The Blog @ Breslov.org

I received this impassioned plea disguised as a question, from a woman in her 20s who currently resides in the Western Hemisphere. It’s relevance is global, applies equally to all ages and genders and goes beyond her immediate concern.

[20-something woman]

Sorry to bug you but I wanted to talk to you about something. When you said that I should be zokheh (privileged) to bring Israel home with me I want you to know it really affected me. I have been praying Minchah (the Afternoon Service) every day and have been learning with my father. I feel very passionate about Eretz Yisrael and I am serious about coming back. I have begun implementating the first stages of it by gathering information and networking.

Despite my enthusiasm to fullfill my dream people seem to keep telling me how I will change my mind and how I’ll end up staying here; that everyone feels like this when they come back from Eretz Yisroel and they change their minds. I don’t want to change my mind. I have never been so sure of anything in my life.

But why do people doubt me and why are they? I am also nervous about it myself but I know it is my destiny. I’m trying to stay besimcha (upbeat) throughout this difficult transition in coming home and buildfing myself up for what’s to come but I feel as if people are trying to bring me down from my high spiritual awareness and desire for Eretz Yisroel.

What do you think?

[Ozer's reply]

Many people are gung-ho about Eretz Yisrael until they get back “home” and the luster wears off, they get back into their old life-style, and there‘s nothing to remind and re-kindle their yearning for Eretz Yisrael.

Which is why one (YOU!) need to make time every day to yearn for Eretz Yisrael and to EXPRESS OUT LOUD TO HASHEM that you miss and love Eretz Yisrael, that you want to go back and that WITH HIS HELP YOU WILL GO BACK THERE TO LIVE.

Desire for any thing/goal of kedushah (holiness) is short-lived. One must constantly make the effort to protect, maintain and strengthen that desire. As for why people tell us we‘ll fail and otherwise discourage us and “get in the way,” see the pieces below from Sichot HaRan.

It also tells us about what Rebbe Nachman faced on his way to Eretz Yisrael. You’re in good company!

It might also help to look around for like-minded young ladies who want to go back to Eretz Yisrael for the same/similar reasons as you.

[The two excerpts from Sichot HaRan (Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom)]

#11.
Fortunate are we, that the blessed Lord has been so good to us, granting us the privilege to be holy Jews.

The Rebbe said he had great joy of being worthy to have been in the Land of Israel. He endured many obstacles, doubts, delays and disturbances in order to make his journey to the Land of Israel. Money was also an obstacle. But he overcame everything and finished the job completely—he made it to the Land of Israel!

He said, “I believe—and I know a lot about this subject—.every motion, every thought, everything that one does attempting to do something holy is not wasted. When one breaks through all the obstacles and achieves his holy goal, his every move and all the uncertainties and confusion that he faced when he was still in the throes of doubt and bewilderment—‘Can I do this or not?’—with hurdles facing him at every turn; when one finally overcomes them, those very obstacles, doubts, etc., every last one of them, are all made into exalted and sacred things, marked for good.”

Fortunate is one who is worthy of surmounting all the hurdles in completing any holy task.

#80.
People have more power than the Evil Urge himself. Their influence is strong enough to keep a person from serving God and from a true tzaddik.

The Evil Urge has power only in a particular realm. His ability does not extend beyond that. But a personn is a microcosm and his influence extends to all realms. Therefore, a person can do more to deter a person from God than the Evil Urge himself (Likutey Halakhot, Milah 5:21; Gezeilah 5:17).

Ozer Ask A Breslover Kedushat Eretz Yisroel, perseverance, Rebbe Nachman, yearning

Question: Is it really true that if you Daven enough, you could get anything? Doesn’t HaShem sometimes answer no?

Answer: Generally speaking HaShem is testing us with things in life because he wants us to build a relationship with Him and ASK for what we need rather than just taking everything for granted. Now many times we may pray and do not get the answer we wanted because HaShem in His Infinite wisdom knows best that perhaps certain things are not for our ultimate benefit. However, if we push and push then the power of prayer is so great that HaShem could say if you want it that badly and don’t care what I think then fine – here it is. This is a bad thing and we must be careful to pray as much in a general way as possible. For example one who is looking for a marriage partner should not pray that the one he/she is dating right now turn out to be his/her spouse but rather that HaShem should lead him to the one that is truly right.

