A true Breslov Chassid remembered - part 1

It's pretty much accepted Breslov lore that Rebbe Nachman was the only Breslover Chassid. Since his time , usually the best that the rest of us can lay claim to is, "we're trying" to be Breslovers.

One exception to that rule was definitely my Rabbi, Rav Tzvi Aryeh Rosenfeld z"l, whose 28th yahrtzeit is coming up next week the 11th of Kislev (December 2nd for you heathens). The 28th already. My gosh, How old does that make me??? Well never mind that.

Although 28 years have passed since my Rebbe left this physical world, and while I was only zocheh to know him for around 5 years, the clarity and imprint of many memories that we shared are as vivid and alive today as when the were first made

Living the Breslov Lifestyle

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says in the very first chapter of Likutei Moharan (his magnum opus) that it is absolutely essential to seek out the heavenly wisdom that is to be found in every aspect of creation. G-d's presence is everywhere and if one's eyes are opened it will easily be spotted.

I would clog the blog were I to log how even lowly me gets to see Hashem's hand almost constantly in my daily life.

One aspect of Jewish life specifically, where anyone can get to see/feel Hashem, is in ones learning. In fact my Rabbi, Rav Tzvi Aryeh Rosenfeld z"l, taught me over 30 years ago that the way a person can know if his Torah learning is indeed finding favor in heaven's eyes, is a: by the connections between different things you might be learning and b: the relevancy between what you are learning and what is going on in your life.

More on this track soon...

Jumping in the Water

Wow! A few years into my 5th decade on this current (and hopefully last) pass through this world, I'm finally taking the plunge into the great blue blog. I'm excited about where this might all lead.

While my life hasn't exactly been the stuff headlines are made of, I'm sure that I'm not your typical blogger: Father of eight (that's probably enough to set me apart from most), modern orthodox Jew who has been (or at least trying to be) a faithful follower of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov for over 30 years, living in Israel for the last 18 years ever since coming over from New York, where I was high-powered computer consultant mostly in the Wall Street (I actually remember the World Trade Center being built) area for 10 years, a still avid fan of CSNY (that's Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, NOT to be confused with NCSY- National Council of Synagogue Youth, Bon Jovi, Jethro Tull, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Saturday Night Live (and the whole crew from the 80's - Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray etc), Will Smith, Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snypes, John Travolta, Howard Stern, Jackie Mason ... , who wears jeans and New Balance sneaker during the week and dons a hat, gartel and jacket when the sun sets on Friday nites.

I stopped programming shortly after the Y2K phenomenon, though that had no influence on my decision. For the last 6 years I've mostly been riding the choppy post-dotcom-bust waters as a marketing writer/researcher and have interspersed those assignments with stints as a high-tech recruiter, PR officer and account manager for an animation studio (some time I'll have to have a separate entry or two just for that wild experience).

And now I've sort of come full circle. I find myself being an office administrator-type for the Breslov World Center in the heart of Meah She'arim, Jerusalem. Coming across faces, names and places that played a major role in building my spiritual self is definitely a blast.

Being that it's now after 2:00AM, I gotta get some sleep or it will be more difficult than usual to wake up in time for minyan.

I will definitely be making a lot of entries both recalling past happenings that led me to being here and sharing my take on current events in and around the Breslov circle