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Today was the Yohrtzeit of the בעל הפתק" רבי ישראל בער אדעסער". I happened to come across this while reading "בצילו של הרבי", a book about Breslover Chassidim. There are some major, major characters there, and I mean that in a good way. Some real עובדי השם. Based on what I can tell, the author is מאנשי ישוב הישן and doesn't care for the Na-Nachs, so what does he do when he get to Reb Yisroel Ber? He writes alot about his childhood, his לב טוב, his התקרבות to Breslov through the Breslover chossid Reb Yisroel Karduner of Tveryah, and his עבודת השם. But he ignores the פתק part of his life, which - truth be told - was not such a long time, considering that he was born somewhere between 1888 and 1897, and died in 5755/1994. I've seen this approach with many of the "mainstream" Breslovers, and I very much understand it. They say that in his old age and feeble mind he was dragged into this mess by his "מקורבים."
But is it real?