We see this concept in the Ashrey prayer we say three times daily.
“The will of the ones who fear him He establishes – and their cries He hears and saves them.” Now if He is doing what is asked of him, why are they crying? Because they pushed and didn’t have proper Emunah/Faith and now they cry: Oyyy! This was terrible for me. You shouldn’t have given me wealth, this spouse, car, house, job etc… But HaShem is so great that he still hears our cries even afterwards and saves us!

May we are merit to pray with real sincerity and to merit that our prayers are heard and answered for our true eternal benefit. Amen.

Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover

Can I really do so much?

Question: I have a question about what’s written in “Crossing The Narrow Bridge.” If Rebbie Nachman suggested that a good study program should consist of finishing the Shas with Rashi, Tosfos, Rabenu Asher, all the Midrashim, all the Zohar, all the writings of the Ari, and the Shulchan Aruch with all the mefarshim, is this really possible? Or is it possible maybe for only a handful of people. Should one strive for something this impossible or is it better to have goals that one can actually accomplish?

Answer: It is my humble opinion that Reb Nachman meant exactly what he said. Now of course this must be understood in a larger context. Reb Nachman wanted to inspire us to aim for the greatest heights in Torah scholarship and therefore recommended and very difficult goal that requires us to be well regimented. That being said a person must be honest with himself and see where he stands. If he cannot finish all of these in one year then try for two years etc… How about if each one of these seems like something that is very lofty for him? Well then you can start with the Mishna and proceed to to Talmud/Daf Yomi once you have accomplished that. I believe the main point is to cover ground and complete the different parts of the Torah, the more times you will do this, the more proficient you will become in those parts and the quicker you will be able to complete them. The ultimate goal being to continually finish things again and again, then perhaps you will one day come to the level where you can complete the Rebbe’s course of study in one year.

By the way Reb Noson himself said that there were years where he was able to complete the studies the Rebbe told him to do and years where he wasn’t able to. But he certainly did what he could and finished quite a lot!

admin Ask A Breslover Crossing the Narrow Bridge, Rebbie Nachman, Zohar

Question 1:
I made Aliyah a few months ago and I recently heard that Rabbi Kramer gives a shiur in Yerushalayim. I would like to find out where and when this shiur is. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Answer:
Shiur is given on Tuesdays at 2:00 PM at Avinadav 8 (Jerusalem) in Breslov Research’s office. But not for a few weeks as Chaim Kramer is traveling until November 4.

Question 2:
I have heard recordings of Yedid Nefesh sung in the Breslov Tradition. I am wondering if this music has been printed and, if so, how to get it.
Thank you.

Answer:
To the best of my knowledge the only sheet music that has been written was by Breslov Research Institute. You can see our selections here: http://www.breslov.org/bookstore/sheet-music/cat_12.html, however we did not get as far as Shalosh Seudot (when Yedid Nefesh is sung.) We do sell recordings of the Shabbat Zemirot on our online bookstore www.breslov.org/bookstore/.

Question 3:
Can an Onein (this refers to the halachic status of a person before his direct relative who has died is buried, generally he is exempt from POSITIVE commandments) make hisbotadut?
Answer:
He’s allowed to; he’s allowed to talk to people, eat/drink;
So if he feels a need/desire to talk to Hashem, why not? It’s not obligatory and he’s not being machmir (stringent) on himself to do something he’s patur (absolved) from (like tefilin)

admin Ask A Breslover Ask A Breslover

Question: Where can I buy breslov hebrew publications in Long Island or Queens area? There is any website to order hebrew books in America?

Answer: There is currently someone working on a website, but it is not yet ready to open. There is someone in Monsey who does sell the books and can ship them to you. You can call him at 845-425-7464 to order.

Chatima Tova,
Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover

Question:
If the Rambam prohibits using an intercessor between ourselves and Ha-Shem, why go to the Rebbe’s kever.

Answer:

Hello. With so many people travelling to Uman, this has become a popular question. There are many ways to tackle this question and I will start with the most simple, if you are not satisfied, I welcome you to continue asking.

