The Tales of Rabbi Nachman

by Martin Buber

Buber retells the classic tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, highlighting the spiritual verve and imagination of Hasidism.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Philosophy, Jewish, Judaica

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship.

Buber came from a family of observant Jews, but broke with Jewish custom to pursue secular studies in philosophy. In 1902, Buber became the editor of the weekly Die Welt, the central organ of the Zionist movement, although he later withdrew from organizational work in Zionism. In 1923 Buber wrote his famous essay on existence, Ich und Du (later translated into English as I and Thou), and in 1925 he began translating the Hebrew Bible into the German language.

In 1930 Buber became an honorary professor at the University of Frankfurt am Main, and resigned in protest from his professorship immediately after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. He then founded the Central Office for Jewish Adult Education, which became an increasingly important body as the German government forbade Jews to attend public education. In 1938, Buber left Germany and settled in Jerusalem, in the British Mandate of Palestine, receiving a professorship at Hebrew University and lecturing in anthropology and introductory sociology.

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a work by Martin Buber, a major philosopher of the 20th century, "The Tales of Rabbi Nachman" logically merit a rating of at least four stars. The problem is that the six tales contained are all too long, very similar in structure and quite uninspiring.
Martin Buber describes Rabbi Nachman (1772-1810) as the "last Jewish mystic"; that is to say he was the last Rabbi of stature in the Hasidic and Kabbalistic tradition. The great grandson of Baal-Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, Nachman was very learned and possessed considerable personal charisma. Unfortunately, his tales as presented in Buber's book are not nearly as good as those of his grand-father. Worse, they lack range and diversity. All are about the challenge of becoming good Hasidic Jews. Four are success stories. The two best however are about failures.
"The Rabbi and His Son" tells the story of a traditional Rabbi whose son wants to become a follower of a dynamic Hasidic rabbi or a "great zaddik". The father opposes his son who dies on his third attempt to journey to meet the famous rabbi. A demonic stranger tells the father that an opportunity has been squandered. The son has died and the window of opportunity for the father to convert has also been clsoed.
"The Clever and the Simple Man" shows how a seeker fails to find the true path to God because he is too clever and overly intellectual. In contrast, the simple man who accepts proper guidance finds God and acquires wisdom.
Included with the six stories is an essay by Martin Buber on Nachman's voyage to Palestine which is quite provoking and which reminds the reader how important Israel is to Jewish faith.
"The Tales of Rabbi Nachman" is fine piece of scholarship by an important intellectual. Unfortunately, Rabbi Nachman was an intellectual and a writer of lesser stature than his illustrious grand-father. Nachman's stories are long-winded and dull in comparison to those of Baal-Shem Tov.
Before reading "The Tales of Rabbi Nachman" I advise reading Buber's "The Legend of Baal-Shem" which is superior in every way.

[Mary K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate it when I should like a book and don’t. A book of spiritual parables.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tales of Rabbi Nachman By Martin Buber
I bought this one while out with the Myserious
guy in the Hat, and the cover features a very
Myserious guy in a hat, the Good Rabbi himself,
this book is Martin Bubers 1950's interpretation
and telling of Rabbi Nachmans tales and stories,
the Rabbi himself is a noted Jewish Mystic and
Great Grandson of the Baal Shem Tov who helped
found Hasidism.
Now while Nachman has been ridiculed in modern
times by the likes of the Monty Python team (he
insisted that to pray properly it must be in Joy,
so used to say prayers while doing summersaults
and cartwheels!!) the stories he tells are still
relevant, and the story of his Journey to
Palestine at a time when it was illegal for Jews
to enter the Holy land is fascinating indeed.
Of the tales my favourite was "The Steer and the
Ram" in which he basically says that for any
society to be truely happy and successful it
needs to be inclusive and multi-cultral, and
anywhere that seeks to expel the followers of the
Steer and Ram as he describes Jews, on the ground
that those animals provide the materials for
Jewish Tallasim (Prayer Shawls) and Tefilim, as
well as the parchment of the Torah scrolls, is
always doomed to failure.
He was also a believer that the only way to be a
true hasidic Jew was to spend time among all
types of people from the lowest disebeliever and
drunkard up, as that is how you learn to get
closer to god.
Very interesting, and although not exactly what I
expected certainly educational, and it provides
some good insights into the current middle
eastern problems

[Katie Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tales of Rabbi Nachman by Martin Buber weaves lengthy parables that invite the reader to step into many lives, perspectives, and inner journeys. The stories, written in an old liturgical style, can be difficult to follow at times, yet this adds a certain romance to the language and speech. Set in a world of monarchy, the narratives center on male experience, leaving me to wonder how women’s voices might have shaped these spiritual and philosophical quests. Hidden meanings emerge in small phrases and interactions, all leading back to a central truth—the soul’s mission remains, no matter how winding the path. A rich, thought-provoking read.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, I reread it right away. Rich detail and insight.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of a weird one. Pretty good but wildly hubristic. Buber basically says this is what I think and what I think is right. These are the good parts of the history of Jewish mysticism, and these are bad. And the stories themselves? The published versions are garbage and only Buber can identify the genuine stories because of their spiritual clarity or something.

From a methodological perspective this book is... unscientific, to say the least. That said, Buber was a pretty bright guy, and his unsubstantiated opinions are worth reading even if they are not argued for in a methodologically coherent way.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+. Maybe I expected too much, I don’t know. When I stumbled on this book I liked the jacket illustration, and it’s Martin Buber. So immediately the bar was set pretty high. But it just didn’t deliver enough. I tried to read this books three times before finally slogging through most of it. It reminded me of reading Aesop’s fables. I wanted something deeper, a profound text that incited epiphany. Instead, I was like “how many pages left in this story..” It just didn’t do it for me. I skimmed a decent bit after about the 2/3 point, but am pretty sure a more thorough reading would not have made me like it more.

[Bas]

Bevat zes verhalen zoals ze verteld werden door Nachman van Breslov. Mooie verhalen die aandoen als sprookjes en veel metaforen bevatten voor menselijke betrekkingen en maatschappelijke verhoudingen.

[Rob Sips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sommige van de verhalen zijn echt pareltjes.