The recent discovery of a letter by Rabbi Avraham ben Nachman of Tulchyn has sparked great public interest. Rabbi Avraham’s father, Rabbi Nachman of Tulchyn, was the closest disciple of Rabbi Nosson of Breslov, commonly known by the acronym “Moharanat.”

He succeeded Rav Nachman of Breslov and promoted and broadened his Chassidic movement and teachings. In this letter, Rabbi Avraham cites Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s opinion regarding the corporal punishment of children and the great risks and perils that it can engender. The letter, whose value is estimated at thousands of dollars, was up for public sale at the Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, 8 Iyar.

The letter discusses Rabbi Nachman’s opinion on corporal punishment of children and cites a message that Rabbi Avraham’s father, Rabbi Nachman of Tulchyn, heard from Rabbi Nosson of Breslov in the name of his teacher, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:

“I heard from my father who heard from Moharanat, that Rabbeinu [Rabbi Nachman] ZT”L, strongly felt that hitting children constitutes grave risk, and Rabbeinu once asked in an astonished tone to Moharanat: “A kind shlogt men? To hit a child?” Later, he cites a source for Rabbi Nachman’s words in the Talmud, which states that one should only strike a child with the strap of a shoe since it is not dangerous.

It should be noted that corporal punishment as a method of disciplining children was widely practiced throughout the world until the end of the 20th century. The first law prohibiting spanking children in school was enacted in England in 1987. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who lived in the eighteenth century, was thus a revolutionary voice in child-rearing who, by strongly criticizing the practice of hitting children as a form of discipline, advocated caution in educating children.

Rabbi Avraham Halevi Chazzan (d. 1917) was one of the admired leaders of the Breslov Chassidic movement both in Jerusalem and the Diaspora and famous for his prolific writings on the Torah of Breslov. He was the son of Rabbi Nachman of Tulchyn, one of the prime disciples of Rabbi Nosson of Breslov. In 1894, Rabbi Avraham journeyed to the Holy Land and settled in Jerusalem, but returned annually to Uman, Ukraine. During World War I, he made the harrowing annual pilgrimage to Uman, where he was forced to remain. He passed away at the end of the war in Uman and was buried in the local Jewish cemetery. Numbering among his famous works are Kochvei Or, Bikur HaLikutim, Sippurim Nifla’im, Yemei HaTela’ot, and more.

Rabbi Avraham promoted and disseminated the teachings of Breslov to thousands. His manuscripts, which frequently cite his father’s teachings, are regarded as key sources for the oral Torah of Breslov. He inherited the famous Megillat HaSetarim of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov from his father Rabbi Nachman of Tulchyn and bequeathed it to his righteous disciple Rabbi Isaac of Uman.

CEO of Kedem Auction House Meron Eren remarked: “This is a rare historic item of inestimable value. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s unqualified approach that derives from this letter sheds light on the historic Jewish approach toward corporal punishment in child-rearing. Today, hitting children is spurned by all educators, but in the past it was universally accepted as a legitimate aspect of disciplining children, and in its historical context, Rabbi Nachman’s differing approach is fascinating.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Kedem Auction House)