Many people know the song by Baruch Chait, "Kol Ha'olam Kulo (Gesher Tzar M'od)." In this video, Rabbi Chait sings the song and explains (in Hebrew) that he once heard a Yiddish song of the teaching, and after looking up the teaching, he reworked it into the well-known song. The original teaching is from Likutei Moharan, Part II 48, which is excerpted below as the main focus of this Study Sheet. The words to the song are:
כל העולם כלו
גשר צר מאד
והעיקר לא לפחד כלל
Kol ha'olam kulo, gesher tzar meod
Ve’haikar lo le’fached klal
The whole entire world is a very narrow bridge, but the main thing is to have no fear at all.
- Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
Ayala Levi sings the same words to a quite different, jazzy tune here: https://youtu.be/LcHQDkinh04
The teaching is repeated in various Breslover texts, but the original formulation seems to be from Likutei Moharan:
כְּשֶׁאָדָם נִכְנָס בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, אֲזַי הַדֶּרֶךְ – שֶׁמַּרְאִין לוֹ הִתְרַחֲקוּת, וְנִדְמֶה לוֹ שֶׁמַּרְחִיקִין אוֹתוֹ מִלְמַעְלָה, וְאֵין מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ כְּלָל לִכָּנֵס לַעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, וּבֶאֱמֶת כָּל הַהִתְרַחֲקוּת הוּא רַק כֻּלּוֹ הִתְקָרְבוּת.
וְצָרִיךְ הִתְחַזְּקוּת גָּדוֹל מְאֹד מְאֹד לִבְלִי לִפֹּל בְּדַעְתּוֹ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, כְּשֶׁרוֹאֶה שֶׁעוֹבְרִים כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה יָמִים וְשָׁנִים, שֶׁהוּא מִתְיַגֵּעַ בִּיגִיעוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת בִּשְׁבִיל עֲבוֹדוֹת הַשֵּׁם, וַעֲדַיִן הוּא רָחוֹק מְאֹד, וְלֹא הִתְחִיל כְּלָל לִכְנֹס לְשַׁעֲרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה. כִּי רוֹאֶה עַצְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא מָלֵא עֲדַיִן עֲבִיּוּת וְגַשְׁמִיּוּת וְהִרְהוּרִים וּבִלְבּוּלִים גְּדוֹלִים, ....
וְכָל הַנַּ"ל עָבַר עַל כָּל הַצַּדִּיקִים, כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְנוּ מִפִּיהֶם בְּפֵרוּשׁ, ... וְאִלּוּ לֹא הָיוּ מְחַזְּקִים עַצְמָן מְאֹד לִבְלִי לְהִסְתַּכֵּל עַל זֶה, הָיוּ נִשְׁאָרִים בִּמְקוֹמָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְלֹא הָיוּ זוֹכִים לְמַה שֶּׁזָּכוּ. ....
When a person enters the service of God, the path of it is that they are shown 'distancing.' It seems to them that they are being distanced from on high and that they are being altogether prevented from entering into the service of God. In reality, all distancing is just entirely drawing close.
And so they need to stay very, very strong to keep from dejection, God forbid, when they see the passing of many, many days and years, and despite their great exertion in serving God, they are yet very distant and have not in the least begun to enter the gates of holiness. They see themselves as still riddled with crudeness and materialism, and with powerful untoward and confusing thoughts. ....
And all the aforementioned happened to all the tzaddikim, as we heard explicitly from their mouths. ... And had they not very much gathered strength to ignore this, they would have remained at their original place, and not merited that which they merited. ....
How do you understand "the service of God?" Rebbe Nachman will give us more clues about his understanding below, but apparently "crudeness and materialism" are not it.
Are there situations when you think a sensation of distance might be a motivator or an indication of drawing close?
We all feel that sometimes we're just not getting anywhere in our goals for personal growth. It's nice to know that even the great tzaddikim, the great rebbes, have felt that, too, isn't it?
וְצָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת עַקְשָׁן גָּדוֹל בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, לִבְלִי לְהָנִיחַ אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ, דְּהַיְנוּ מְעַט מִקְצָת עֲבוֹדָתוֹ שֶׁהִתְחִיל, אַף אִם יַעֲבֹר עָלָיו מָה. וּזְכֹר דָּבָר זֶה הֵיטֵב, כִּי תִּצְטָרֵךְ לָזֶה מְאֹד כְּשֶׁתַּתְחִיל קְצָת בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם,
... עָלָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת שֶׁלּוֹ, לַעֲשׂוֹת מַה שֶׁיּוּכַל בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, וְאַל יָנִיחַ עַצְמוֹ לִפֹּל לְגַמְרֵי, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם. כִּי כָל אֵלּוּ הַנְּפִילוֹת וְהַיְרִידוֹת וְהַבִּלְבּוּלִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה צְרִיכִים בְּהֶכְרֵחַ לַעֲבֹר בָּהֶם קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּכְנָסִין בְּשַׁעֲרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, וְגַם הַצַּדִּיקִים הָאֲמִתִּיִּים עָבְרוּ בְּכָל זֶה.
וְדַע, שֶׁיֵּשׁ אֶחָד שֶׁכְּבָר הוּא אֵצֶל הַפֶּתַח שֶׁל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, וְהוּא חוֹזֵר לַאֲחוֹרָיו מֵחֲמַת הַבִּלְבּוּלִים הַנַּ"ל, אוֹ שֶׁאֲזַי כְּשֶׁהוּא סָמוּךְ אֵצֶל הַפֶּתַח, אָז מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו הַסִּטְרָא־אָחֳרָא וְהַבַּעַל־דָּבָר מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, בְּהִתְגַּבְּרוּת גָּדוֹל וְנוֹרָא מְאֹד מְאֹד, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלָן, וְאֵין מַנִּיחִין אוֹתוֹ לִכָּנֵס לְתוֹךְ הַפֶּתַח, וּמַחֲמַת זֶה הוּא חוֹזֵר לְאָחוֹר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם..... עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ אָז הִתְחַזְּקוּת גָּדוֹל נֶגְדּוֹ.
....
עַל־כֵּן מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לִכְנֹס בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, יִזְכֹּר זֹאת הֵיטֵב. וְחַזֵּק עַצְמְךָ מְאֹד, וַעֲשֵׂה מַה שֶּׁתּוּכַל בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, וּבִרְבוֹת הַיָּמִים וְהַשָּׁנִים תִּכְנֹס לָבֶטַח בְּעֶזְרָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ לְתוֹךְ שַׁעֲרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה, כִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מָלֵא רַחֲמִים וְרוֹצֶה בַּעֲבוֹדָתְךָ מְאֹד.
(וְדַע, שֶׁכָּל הַתְּנוּעוֹת וְהַהַעְתָּקוֹת, שֶׁאַתָּה נִתָּק וְנֶעְתָּק בְּכָל פַּעַם אֵיזֶה מְעַט מִן גַּשְׁמִיּוּת לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, כֻּלָּם מִתְקַבְּצִים וּמִתְחַבְּרִים וּמִתְקַשְּׁרִים וּבָאִים לְעֶזְרָתְךָ בְּעֵת הַצֹּרֶךְ, דְּהַיְנוּ כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֵיזֶה דֹּחַק וְעֵת צָרָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.
וְדַע, שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לַעֲבֹר עַל גֶּשֶׁר צַר מְאֹד מְאֹד, וְהַכְּלָל וְהָעִקָּר – שֶׁלֹּא יִתְפַּחֵד כְּלָל:
....
And a person has to be extremely stubborn in the service of God, not to desert their place—i.e., the little bit of the service they have begun—no matter what comes their way. Remember this well, because you will have much need of it when you begin even a bit in the service of God.
.... It is incumbent upon a person to do their part, to do whatever they can in the service of God, and not allow themselves to fall entirely, God forbid. This is because one must surely experience all these falls, descents, confusions and so on before entering the gates of holiness. And the true tzaddikim, too, underwent all this.
And know! an individual can already be at the entrance to holiness yet turn back on account of the aforementioned confusions. Alternatively, when they get close to the entrance, then the Other Side and the 'One-With-A-Vested-Interest' gain force against them with very, very great and awesome force, may the Merciful One spare us, and they do not allow them through the entrance. .... Accordingly, one needs to stay very strong to counter them.
....