The basic idea is that all religious Jews agree that praying to ANYONE or ANYTHING other than God is completely and totally forbidden. When Jews go to Rebbe Nachman’s grave or any other great Tzaddik’s grave, they are heaven forbid not going there to pray to the Tzaddik. Rather, they are travelling there to A) pray to God in the merit of the Tzaddik and b) they may ask the Tzaddik to be a “Melitz Yosher” or sort of attorney for us and our prayers.

Additionally, one may ask the Tzaddik for a blessing the same way one asks a live Rov or Rosh HaYeshiva, as the sources clearly explain that Tzaddikim are still considered “alive’ even after passing from this world to the next.

This does not mean that we believe the blessing comes directly from the Tzaddik, we realize that everything comes from G-d, but we also know that a Tzaddik decrees and G-d fulfills the decree, as amazing as that seems.

Gmar Casima Toiva

Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover Tzaddik

Question: Where is the best place to find English information on traveling to Uman next Rosh Hashannah g’w?

Answer:
Hello, Firstly we have some Uman information on our website at http://breslov.org/Uman/index.html
Also, in honor of your question I will give you the link to the book entitled Uman, Uman, Rosh Hashanah originally published by Breslov Research back in ‘91, it is: http://www.breslov.com/bri/umanrh.html It really needs to be updated but has some great history and other info in it.

When you say next Rosh Hashanah, there is still time for this year! Here is what you do: Simple go online to your favorite travel website, if you are leaving from the US, you will generally want to look at booking flights about 2 days before Yom Tov, the Tikkun begins at the time of the last Slichos before Rosh Hashanah which is about a 12 hours before Yom Tov (however the main thing is to be there any time before Yom Tov.) You have to assume that you need time to fly to Europe and transfer on to a Kiev bound flight, usually this process takes approximately 12 hours.

Once you arrive in Kiev and check out of Border Control (US and Canadian passport holders no longer need a visa) you will proceed to get your luggage and make your way to the front of the terminal. Once there, you will find plenty of shared travel options to Uman. You can ask any of the Chassidim travelling (there will be thousands) if they have room in their van, bus or cab. The cheapest way is by shared van or bus, which costs about $30 a head. If you take a private cab, look at around $150 and up as the going rate. By the way, many Ukrainian cab drivers are familiar with many of the other Jewish holy sites, this is big business in Ukraine.

Once you get to Uman, there is usually some kind of security/passport control/mafia group that will hold you up for a few minutes, don’t be nervous, they just want to check your passport and charge your driver a few bucks. Never give the driver any extra money and don’t give him more than half the money before you arrive in Uman. Now you need a bed and some food. For a quick snack there is usually free 24/7 coffee and snack “Hachnoset Orchim” center set up. You can help yourself to a hot drink and pastry. If not, you can always find some entrepreneurial Chassid looking to make a quick buck selling some food (Last year they even sold something they said was supposed to be pizza.) In any case, you should make sure there is some kind of Kosher Certification, as there has been some problems reported in the past. There are places you can prepay before Yom Tov for meals, you will have to look and ask around. You should definitely bring what you can from home if possible. As far as beds go, there are heated tents with bunk beds available for cheap, some even come with meals included – a package deal. Or you can comb the streets and find some nice looking English speaking people who are looking from some people to share the costs of a rented Jewish (more expensive and cleaner) or Russian (I don’t think I need describe) apartment with them. There is a place where you can secure your valuables for a couple bucks. Also, many “Jewish” apartment will have a safe in one the walls for you to use. Last but not least a seat for davening. You can find lots of different Minyanim in Uman: Satmar, Chabad, Litvish, Sephardic, Taiman etc… Most have room and are free to join. However, if you would like to daven in the biggest Minyan the famous “Kloyz,” you will need to either stand, or scalp a ticket after the slichos in the morning before Rosh Hashanah. This can cost you between $150-300 depending on the seat.

There is much more to say and explain. We know as Breslover Chassidim that Rebbe Nachman told his Chassidim on the last Rosh Hashanah of his life: (He died about two weeks later) “There is nothing greater than to come to me for Rosh Hashanah.” The Satan does not want us to come and makes all kinds of distractions. The main thing is to pray and not worry. In the end all the arrangements fall into place. If you really want to come, you will make it, no matter what.

