HTR 110:4 (2017) 604–626 Self-Image and the Father-Figure: Rabbi Nachman of Breslov on Repairing the Souls of the Dead* Tsippi Kauffman Bar Ilan University, Israel  Introduction The Ba‘al Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism (known by the acronym, the “BeShT”), was a charismatic teacher with extraordinary impact. While hasidic traditions record his vehement opposition to documentation of his teachings, 1 his disciples nevertheless wrote what they remembered, and hasidic literature is suffused with traditions about him and conveyed by him. 2 Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810), great-grandson of the Besht and the frst and only Rebbe of Breslov Hasidism from the early 19th century until the present time, was also a charismatic teacher. Unlike his great-grandfather, he attached great importance to the recording and distribution of his teachings. He kept a scribe, R. Nathan, and instructed him to document his teachings, stories, and * The research for this article was facilitated by a grant awarded by Beit-Shalom, Kyoto, Japan. 1 See, for example, Arthur Green, “The Hasidic Homily: Mystical Performance and Hermeneutical Process,” in As a Perennial Spring: A Festschrift Honoring Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm (ed. Bentsi Cohen; New York: Downhill Publishing, 2013) 237–64, at 237–40. 2 Many studies have questioned the reliability of these traditions, while others have tried to reconstruct the Besht’s personality and philosophy on the basis of the most reliable among them. See, for example, Ada Rapoport-Albert, “Hagiography with Footnotes: Edifying Tales and Writing of History in Hasidism,” in Essays in Jewish Historiography (ed. Ada Rapoport-Albert; Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1991) 119–59; Moshe Rosman, Founder of Hasidism: A Quest for the Historical Baal Shem Tov (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1996); idem, “Hebrew Sources on the Baal Shem Tov: Usability vs. Reliability,” Jewish History 27 (2013) 153–69; Immanuel Etkes, The Besht: Magician, Mystic, and Leader (trans. Saadya Sternberg; Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2005); Moshe Idel, “ ‘Adonay Sefatay Tiftah’: Models of Understanding Prayer in Early Hasidism,” Kabbalah 18 (2008) 7–111; idem, “Modes of Cleaving to the Letters in the Teachings of Israel Baal Shem Tov: A Sample Analysis,” Jewish History 27 (2013) 299–317.