabbi Israel Ber Odesser
• Blossoms of the Spring Rabbi Israel Ber Odesser letters to the President of the State of Israel Mr. Zalman Shazar
• NaNach.Net Current news about Na Nachs all over the world. Sabba Yisroel, the community, pictures, videos and articles about people shouting Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman!
• [1] Haaretz, 5/25/08: Rolling with the Na Nachs, the most high-spirited and newest Hasidic sect

[edit] Sources

• The Letter from Heaven: Rebbe Nachman's Song. an account of Rabbi Odesser's life and the story of the Na Nach Nachma, published by Netzach Yisroel Press, Israel, 1991, 1995.

• Young Buds of the Stream, letters to Zalman Shazar from Rabbi Odesser, English edition published by Netzach Yisroel Press, Israel 1995. Pages 37-43 contain a detailed explanation of the meaning of the mantra.

• Outpouring of the Soul, translated by Aryeh Kaplan. (Compilation of Nachman of Breslov's quotes on meditation and prayer). Breslov Research Institute, 1980.