Messianism, Revelation, and the book: Rebbe Naḥman of Breslov and the Torah of Atiq

This dissertation views religion not as the content of religious books, but rather as a social phenomenon which produces books at various times for various reasons. One thus cannot simply extract the religious content of such a book, but must rather look at the works's style and social and historical function in order to understand it properly. Based on this premise, this dissertation utilizes Tzvetan Todorov's methodology to undertake a genre analysis of Liqutey Moharan, the collected sermons of Rebbe Nah'man of Breslov (1772-1811).This work argues that we can better understand Liqutey Moharan if we see its style as a Torah of Atiq , that is, as a messianic revelation of spiritual teachings. It also argues that the work can be seen as what R. Nah'man would describe as an intellectual work, which bypasses sensory perception and encourages the reader to re-envision the world in light of kabbalistic paradigms. It analyzes the behinot, the abstract concepts which are associated freely within the work and which form the substance of much of the work, and argues that they mediate between spiritual entities and the physical world, and thus facilitate a kabbalistic hermeneutic.According to the present analysis, R. Nah'man's book supported his messianic efforts practically, by spreading the knowledge of God as well as by demonstrating his own brilliance. This work also looks at how R. Nah'man uses esotericism, arguing that it serves to highlight his brilliance and thus bolster his messianic claims about himself. It also suggests that the primary form of mysticism in Liqutey Moharan is hermeneutical, and that claims of ecstatic achievement are cited in service of claims of theosophical status.The present work also analyzes the function of allegory in Liqutey Moharan, arguing that Rebbe Nah'man never fully adopts a stance of radical allegoresis, preferring instead to retain reference to the original meaning of any given term. He maintains a tension between an allegorizing impulse and a conservative impulse, perhaps reflecting competing intellectual or cultural commitments. Rebbe Nah'man's conservative impulse suggests viewing him as a more traditional thinker than has previously been depicted.Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 2009.School code: 0315