Faith in Oneself: As defined by R. Nosson Sternhartz (a Student of R. Nachman of Bratslav), and its Use in his Response to the Enlightenment.

Classical formulations of articles of faith in Judaism have not included the notion of faith in oneself. Faith in oneself (Emunah B’Atzmo) is understood, in the teachings of Bratslav Hasidism, as being a crucial aspect of a larger concept, that of faith in the Sages (Emunat Chachamim, EC). EC first appears in Rabbinic literature as twenty third on the list of the forty eight ways of acquiring Torah, as listed in M-Avot 6:6. Yet even the concept of EC, which is explicitly about faith and is plainly ensconced in Tannaitic texts, did not make the cut as a primary category or article of faith. Perhaps this is because it was understood as being more a sense of ‘faith as trust’ in the Sages than a sense of ‘faith as belief.

EC for Rebbe Nachman means faith in the capability of human beings to rise up to the role of being a veritable Other to G-d, to actually forge a connection, a relationship with G-d, a relationship not merely of blind observance, but of interpretation, and innovation. Without this capability, the whole system of Torah and mitzvoth loses its relevance, and this capability must be believed in. His student R. Nosson Sternhartz (1780-1845) focussed in his writings on the notion of faith in oneself as a crucial dimension of EC; he also used this notion as a crucial dimension of his response to influences of the Enlightenment that he encountered in his day.