384.] The only Tzaddik to whom it was not given to be the founder of a dynasty was the somewhat eccentric Rabbi Nahman of Bratzlav, [1] a great-grandson of Besht.

After his death, the Bratzlav Hasidim, who followed the lead of his disciple Rabbi Nathan, suffered cruel persecutions at the hands of the other hasidic factions.

The "Bratzlavers" adopted the custom of visiting once a year, during the High Holidays, the grave of their founder in the city of Uman, in the government of Kiev, and subsequently erected a house of prayer near his tomb.

During these pilgrimages they were often the target of the local Hasidim who reviled and often maltreated them.

The "Bratzlavers" were the Cinderella among the Hasidim, lacking the powerful patronage of a living Tzaddik.