Introduction To Uman
Rosen was born in Pułtusk, Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He was orphaned as a very young boy. He was sent to a nearby city to begin learning Torah at the age of five, and proved himself to be a gifted student.
At the age of 12, he was accepted at the Łomża Yeshiva. There, he came across a copy of Tikkun HaKlali (Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's "General Remedy"), and met a Breslover Hasid who convinced him to visit the Breslover community in Uman. Rosen made the trip in 1914. Later he said that what impressed him about the community was that the followers of Rebbe Nachman, who were obviously Hasidim, abided by all the halachot of the Shulchan Aruch without engaging in "Hasidic twists" or reinterpretations of the law.
Rosen decided to stay in Uman, however, after he heard that Rebbe Nachman had said, "The most difficult spiritual devotion is far easier than a simple physical transaction." He sought an explanation from Rabbi Abraham Chazan, a leading Breslover teacher. (Chazan had moved to Jerusalem, but visited Uman every year. During World War II, Chazan was unable to leave the country and spent the time teaching and strengthening the Breslover community in Uman.)
Chazan explained, "Hitbodedut (meditation) is the greatest spiritual devotion one can perform. All it takes is speaking with one's mouth. Even earning just a small amount of money requires more effort than that." Upon hearing this, Rosen decided to remain in Uman and continue to learn from Chazan and other Breslover rabbis.
Read more about this topic: Eliyahu Chaim Rosen
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