With all respect due to the Ran of Breslov who was amazingly insightful about many issues, it seems the emphasis on graves of righteous people seems a bit misplaced.
In Deuteronomy 18:11 we find a problem of "דורש אל המתים" {There should not be found among you one who seeks after the dead.}
Also in Isaiah 65:4 שוהים על הקברים "who remain among the graves" is also accounted as a problem.
The way these references are avoided is to note in the Gemara there is brought the practice of going out to graves on a fast day and the Gemara asks why this is done? One opinion is to cause us to break our hearts and repent. Another opinion is to awake them to cause them to pray for us.
The Rambam actually brings this down, and only mentions the first opinion.
Many other sources are brought from Midrash and Rav Isaac Luria.
Still, it is hard to get over the impression that the whole thing seems like an obsession. Not a healthy one at that. The first hint I had about this was when I was learning a law about when building a street one comes across a grave, then one moves it. This was at a time in Israel when this issue was stopping some building project, and I asked someone about it. But they refused to agree with me --it seemed because my opinion was not "PC".
[Just for public information I think to add the basic issue of טומאת מת (the uncleanliness incurred by touching or being in the same house as a dead body). The basic thing is to get clean one needs a red cow [Numbers 19] and to be sprinkled on on the third and last day of a seven day waiting period.
The problem with uncleanliness refers to either coming into the Temple or eating from a sacrifice.
[There are a few kinds of uncleanliness. All those mentioned in the Old Testament are אבות הטומאה (Principle degree) except for טומאת מת [a dead body] which is אבי אבות הטומאה [one level higher than the regular principles]. The next level is one that touches an אב הטומאה [principle] who becomes a תולדה [derivative] or what is known as a ראשון לטומאה [first degree--but one lower than top degree]. Food can become a שני [second]. Truma [tithe of wheat] can become a שלישי [third degree]. Sacrifices can become a רביעי [fourth degree]. [A person that comes into contact with a אב principle degree becomes a first degree ראשון לטומאה but he can not go down to a second degree. Only food can do that.
The general way to look at the Ran from Breslov in the Litvak world is with a great deal of respect, but also a kind of awareness that not everything he said should be taken literally.
Reb Nahman himself was certainly a great tzadik with quite amazing insights. Still that does not mean he was immune from error. But he himself did not claim immunity from error. Still when I was trying to follow his path simply with no questions I did experience a tremendous surge of light for the years I was in Israel. So I think that major things he emphasized ought to be heeded like his Rosh Hashanah in Uman.
There are plenty of good and great ideas I picked up from reading Reb Nahman's ideas. e.g. talking with God in my own language, the way of learning fast, and other ideas.
[I think he did not come under the category of the חרם (letter of excommunication) of the Gra. The חרם is important but in the case of the Ran of Breslov I think it did not apply.]
In Deuteronomy 18:11 we find a problem of "דורש אל המתים" {There should not be found among you one who seeks after the dead.}
Also in Isaiah 65:4 שוהים על הקברים "who remain among the graves" is also accounted as a problem.
The way these references are avoided is to note in the Gemara there is brought the practice of going out to graves on a fast day and the Gemara asks why this is done? One opinion is to cause us to break our hearts and repent. Another opinion is to awake them to cause them to pray for us.
The Rambam actually brings this down, and only mentions the first opinion.
Many other sources are brought from Midrash and Rav Isaac Luria.
Still, it is hard to get over the impression that the whole thing seems like an obsession. Not a healthy one at that. The first hint I had about this was when I was learning a law about when building a street one comes across a grave, then one moves it. This was at a time in Israel when this issue was stopping some building project, and I asked someone about it. But they refused to agree with me --it seemed because my opinion was not "PC".
[Just for public information I think to add the basic issue of טומאת מת (the uncleanliness incurred by touching or being in the same house as a dead body). The basic thing is to get clean one needs a red cow [Numbers 19] and to be sprinkled on on the third and last day of a seven day waiting period.
The problem with uncleanliness refers to either coming into the Temple or eating from a sacrifice.
[There are a few kinds of uncleanliness. All those mentioned in the Old Testament are אבות הטומאה (Principle degree) except for טומאת מת [a dead body] which is אבי אבות הטומאה [one level higher than the regular principles]. The next level is one that touches an אב הטומאה [principle] who becomes a תולדה [derivative] or what is known as a ראשון לטומאה [first degree--but one lower than top degree]. Food can become a שני [second]. Truma [tithe of wheat] can become a שלישי [third degree]. Sacrifices can become a רביעי [fourth degree]. [A person that comes into contact with a אב principle degree becomes a first degree ראשון לטומאה but he can not go down to a second degree. Only food can do that.
The general way to look at the Ran from Breslov in the Litvak world is with a great deal of respect, but also a kind of awareness that not everything he said should be taken literally.
Reb Nahman himself was certainly a great tzadik with quite amazing insights. Still that does not mean he was immune from error. But he himself did not claim immunity from error. Still when I was trying to follow his path simply with no questions I did experience a tremendous surge of light for the years I was in Israel. So I think that major things he emphasized ought to be heeded like his Rosh Hashanah in Uman.
There are plenty of good and great ideas I picked up from reading Reb Nahman's ideas. e.g. talking with God in my own language, the way of learning fast, and other ideas.
[I think he did not come under the category of the חרם (letter of excommunication) of the Gra. The חרם is important but in the case of the Ran of Breslov I think it did not apply.]
