100 Years Since the Passing of the Tzaddik Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin - Prayer by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Rabbi Avraham Chazan (1849–1917), known as Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman (or Ra'aban, son of Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin), was one of the leaders of the Breslov chassidim in the fourth generation and one of the founders of the Breslov chassidut in Eretz Yisrael. R' Avraham was born in Tulchin to Rabbi Nachman Chazan, a close disciple of Rabbi Natan of Breslov, who in turn was a close disciple of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Rabbi Nachman Chazan (also known as Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin) assumed the leadership of the Breslov chassidim in Uman after the passing of Rabbi Natan of Breslov and published the series of books Likutei Halachot.

In his youth, Rabbi Avraham Chazan would practice Hitbodedut in the forest throughout the week, subsisting on very minimal food. After his father's death in 1884, he began to write down the stories and traditions he heard from him. These historical anecdotes, along with stories about many of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's chassidim, formed the basis for his series of books Kochvei Or. In the introduction to the book, he described the level of accuracy he aspired to when writing the book: "And after all these, even the things I heard through the chain of transmission from mouth to mouth, whose sources were not well known to me, I did not want to write for fear of the common errors in these stories."

In 1894, R' Avraham immigrated to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Jerusalem. Every year, he would travel to Uman for the annual gathering of Breslov chassidim on Rosh Hashanah at the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. During his journey to Uman in 1914, due to World War I, he was forced to remain in Russia, where he lived and taught until his passing in 1917. On his grave in the cemetery in Uman, it was written: "Here lies Rabbi Avraham b'R Nachman HaLevi Chazan from Eretz Yisrael." Over the years, the cemetery was destroyed, and the tombstones disappeared. In 1999, the tombstone was reestablished by the Ohalei Tzaddikim Association.

Rabbi Avraham Chazan's disciples in Uman, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender and Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Rosen, were among the leaders of the next generation of Breslov chassidim in Eretz Yisrael.

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia)

[caption id="attachment_10210" align="alignnone" width="225"] Prayer for the 100th Yahrzeit of R' Avraham ben R' Nachman by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Part 1[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10211" align="alignnone" width="225"] Prayer for the 100th Yahrzeit of R' Avraham ben R' Nachman by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Part 2[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10212" align="alignnone" width="225"] Prayer for the 100th Yahrzeit of R' Avraham ben R' Nachman by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Part 3[/caption] [caption id="attachment_10213" align="alignnone" width="225"] Prayer for the 100th Yahrzeit of R' Avraham ben R' Nachman by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Part 4[/caption]