Hope to see you there this year.

Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover Uman, Uman Uman Rosh HaShannah

Question:
Do Breslov Chasidim belive in Zionism? Do they belive in a Jewish State as well as Eretz Yisrael being the homeland of the Am Yisrael? From what I understand there is a split in the breslov world. Can you please clarify this for me? Does Breslov make up part of the Eda Haredit?

Answer:
In my opinion it depends on what you mean by Zionism. If you were simply referring to “Zionism” as the love of Eretz Yisrael and our belief that it was given to the Jewish people eternally and that eventually we will return to it, then there is no doubt that every Breslover is a Zionist. There was no bigger lover of the Land of Israel than Rebbe Nachman. His books are filled with praise for Eretz Yisrael and of advice in regards to gaining its kidusha/holiness. It is know that Rebbe Nachman himself overtook an extremely dangerous journey, whose original purpose was only to walk a few steps in the Land and then return to his Chassidim. Rebbe Nachman told his Chassidim that anyone who wants to be a real Jew, must visit the Land.

Now if you are referring to the modern political Zionist movement founded by Theodore Herzl amongst others, simply put, Breslov is not a political movement. Firstly, the Rebbe passed away on Sukkot 1810, the Zionist Movement was not founded until the end of the 19th century, so the Rebbe definitely did not say anything about it. The mesorah-traditions we have in Breslov rarely contains political views. We believe that the Rebbe being the Tzaddik Emes/True Tzaadik is constantly doing whatever is in his power to bring every Jew closer to God and the truth. This goal and process stands head and tails above all political beliefs and groups.

I once heard a story from the grandson of the great anti-Zionist Reb Shmuel Shapiro. His grandfather was once lovingly dancing with another Breslover who was very Zionistic. When Reb Shmuel was asked why he would dance with this fellow, he replied something to the effect that their personal hiskasherut/connection to Rebbe Nachman is much larger than any political disputes. Some Breslovers may choose to be Zionistic, well others may choose the opposite, but in the end we will be judged by how much we followed the Eitzos/Advice of the Tzaddik and by how much we strived to pursue truth. Everything else is trivial.

Hope this helps,
Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover Chasidim and Zionism, Rebbe Nachman, Zionism

Question:

Aside from Rabeiny ZAL being the tzadik emet of this generation what else should I know about the tzadik to be a true breslover?

Answer:

The main thing is that once we have Emunah in the Tzaddik, it is essential to follow his eitzos and advice. This is compared to “seeing the face of the Tzaddik.” The goal of our great Emunah in the Tzaddikim is specifically that they should bring us closer to HaShem and His Torah, the primary way this done is by learning the Torah of the Tzaddik and fulfilling the advice written in it.

There are two specific pieces of advices the Rebbe told us to fulfill everyday without fail. Firstly, hisbodedus – prayer/meditation and learning Halacha – Jewish Law every day.

On a yearly basis there is Uman Rosh HaShana.

Besides for these there are many more pieces of advice that we may chose to fulfill in specific situations, specific times of our lives, or we may find the easiest thing to do is pick one, two, or three to work on today and work on fulfilling other ones at a different/later time.

Kol Tuv,
Yossi Katz

admin Ask A Breslover, Uncategorized Tzaddik

Question:
If Swine (H1N1) flu hits USA very hard, are we willing to get flu shots? Or say no because HaShem is our shield from flu

Answer:
It has been said that when the first vaccine came out, something that was proven and accepted, Rebbe Nachman told his Chassidim to go and get it. Much of the medicine during the times of Rebbe Nachman was extremely primitive and in most cases more harmful then beneficial. It is a complicated subject, the main thing to remember is that we should rely on Emunah-Faith and not the doctor and realize that it is God who heals us and not man – medicine. That being said the amount of hishtadlus-effort we must put in to getting better depends on our level of faith. I believe almost all Breslovers would tell a cancer patient to seek treatment, but while waiting for the treatment pray, say tehilim etc…

Kol Tuv,
Yossi

admin Ask A Breslover