As has become his annual custom, Rav Shlomo Aviner, a noted Torah scholar in the Dati Leumi camp, has come out opposing the growing custom to leave Eretz Yisrael to visit Uman, the Kever of Rav Nachman.
Rav Aviner explains that of the 613 mitzvos in the Torah, there is not a mitzvah to daven at the kever of a Tzaddik, adding Rav Nachman’s ways are that of an “individual” among Chassidim and among Israel’s leading rabbonim.
In his comments published in the Shabbos parsha sheet “B’Ahava Ub’Emuna”, Rav Aviner calls one traveling away from one’s family for Rosh Hashanah, to the Ukraine, “problematic” an act they may also present halachic difficulties. Quoting Rav Kook, he stated one may not leave Eretz Yisrael to daven at a kever of a Tzaddik in the Diaspora. He added in Israel, we have the kevarim of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, which are greater than Rav Nachman.
Rav Aviner states that according to the Torah, the only place we should be is in Israel, and certainly, those in Israel should not leave on Rosh Hashanah to travel to Uman.
Last YWN reported that Chacham Ovadia Yosef Shlita made his opinion very clear regarding the traveling to Rav Nachman M’Breslov’s Kever in Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Some quotes translated: “The Chassidim should be doing what they are doing. But the rest of the people going, are they Chassidim of Uman? On Rosh Hashanah everyone should be with their families, and not traveling to Kivrei Tzadikim…….Any person who is a Baar Daas, a Baar Sechel, should be Rosh Hashana night making Kiddush for his family. Families should be eating together, drinking together, and celebrate the Yom Tov together. This is what Yom Tov is all about. On Yom Tov what should we do? Go to a cemetery, or be with our families?”
VIDEO LINK: Click HERE to watch a short video of Chacham Ovadia Yosef speaking about Uman.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
17 Responses
Rav Ovadia is not against going to Uman! He is simply saying that one should take one’s family!
Several Breslov leaders agree. ‘How could we open shamayim without the women’s tefilos?’
And kivrei tsadikim have the kedushah of Eretz Yisroel. So by going to Uman one is not leaving Eretz Yisrael, just travelling to another part of it.
So I’m excited to take my family with me to Uman this year, we will have an apartment for us all.
I’ve heard rumors that they’re thinking of exuming him to EY this year. Anyone else heard this?
Baruch Hashem someone is speaking out!
Breslov isn’t Chassidus as that would require a living Rebbe. Its a leaderless movement that makes up what it wants. Even when they claim that Na Nachs are not part of breslov, it is still the chaos in breslov that allows psuedo judaism like na nach to sprout up and dominate. ( Look at tfas)
Yidden used to travel to be by their Rebbe, WH0 was ALIVE. But to leave your wife and kids to be by a grave is insane if not assur. Yidden do not got to a beis hachaim on yom tov or on chol hamoed even on a yartziet.
Its a psuedo form of yiddeshkiet that must be stopped. Just wait and see some of the comments posted. They talk about accepting rav nachman into your life and believing in rav nachman as the savior. Sounds like another religon that idolizes a Jew. Rch’l.
Many gedolim have voiced the same complaint, ‘stay home with the wife and family’ and daven in your own shul. BTW who are the ones, who encourage the Uman visit?
YWN Editors, I believe you should have spelled the word “bar” rather than “baar”, as the Aramaic is, of course, “bar”, or “son of” with only one vowel (patach), rather than “baar”, like “yaar”, or “forest”, with two vowels.
Isn’t it a bit “tacky” to ask one Rav what he thinks of someone else’s Hasidim. It would sort of be like asking a Mets fan what he thinks of the Yankees! This isn’t really newsworthy and for the sake of shalom isn’t something to argue about.
P.S. Everyone knows that MY rebbe is better than YOUR rebbe!
Shuni claims that “kivrei tsadikim have the kedushah of Eretz Yisroel”
I would like a source for this quote.
Last time I checked all Kevorim have Tumas Meis, and Eretz Yisroel had Kedusha.
I’m also waiting for a source that one can leave Eretz Yisroel to go daven in Chu”l. Rhetoric isn’t a source.
There are 613 Mitzvos; the rest borders on Avoda Zara.
– Danny
To K, doniels and others try swallowing this one: The Rama in simun 581 in Hilchos Rosh hashana says “and there are those places that their minhag is to go to to Bais hakvaras and to to say there many tachnunim and give tzedaka”
The Mishna Berura over there in Simun Katan 27 says “that is since a bais hakavaras is the makam menuchas hatsadikim AND THE TEFILA IS MORE ACCEPTED OVER THERE, however one should just be careful not to put there tefilos to the Maisim, rather he should beg rachmanas from hashem in the zechus of the tsadikim”
BS”D
The relocation of the kever to E”Y is part of the NoNonNonsNonsense of the NaNachs.
