“A Community Should Be Present as He Prays so that He Can Bind Himself with Their Soul”: R. Nahman’s Vision of the Birds and Its Origins in the Zohar

Abstract

During his final years, R. Nahman of Bratslav endeavored to find a solution for the paradox of unrealized messiahs. His solution was outlined in his dream about birds in December 1806, on the Sabbath of Parashat Va-yeḥi . This dream was influenced by his reading of a story told in the Zohar, Parashat Va-yeḥi , of a “vision of birds” of R. Yehudah, a disciple of R. Shimon bar Yohai, that exemplifies the crisis experienced by the circle of disciples of R. Shimon following his death. The essay elaborates on the connections between the dream and the Zohar story and their influence on R. Nahman’s messianic endeavor.