Rabbi Nachman of Breslov passed away 214 years ago today.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach explained one of Rebbe Nachman’s most famous sayings in this way:
“Rabbi Nachman of Breslov used to say: ‘If you believe that you can damage, believe that you can repair.’ It is said that it takes only one fool or one match to burn down an entire forest. In other words, the forces of destruction are quick, tremendous, and powerful. One wrong word or action has the potential of destroying years of work.
But Rabbi Nachman’s chidush—innovative idea—is that we must also believe that one good word, one small action, and even the tiniest thought has the potential to rectify and build an entire world! For this reason, Rabbi Nachman uses the word “believe.”
If a person would say to his friend: ”Believe me, I went to synagogue yesterday,” when you know that he hasn’t moved from that spot, it would sound ridiculous. For mundane, day-to-day matters, faith is not necessary. Furthermore, to believe that destruction is possible does not require a person to be a “great believer”—it is human nature. But to see the word’s enormous potential for repair—that requires faith. And it is our task to believe that which our mind has difficulty to grasp—that the power to repair our world is not only possible, but great and significant.
May we merit believing in the potential to repair our world and to play our own part in effecting positive change.