Rav Aviner is watching his core constituency, the “serious” Religious Zionist crowd, get fed up with Religious Zionism and moving more and more toward a strange blend of Chabad and Breslov which is spreading among Dati Leumi youth.
He has a point but he speaks out of a sense of self preservation and failure.
To Commenter #4 “Z” – So sorry that Breslov does not meet YOUR “min hashamayim” criteria for what constitutes chasidus. FYI – Breslovers do NOT make up “what they want”, nor do they think Rav Nachman is or was their “savior”. What we DO believe is that he was a hugely brilliant tzadik who had kol haTorah kulah at his fingertips, and that by studying his teachings (primarily Likutei Maharan)one can bring oneself closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
Uh sorry having a living Rebbe isn’t my definition of Chassidus it’s the very founder of Chassidus opinion. He wanted and believed that after he died there should be a memale makum and there was. Chassidus didn’t change Torah it just emphasised aspects of it. One aspect it emphasised is the Rebbe talmid relationship. You can’t have a relationship with a dead Rebbe. Therefore breslov isn’t Chassidus.
Because they have no leader the are therefore subject to making things up which go against the Torah like going to a beis hachaim on yom tov, etc. That is also why groups like na nach can sprout up and speak in the name of breslov all kinds of craziness.
What about the millions of $$$’s spent on these trips? Could that money not be better spent on our Moisdos or for the less fortunate? All it is doing is enriching the local Ukrainian – virulently antisemitic – population! I am sure that were R’ Nachman alive today he’d be the first one to day “Are you mad?”.
#13
If Rav Nachman were alive there wouldn’t be a kever to go to and, yes , it would be mad
by the way all of of that hold of rav ovadya shlita his apinion about traveling to uman had many way to explain what he meant if its for every one or bresliver chasidim etc. but his opinion about wearing a shaitel is very clear he said it is “usser”. so all you folowers of rav ovadya shlita befor you tell other what to do take care of your own issues first.
ksiva vichasima tova
Rabosi – May I remind everyone that it is Elul! I think we must stop the petty bickering and condescending comments.
1. According to YWN on Aug. 22 Rav Ovadia Yosef, shlita didn’t come out against the Breslov Chassidim going to Uman, but rather everybody else (according to my understanding of that article). They have a tziva from Reb Nachman, ztl. We however, have NO Heter and it is wrong to go (according to Rav Ovadia and others).
2. Rav Aviner here is quoted as “a NOTED TORAH SCHOLAR in the Dati Leumi camp”. According to Mizrachi Websites he is “Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Bet El” and “RABBI Shlomo Chaim haKohen Aviner… He is considered one of the spiritual leaders of the Religious Zionist movement.” If they apparently do not recognize him as one of the Gedolim and don’t even give him the title “Rav” (as did this website) are we going to fault YWN for not going above and beyond?
I wonder if anyone here besides Yechiel Spira has actually read Rav Aviner Shlita’s article. It can be found, in English, here:
http://www.machonmeir.org.il/english/archive_id.asp?language=English&id=2908
but you do have to scroll down a little to find it.
He emphasizes that he is not writing for the general public, but to Breslov Chassidim: “I only wanted to point out that the Chassidim of Rabbi Nachman of Breslev himself hold that on Rosh Hashana one should be in Eretz Yisrael, and at that time they conduct services at the Kotel, the Breslev synagogue in Meah Shearim, the Priel synagogue near there…in Meron and elsewhere. Moreover, even many of the greatest of the first disciples of Rabbi Nachman held that way.”
Perhaps his most important quote is this one: “And so wrote Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman, ‘Our master [Rabbi Nachman of Uman] dwells in Jerusalem near the Western Wall, and going to the Kotel, even in our own day, provides a powerful spiritual remedy, and rectifies sins involving the covenant of the circumcision… And whoever says that our master is in Uman and not with us in Eretz Yisrael, is viewing his spirit as physical and insulting Eretz Yisrael and the saint’s greatness’ (page 6-7).”
And those here who are wont to call other religious Jews, whose ways are a little different from theirs, as “crazy”, should examine their own Cholent Pot!
To #9 – ironic
If your entire reason going to Uman is to find a resting place of a Holy Man – since your prayers are more acceptable there – then why not simply go to Kever Rocher or Ma’arat Hamachpela or the Tzfat cemetery?