Breslov Research Institute is a
publisher
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
of classic and contemporary
Breslov texts in
English. Established in 1979, BRI has produced the first English translation of all the works of Rebbe
Nachman of Breslov
Nachman of Breslov ( ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Rabbi Nachman miBreslev, Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover''), and Nachman from Uman (April 4, 1772 – O ...
(1772–1810) and selected works of
Reb Noson (1780–1844), the Rebbe's closest disciple; studies of the Rebbe's teachings on individual subjects; contemporary Breslov
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
; and
self-help book
A self-help book is one that is written with the intention to instruct its readers on solving personal problems. The books take their name from ''Self-Help'', an 1859 best-seller by Samuel Smiles, but are also known and classified under "self-i ...
s which apply Rebbe Nachman's teachings to daily life.
BRI currently has over 100 titles in print,
many of which it has also translated into
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
,
Spanish,
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
and
French. BRI maintains offices in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
History
The founding of Breslov Research Institute was an outgrowth of the
outreach
Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...
work of Rabbi
Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld, who is credited with bringing the teachings of Rebbe Nachman to American shores beginning in the late 1940s.
Aryeh Kaplan
Aryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan (; October 23, 1934 – January 28, 1983) was an American Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, author, and translator best known for his The Living Torah and Nach, Living Torah edition of the Torah and extensive Kabbalah, ...
, to produce an English translation of a key Breslov text, ''Shivchei V'Sichot HaRan'' (''Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom''), in 1973, which Rabbi Rosenfeld edited.
1980s
In the 1980s, BRI produced the first English translations of important Breslov texts, including:
*''Rabbi Nachman's Stories'' (translation and commentary of ''Sippurey Ma'asiyot'', Rebbe Nachman's parable
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whe ...
s and stories)
*''Rabbi Nachman's Tikkun'' (on the '' Tikkun HaKlali'')
*''Tzaddik'' (translation of '' Chayey Moharan'')
*''Advice'' (translation of ''Likutey Eitzot'')
*''The Aleph-Bet Book'' (translation of ''Sefer HaMiddot'')
BRI also published ''Until the Mashiach'', an annotated chronology of the life of Rebbe Nachman, and ''Crossing the Narrow Bridge'', an original work which spelled out the main concepts of Breslov Hasidut in a down-to-earth manner.
Beginning in 1984, BRI undertook the translation, annotation and commentary of Rebbe Nachman's magnum opus
A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship.
Historically, ...
, ''Likutey Moharan''. In 2012, the 15th and final volume of the set was published.
1990s
During the 1990s, BRI produced a definitive biography of Reb Noson, the Rebbe's closest disciple (''Through Fire and Water''), and translated and compiled Reb Noson's prolific letters in a 4-volume set (''Eternally Yours'').
2000s
In the 2000s, BRI produced the first English translation of the ''Kitzur Likutey Moharan'' (''Abridged Likutey Moharan'') and compilations of Breslov teachings on Pirkei Avot
Pirkei Avot (; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth'', also ''Abhoth''), which translates into English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from Rabbinic Jewis ...
and the Chumash. A collection of the Rebbe's teachings on tzedakah
''Tzedakah'' ( ''ṣədāqā'', ) is a Hebrew word meaning "righteousness", but commonly used to signify ''charity''. This concept of "charity" differs from the modern Western understanding of "charity". The latter is typically understood as ...
(charity) was published as ''More Blessed To Give'', and a collection of personal histories of men who traveled to Uman
Uman (, , ) is a city in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the east of the historical region of Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River. Uman serves as the administrative c ...
for the annual Rosh Hashana pilgrimage to Rebbe Nachman's grave was published as ''Rebbe Nachman and the Knights of the Rosh HaShanah Table''. In 2014 the Breslov Siddur
A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.'
Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...
(weekday edition) was published, followed by the Shabbos/ Yom Tov edition in 2018. The first volume of an elucidated English translation of ''Likutey Halakhot'' was printed in 2019.
To date, BRI has published all the writings of Rebbe Nachman and selected writings of Reb Noson. A multi-volume translation of Reb Noson's ''Likutey Tefilot'' (Collected Prayers) has been published under the title ''The Fiftieth Gate''.tefillin
Tefillin (Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Israeli Hebrew, Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls o ...
, Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
, Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...
s, Jewish messianism, Mashiach, the Land of Israel, the '' Sephirot, Sefirot,'' and Uman
Uman (, , ) is a city in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the east of the historical region of Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River. Uman serves as the administrative c ...
(burial place of Rebbe Nachman). It has produced a series of illustrated children's books
A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...
based on Rebbe Nachman's parables.
BRI has produced a number of audio recordings of traditional Breslov songs and melodies, plus two books of Breslov sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
.
References
External links
Breslov Research Institute home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breslov Research Institute
Book publishing companies of Israel
Jewish printing and publishing
Music publishing companies
Breslov Hasidism
Publishing companies established in 1979
Mass media in Jerusalem
Music organizations based in Israel