A Narrow Bridge: Rabbi Nahman of Breslov’s Faith in a World of Doubt

Listen to Zvi Leshem discuss Rosenberg’s essay on the Tradition Podcast.
CLARIFICATION: Sha’agat Arye al Kol Sakhal is Leon of Modena’s critique of another work, Kol Sakhal. Both works were published together by Samuel Reggio in a book entitled, Behinat ha-Kabbala (1852). The passage quoted by Prof. Shalom Rosenberg in his article (p. 6) is actually found in Kol SaKhal, Ma’amar 1, ch. 10. The authorship of Kol Sakhal is uncertain, though some scholars believe that Leon of Modena himself wrote it. For discussion of the authorship of Kol Sakhal, see Yaacob Dweck, The Scandal of Kabbalah: Leon Modena, Jewish Mysticism, Early Modern Venice (Princeton University Press, 2011), 23-24. It seems likely that Prof. Rosenberg z”l agreed with the view that Leon of Modena wrote Kol Sakhal. It is also worth noting that the Wager-style argument is not an object of criticism in Sha’agat Arye. Our thanks to Prof. Joshua L. Golding for helping to clarify this matter.