Hasidim gathered in Uman to celebrate Rabbi Nachman’s birthday

9 April 2024 17:46

ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ

Almost 2,000 Hasidic pilgrims came to Uman to celebrate the birthday of their spiritual mentor Rabbi Nachman. This was reported to Komersant ukrainskyi by Iryna Rybnytska, executive director of the Historical and Cultural Centre of Uman.

Today marks the 252nd birthday of one of the most important religious authorities in the Jewish world, who has many thousands of followers.

Rabbi Nachman was born on the first day of the Jewish month of Nisan 5532 /4 April 1772/ in the town of Medzhybizh. He was the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov.

Iryna Rybnytska said that the founder of Bratslav Hasidism bequeathed that everyone who comes to his grave on this day will receive a gift.

“Pilgrims believe that Rabbi Nachman will help their dreams come true. That’s why on his birthday, Hasidim come to Uman to pray at his grave. They make a birthday cake, sing and pray,”

– explained the executive director of the Uman Historical and Cultural Centre.

She notes that the war in Ukraine does not frighten pilgrims, as they have been coming to Uman for three years now despite all the warnings.

@umannews The Hasidim believe that Rabbi Nachman will help their dreams come true. That’s why on his birthday, Hasidim come to Uman to pray at his grave. They prepare a birthday cake, sing and pray. #hasidim #hasidimuman #news #cherkasyoblast #cherkasy #uman #uman #rabinachman #nachman #hasidic #hasidim #hasid ♬ original sound – UmanNews

It should be noted that law enforcement officers ensure public order on the territory of the events. All restrictions related to the martial law in force on the territory of Ukraine apply to the guests of the city. These include document checks at checkpoints and a curfew that is in effect from 00:00 to 5 am.

The next time the Hasidim will visit Ukraine en masse is on Rosh Hashanah, which this year will be celebrated from 2 to 4 October.

What we know about Rabbi Nachman

Rabbi Nachman was born on the first day of the Jewish month of Nisan 5532 /4 April 1772/ in the town of Medzhybizh.

He was the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov.

The boy grew up in a Hasidic environment and, according to legend, felt a spiritual call very early on. The diligence and zeal with which Nachman studied the Torah and Talmud were legendary.

At the age of 14, Nachman got married (very early marriages were not uncommon in the Jewish community at that time) and moved to his father-in-law’s house.

Rabbi Nachman was an expert in Torah and Kabbalah and from an early age gained fame as a great righteous man and sage. Shortly before his bar mitzvah (at the age of 13), he composed a collection of aphorisms on various aspects of Jewish spiritual life, The Book of Moral Qualities.

Anticipating his imminent death, Rabbi Nachman moved to Uman to be buried among the Jews who had made Kiddush Hashem (self-sacrifice in the name of faith) during the Uman massacre (Koliyivshchyna, 1768).

Rabbi Nachman died in Uman in 1810.

To this day, his grave is one of the most popular sites of mass pilgrimage for Jews around the world.

His teachings included the idea that every Hasidic Jew should seek a model of holiness, or tzaddik, in himself. He rejected the idea that such holiness could be inherited. Rabbi Nachman
urged Hasidim to spend one hour a day in private conversations (hitbodidut) with God in nature, in a place such as a forest or meadow. He stressed the importance of music in spiritual practice, encouraging followers to clap, sing, and dance during and after prayers.

Here are some of the basics of Rabbi Nachman‘steachings:

“A person must overcome his ego, his instincts, and dedicate himself to the service of G-d”
“A person should be content with little and should not strive for material wealth, because this world is only a very narrow bridge to the real world.”
“The essence of wisdom is to realise how far you are from wisdom”
“You are where your thoughts are. Make sure your thoughts are where you want to be.”
“The whole world is a very narrow bridge. Everything in the world – everything that happens and exists – is a test, the purpose of which is to give you freedom of choice. Choose wisely.”
“Is there something you really want? Focus on it with all your might. If your desire is strong enough and your concentration is complete enough, you will be able to make it happen.”
“Don’t make the mistakes of those people who don’t believe they can change, and that’s why they continue to stick to their old habits. If you really want to change… change your habits.”
“Give money to charity and do good.”
“I warn you: a person and money cannot stay together forever. Either the money will be taken away from the person, or the person will be separated from his money.”
“Rely only on God. This is true simplicity. Everything else is only confusing.”
“Remember: there will never be an obstacle put in front of you that you cannot overcome.”