Great Fixation

I haven’t used this term yet… but Nachman definitely has the psychological idea of “messiah complex”, meaning he feels it is his responsibility, duty, and burden to fix, save, redeem, etc.

In his time, the 2 great ills (within the Jewish world) were the so-called enlightenment, or secularism de facto trend, and Sabbatianism / Frankism.

The latter was of course associated directly with sexual sin, because that is what everyone thought they were up to, ritualistic sacrilegious orgiastic practices, within their otherwise heretical actions and cultic separatism...

When you think about it - within the kabbalistic mindset, sexual sin begins in the brain, as a seed within the mind, thinking, and then it spreads to all the organs.

And so, since they were all about the mind, the enlightenment-secularism trend was ALSO associated with sexual sin. 

In Kabbalah, the sexual sin is essentially directed at the covenant of G-d with Israel, and the function of the Tsaddiq himself, is to protect the covenant.

Remember, the symbol of Yesod sphere is basically the male organ. Very phallic… 

When you put these above together, naturally you have Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, the Tsaddiq Yesod Olam, engaged in great actions of tikkun - against these 2 humongous and horrible sinful movements, that are at the root 1 phenomenon of sexual sin (the Sabbatian heretics and the secular apikorsim).

General Remedy

For Nachman, his task was to fix the general sinfulness, even if it means it will cost him his life, the death of the Tsaddiq. That is how his great grandfather passed, the Ba’al Shem Tov, according to Nachman, so he said. 

Because of Shabbtai Zvi, in order to commutate, or alleviate, or “sweeten” judgment for this great sin, this broad heresy, evil speech against the Torah and all, meant the death of the Besht.

The Tsaddiq of the generation is the Torah. When there is sin and heresy against the Torah, it hurts the Tsaddiq himself.

Remember that Shabbtai Zvi even actually had a thing where he said he was the embodiment, or was, the Torah itself. He had his strange ways, and he was remembered for it, for desecrating the Torah...

One last pointer to Shabbtai Zvi, was his depression - in his sadness, he would descend, supposedly. Nachman also feels the melancholy, and he is also going down, into the depths, as if to fix, among other things, the deceitful sinful descent of Shabbtai Zvi. Sadness spiritualized.

Completely Rectifying

Nachman issued 10 songs to be sung in prayer, as an act of tikkun, they are all from the Psalms, numbers: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.

These niggunim would arouse the Shekhina, the presence, and redeem it from its exile, and moderate the judgement in the heavens. (This process is more or less equated with or parallel to the messianic redemption, and in line with the Lurianic kabbalistic cosmological process.)

For Nachman it is all very personal. He emphasized its importance. His disciples made sure to spread it, ha’Tikkun ha’Klali, as far as possible, as their mission, to actualize the concept of the spring bursting forth, which is a kind of messianism.

It was Nathan of Gaza the prophet of Sabbatianism that operated so intensely and so determinately, to mobilize repentance in Israel, to hasten redemption, before the Messiah. And it was he who sent out all sorts of tikkunim, acts or rituals for the sake of tikkun, in different formulations, mostly Psalms, and his own special tikkun that was called “tikkun gamur”, which means total or complete tikkun, which was targeted at sexual sin and protecting the covenant. 

It is evident enough that Nachman operated as the Tsaddiq of the generation, to an extreme measure, with paradoxical descending and ascending, and by tikkun campaigns, against the heresy and sexual sin of Sabbatianism and enlightened-secularism. This was a major counter-messianic action.

Henceforth Redemption

Nachman continued traditional motifs of messianism, and he continued the traditions of kabbalistic harbinger of redemption as Tsaddiq-Yesod, in the footsteps of the Ba’al Shem Tov, Nathan of Gaza of Sabbatianism, Isaac Luria the Ar"i - like Rashbi, Elijah, Moses…

He did not say he was the Messiah. He did not associate with the kingdom malkhut sphere, but was like Elijah paving the way, like Rashbi with his group of disciples mystically moving things.

Nachman had one of the highest cases of sense of self that we have seen, spiritual messiah complex, self-consciousness of a mystical leader forever. He was like Moses, the aspect of Messiah, in each generation. But of all generations...

To top it off, he indeed said the famous words that today are a slogan or a mantra, “my fire will burn until the coming of the Messiah”. But not that he is Messiah.

In his lifetime he wrote or dictated a book that was secret and hidden for centuries until recently, titled “scroll (or book) of the unrevealed (things)”, and it deals with the house of the Messiah, his routine and kingdom, and was apparently written when Nachman understood that he will die, and he he was thinking, perhaps his infant son might be it. But the child was sick and died. 

Also, his mystical journey to the Land of Israel brought him to a higher level, and is in itself a subtle marker that he had messianic presumptions.

It is a fact that his son, his heir, died but Nachman did not appoint another successor, and this is also a indication that he was therefore determinately the messianic candidate…

So Close in His Heart

We cannot say he was a messianic pretender. He was definitely messianic, but not Messiah. His was the case of messianic spirituality, and not being.

This spirituality was not in calculating the years of Messiah or preparing everything, but by messianic consciousness above all.

He said: "From the revealed things about me, you do not need to learn." That is, even though, as you see from me, it seems to you that I am often in sadness, you do not need to learn from this; rather, always be in joy. 

For do you think you can compare yourselves to me in everything and do as I do? In truth, I am in joy, but I constantly need to clear the way in a place that was chaos and wilderness, to make a path there, cutting away all obstacles. 

And I need to chop down trees that have grown there for thousands of years, going back and forth, chopping and chopping again, so that the path will be paved for the public, allowing many to walk that way. 

Due to such efforts, I am in constant concern. He also said then that even Rabbi Shimon (bar Yochai) is related to this matter of clearing the way."

Chayei / Life of Moharan 235