The Truth Beyond and Beyond Truth

The chapter tackles the notion of truth within Hasidic literature. It examines various aspects of the system of Breslav Hasidism, and juxtaposes two stages in Breslav theology: the thought of its founder, R. Nahman, and that of his disciple, R. Nathan. For R. Nahman, truth is to be understood as a state of being in fullness, rather than as an affirmation of specific doctrines and faith tenets. Not all can attain truth, here conceived as the higher state of being in union with the One, the Good, and the True. Truth is a state of being with moral and existential expressions. Truth is rising to God himself. R. Nahman's disciple takes the argument a step further. For him, truth in this world is impossible. We cannot attain truth; hence, we must cultivate faith. For both teachers, the approach to truth ultimately points to a way of being. For R. Nahman it is the way of being in God that constitutes truth, as it is attained by the few, the great masters. For his disciple, R. Nathan, renouncing truth in the cognitive sense leads to a way of being that prefers other values. Ultimately truth, in the sense of true opinions over which one would fight and argue, is more of a vice than a virtue. It is faith we must seek, not truth.