Uman

It is that time of year again. Right before Rosh Hashana signs go up all over Israel's shuls offering flights to Uman. There is even a Breslav philanthropist who subsidizes tickets for people who have never been there before.

What is Uman? Uman is a town in the Ukraine. It is the "home" of the Breslav hassidim and the burial place of the Breslav Rebbe, Rav Nachman (of Na, Nach, Nachma, Nachman M'Uman fame). His hassidim, students, fans and those looking for a spiritual boost or just an interesting or good time make the pilgrimage to his grave for the holiday prayers. It is supposed to be (according to Breslav Hassidim) a special "segula" to having your tefillot answered, as supposedly Rav Nachman promised that people who pray by his grave would be answered with his help in bringing the teffilot to Hashem.

Interesting factoid - Rav Nachman died at the young age of 32! He accomplished a tremendous amount of Torah and teaching and writing and achieved greatness by the young age of 32. I am 34 and have pretty much accomplished nothing (other than writing sometimes interesting posts on a blog a few people read). Treppenqitz posted today an interesting factoid noting a similar discrepency - Hertzl died at age 44 having accomplished much writing and thought and having laid the blueprints for a modern Jewish Israel. Check out his interesting post (in the sidebar in my blogroll).

Anyways, back to Uman.

Now is the time of year Breslav Hassidim are in a high. They are going to visit their Rebbe. Many non-Breslavers go as well. I have one friend going with his wayward son, hoping it will bring a bit of a spiritual boost to his son. His son is psyched about going and I hope it works and invigorates him.

I have a friend who is a Breslaver Hassid. I asked him if he is going to Uman this year. He said of course he is, as he does every year. I asked him if Rav Nachman really meant everybody should come to his grave. Was Rav Nachman really intending for his followers to leave Israel to pray at his grave or maybe he was telling his followers living in the Ukraine to come to the grave, never intending for hassidim in a later time living in Israel to come back? His response was even from israel. he told me that Rav Nachman was very clear in writing and giving over that all the hassidim, wherever they are, should daven by his grave. He then told me that Rav Nachman even wrote that Mashiach himself, when he eventually comes to us, will leave Israel to pray by his (Rav Nachman's) grave. I never heard that before and thought that was very interesting.

Rabbi Lazer Brody wrote an interesting piece and linked to an article from a Breslav website about Hassidim going to Uman and how their wives deal with being left alone with the kids for the holiday. It was a very interesting piece and you should check it out (Lazer Beams in my blogroll), to read about another aspect of going to Uman.

A friend of mine told me that somebody he works with will not ever consider going to Uman. She told him, her father barely escaped from Uman during the holocaust. She told him the town had an extremely vibrant and large Jewish community and they were decimated by the local gentiles in the holocaust. She considers it a shonda that people go there now and pay big money to goyim who killed the original residents of the town and stole all their belongings. That people should have to pay many hundreds of dollars for beds in houses that were originally Jewish but stolen during the holocaust by goyim is not even a consideration in her mind.

Having asked a Rabbi what his thoughts were on people leaving Israel to pray by the grave, this was his response. He was not dealing with the issue of going to a grave to pray, he was only dealing with the issue of leaving Israel for this adventure and whether there is something to it. He said that in hassidic thought the average person is not considered worthy enough to have his prayers answered affirmatively by Hashem. It is only by attaching oneself to a Rebbe, someone of great stature who is worthy and has the power to move heavens, that one has a chance of having his prayers accepted. Therefore many hassidim travel around the world to daven with their Rebbe, so their prayers will make the trip to hashem bundled with the Rebbe's prayers. That is why Breslaver hassidim go to Uman - so their teffilot which on their own might not be worthy will be bundled with the multitudes of other teffilot and the push of Rav Nachman and make it to Hashems ears.


There are a number of aspects of going to Uman for the holidays and nothing I said should be taken as a psak halacha one way or the other. It is food for thought and if you are interested in going and are unsure whether it is appropriate or not, you should speak to your own Rav to clarify the issues.