Gebrokhts

(Painting by Zalman Kleinman)

Excerpts from the Breslov Center's website: Pesach Customs (.pdf)

Like his saintly great-grandfather, the Baal Shem Tov, the Rebbe did not eat gebrokhts. However, in the Breslov community this chumrah is not taken to extremes. This is due to the Rebbe's remarks about not allowing chumros yeseiros (excessive stringencies). Therefore, although most Breslovers refrain from gebrokhts, those who have a previous custom to eat gebrokhts are not obligated to change.

(Re. Rabbi Nachman’s attitude about chumros yeseiros, see Sichos ha-Ran (English: "Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom," Breslov Research Institute), sec. 235. This seems to have been the prevailing view in the circle of the Baal Shem Tov; cf. Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz, Imrei Pinchas ha-Shalem [Frankel ed., Bnei Brak 2003], vol. I, "Pesach," sec. 170-173, that Reb Pinchas was opposed to excessive stringencies except on Pesach, and even then limited himself to those mentioned in the Shulchan Arukh.)

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Reb Nachman Tulchiner once said, "Don’t tell me if a piece of matzah falls into my soup!"

He also once remarked, "The Torah is makpid on a mashehu chometz, not a mashehu matzah."