In every generation, there are a few souls who truly change the spiritual consciousness of the world around them. One of those souls was Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, who died this morning, October 18, and will be buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem. Because he did so much for both Jews and Christians, it is appropriate to honor this great man.
My dear friend and teacher for over 30 years, Reb Avraham was a graduate of Cambridge, a Harkness Fellow at Harvard and Columbia, and a BBC world commentator and radio producer. When introduced to the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Avraham dedicated himself to spreading those teachings around the world to both Jews and Christians, and ultimately became recognized as one of the great kabbalists of our generation, writing over two dozen books. A co-founder of the Breslov Research Institute, he went on to create the Azamra Institute (“Azamra” means “I will sing”). He taught thousands of people in classes around the world, from America to Africa, Israel to England, and many thousands more were influenced by his teachings that he put online.
But why should we all be aware of this luminary?
Unlike most ultra-Orthodox rabbis, Avraham was dedicated to all of humanity, not just his Jewish brethren. He created a series of teachings entitled “Torah for the Nations,” in which he gave commentaries on every week’s Torah reading that are applicable specifically for non-Jews. He explained traditionally Jewish teachings beyond just the text, integrating classic Jewish wisdom into the Christian worldview to deepen the Christian experience.
In a great example of his subtle and deep influence on the world, Pastor Laurie Cardoza-Moore, the prominent pastor, former Special Envoy to the United Nations, political activist, film producer, and listed in 2025 as one of the Jerusalem Post’s 10 most important Christian Zionists, was a friend of and influenced by Reb Avraham as well. When Pastor Laurie founded Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, a nonprofit organization created to educate, advocate, and move to activate Christians, Jews, and all people of conscience in building a global community of action and prayer in support of Israel and the Jewish people, her work (exposing Islam, fighting BDS, affecting government) was not always embraced. But it was by this ultra-Orthodox rabbi. “He was the first rabbi to recognize me and PJTN”… a powerful statement coming from an evangelical pastor.
Avraham’s faith is something for us all to model. I remember being with him at a lecture he gave on meditation here in Los Angeles during the Second Intifada. During the Q&A section at the end, someone asked him a question that was on all of our hearts, and is even more so today: “All this meditation and prayer stuff is great, but how does it affect the war?” Reb Avraham’s answer is as profound today as it was years ago, and based entirely on a deep faith. “You do not understand,” he said. “This is a war between Good and Evil that is being fought in the supernal realm, and we are acting it out here on Earth. The best thing that we can do is sing and dance and pray with our brothers and sisters, and this will create new angels to fight for Good. Then there will be peace in the heavens, and we will have peace here.”
It was the first time in my life that I could actually get my arms around a philosophy and practice that could really bring true and lasting peace in the Middle East.
The depth of his faith was astounding and exemplary, and can be seen even in a few moments as he talks about prayer in this video:
May his memory be a blessing and his family comforted among the mourners of Zion. And let us make angels together as we all embody the wisdom, faith, and love that this great teacher brought to Christians and Jews alike.