By World Israel News staff
American celebrity Kim Kardashian has discovered the power of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, or at least she’s been captivated by a jewelry line inspired by the great hasidic rabbi who for the past 250 years has been motivating Jews around the world, The Forward reported this week.
Breslov, who encouraged his followers to sing and dance, is revered for his spirituality. Tens of thousands of Jews make pilgrimage to his grave in the Ukrainian city of Uman each year to gain inspiration during Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year that starts the 10 days of repentance, culminating with Yom Kipur.
Several Jews scrolling through Kardashian’s Instagram account noticed she had a piece of jewelry story in the form of a pouch with the Hebrew phrase “na nach nachma nachman meouman” – which translates to Na Na Nachman from Uman, The Forward reported.
The amulet is the work of Los Angeles jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche, whose “Blesslev” line of jewelry appears to be inspired by the Breslov hasidim. Aiche uses Hebrew characters, some of them inverted, that match the shape of the English letters that spell out the word Blesslev.
Kardashian herself is well-known to be inspired by the holiness of Israel. In 2015 she and husband, rapper Kanye West, brought their newborn daughter to Jerusalem to be baptized. The couple is reportedly getting a divorce.
Aiche, who is Jewish, collaborated with French mystic Sylvain Sellam, who follows Breslov teachings and offers spiritual consultations at Aiche’s Los Angeles workshop, according to the Forward. Each piece of Blesslev jewelry comes with “a gratitude list and mantra” with an explanation page that says the “na na nachman” mantra is “kabbalistic.”
While most customers might not know of Rabbi Nachman or associate the jewelry with Judaism, pop-star Madonna is a big believer in kabbalah – Jewish mysticism – and is known to have worn a red thread on her wrist, a kabbalistic talisman to ward off the evil eye.
The Forward wrote that while many Jews are familiar with the “na na nachman” chant, it was hard to understand what the mantra was doing on Kardashian’s social media feed.
Although Kardashian would not blink at the pricey Blesslev line, Katz Connelly suggested that those seeking Divine intervention to ward off evil spirits might opt for the Madonna route.
“To anyone tempted to spend their entire stimulus check on a Kardashian-certified talisman that vaguely piggybacks off Jewish tradition, we have one thing to say: save yourself $614 and buy one of the red string kabbalah bracelets, which carry the ringing endorsements of Madonna and Michael Cohen,” Katz Connelly wrote, noting that President Trump’s former lawyer wore a red string when he testified before Congress.
“If it protected them, it’ll protect you,” she added.
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