Therefore, whoever wants to enter into the service of God will remember this well. Give yourself much encouragement [or: gather much strength], and do what you can in serving God. Then, with the accruement of the days and years, with God’s help, you will surely enter into the gates of holiness. For God is full of compassion and wants your service very much.
And know! each time you detach and shift just a bit from materialism to the Blessed One's service, all the movements and changes accumulate, combine and bind together, and come to your aid at a time of need—i.e., when there is, God forbid, any trouble or misfortune.
Know, too! A person must cross a very, very narrow bridge. The main rule is: Do not get frightened at all!
....
Here, Rebbe Nachman first tells us that our struggle with these failures is itself a part of our spiritual work, a necessary part. Perhaps this is why we're "shown distance" from on high.
Then he says that there's something else at work. I hear his words as describing a sort of Law of Newtonian Physics in divine service: 'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.' He ascribes this reaction to the "Other Side" (in Aramaic: Sitra Achra) and the "One-With-a-Vested-Interest" ("Ba'al davar"). The Sitra Achra is (approximately) the destructive power of finitude, stricture, and materiality when they are 'disconnected,' as it were, from the Infinite Source. In the Sefaria translation of this text that was the starting point of this Sheet, the "Ba'al Davar" was translated as "Satan." The phrase originally applied to a person who was a party to a court case or held some vested interest in proceeding or a document. But the phrase in Yiddish, which Rebbe Nachman and his followers spoke, could mean a range of things from the original meaning to "culprit" or "boss." In Hassidism, it came to apply to the yetzer hara or, indeed, to the "Accuser" or Trickster who sets challenges for us, who is also called "Satan." We're very connected to our physical being, to the illusion of separateness and the illusion of/desire for permanence. When we pull away from these, it's as if we're attached by a spring that exerts that 'equal and opposite reaction.'
Rebbe Nachman indicates something more of what's entailed in his idea of "divine service": detaching from materialism. It's not that he (or Hassidism in general) is "against" the material world. But, as in the description of the "Other Side" above, when we 'detach' it from the Infinte, when we have what Martin Buber would call a purely I-It relationship with it, using it or idolizing, without recognizing the holy, giving, creative force that manifests it, we get into all kinds of trouble.
And, finally, at the end of this passage, we find the 'narrow bridge." Given the preceding, what's the narrow bridge?
Note that the word I've translated "get frightened" is a grammatical form that also might be more "reflexive," along the lines of "get oneself all worked up with fear." Maybe fear is natural, but we shouldn't build it up in ourselves.
Moving forward without getting all frightened can sometimes be a tall order. In the last part of this chapter, Rebbe Nachman offers some of his well-known advice about how to keep walking the bridge:
וְרָאוּי ... לְבַקֵּשׁ וּלְחַפֵּשׂ לִמְצֹא בְּעַצְמוֹ אֵיזֶה זְכוּת וְאֵיזֶה נְקֻדָּה טוֹבָה. וּבָזֶה הַמְּעַט טוֹב שֶׁמּוֹצֵא בְּעַצְמוֹ יִשְׂמַח וִיחַזֵּק עַצְמוֹ, וְאַל יַנִּיחַ אֶת מְקוֹמוֹ, ... עַד אֲשֶׁר יִזְכֶּה לָשׁוּב עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, ....
וְהָעִקָּר לִהְיוֹת בְּשִׂמְחָה תָּמִיד. וִישַׂמַּח עַצְמוֹ בְּכָל מַה שֶּׁיּוּכַל, וַאֲפִלּוּ עַל־יְדֵי מִלֵּי דִּשְׁטוּתָא, לַעֲשׂוֹת עַצְמוֹ כְּשׁוֹטֶה וְלַעֲשׂוֹת עִנְיְנֵי שְׁטוּת וּצְחוֹק אוֹ קְפִיצוֹת וְרִקּוּדִים, כְּדֵי לָבוֹא לְשִׂמְחָה, שֶׁהוּא דָּבָר גָּדוֹל מְאֹד:
Now, it is fitting ... to seek and search to find in oneself some merit and some good point. And with this little bit of good which a person finds in themselves, let them rejoice and encourage themselves, and not desert their place, ... until they merit returning to God through this....
And the main thing is to always be joyful. A person should bring themselves to joy in any way they can, even with silliness—playing the fool and doing silly and comical things, or jumping and dancing in order to be happy, which is a very great thing.