Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Why This Christian Congressman Quoted A Famous Hasidic Rabbi

WASHINGTON (JTA) — “A Very Narrow Bridge” is a popular Hasidic song, one that is embraced by Jews of all denominations.

The words to it, which are  from the writings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the 18th-century founder of a Hasidic sect, are “The entire world is a very narrow bridge; the main thing is to vanquish fear.”

It’s a good song for the Sabbath table, or when a friend needs solace.

Also, we now know, for a congressional hearing.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who is a cable news favorite for his confrontational posture toward President Trump and who is not Jewish, quoted Rabbi Nachman in advising Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, to stay the course however hard the times.

Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, appeared Thursday before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee to field questions about the investigation led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into alleged ties between Russia and Trump’s campaign and transition team. Rosenstein hired Mueller and because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigation, is the only man who can fire him.

Rosenstein repeatedly defended Mueller against calls by Republicans that the special prosecutor should step down because of allegations of bias on his team.

Swalwell had a sometimes tense exchange with Rosenstein, who refused to divulge the nature or even frequency of his conversations with Trump. Swalwell wanted to know if Trump was attempting to influence Rosenstein or press him to fire Mueller. But Swalwell also made clear he admired his forbearance in defending Mueller and advised him to stay the course.

“Mr. Deputy Attorney General, your investigation is a very narrow bridge,” Swalwell said. “The important part, I believe for our country is for you to not be afraid. In these trying times, we need you to be fearless. We have a president who is willing to involve himself in ongoing investigations that involve he and his family.”

I asked Swalwell about the quote’s origins. “It’s a quote from Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav,” he said in an email. “Occasionally, it comes to mind.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.