Going to Dangerous Places - Uman’s Jewish Pilgrimage

Uman's Jewish Pilgrimage (My Jewish Learning)

I never thought that  pilgrimages to Uman by the Chasidim of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (and assorted curiosity seekers) was a good idea. The mere thought of going to the Ukrainian village of Uman during the holiest time of the year, is at best counterintuitive. Leaving your wife and children behind for Yom Tov is hardly an appropriate way to celebrate Yom Tov. Even a Yom Tov that focus on Teshuva. 

The ‘Days of Awe’ (Aseres Yemei Teshuva)  is the time of year we should be concentrating on doing Teshuva – repentance for the sins committed over the  past year - and pray for a good year to come. Going to the grave of a long deceased Chasidic Rebbe strikes me as focusing on the wrong ‘individual’. 

Anyone that does that is missing the mark, in my view. Teshava is about regretting the sins we committed and asking God directly for His understanding, mercy, and forgiveness. It is not about asking the ‘Zechus’ (merit) of their long ago deceased Rebbe to do it for them.

Those who go insist that they are focusing on God. But aside from praying directly to God,  their long ago deceased Rebbe promised that they will be forgiven if they visit his gravesite on Rosh Hashana - as though he will see to that in his heavenly incarnation if they do.

Here's the thing. We Jews do not believe in intermediaries. That is a Christian concept. Not a Jewish one. We pray to God directly. It is somewhat shocking to me that a Chasidic Rebbe made that kind of promise.

There are a lot of reasons why I am not a Chasid, This is among the primary ones. 

Up until Russia declared war on Ukraine, my lament was based on questioning the spiritual propriety of going to Uman. But now that Ukraine is under constant indiscriminate attack by a brutal Russian regime under Putin, my views about the inadvisability of going there for Rosh Hashana have been upgraded to what I believe is sinful behavior. 

It is against Halacha for a Jew to place themselves in a Makom Sakana – any place where danger exists. I think it is safe to say that Ukraine is exactly that. A real Makom Sakana. Russian missiles are being fired all over the country and have hit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and apartment buildings killing tons of innocent people. 

Do these people think they are immune to rocket fire? There is no way of knowing where the next missile will hit. It could just as easily be Uman as Kyiv. They might think their Rebbe’s merit will protect them. But they may be in for a very big surprise. Although I admit that it is more likely that they won’t - there are no guarantees. Missiles are hitting cities randomly all over Ukraine  

There is a reason Chazel tell us that we may not put ourselves into a Makom Sakana. By doing so we are in effect daring God to hurt us instead of doing our Hishtadlus (due diligence) to protect ourselves. To quote a popular phrase: God helps those who help themselves. We are required to do what we can to protect ourselves, And only then rely on God’s help.

It perplexes me that this sage advice is being ignored – not only by Uman pilgrims, but by religious Israeli officials that are practically greasing the way for them to do it.

In what was a religiously inappropriate way to say it, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu warned people not to go to Uman because of the serious danger involved. He was immediately attacked for the near blasphemy for saying that God does not always protect the Jewish people.  

Yes, we of course believe that God protects the Jewish people. Which is why the Holocaust was so inexplicable. 6 million Jews died. Among them many righteous Jews. Even devout Jewish leaders. It is beyond human ability to comprehend the ways of God. Nonetheless we believe that God is good and what he does is for the benefit of the Jewish people. (In fact if not for the Holocaust, I would not exist. Neither would my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. My father lost his first wife then -  and he later subsequently married my mother. But I digress.)

What Netanyahu unartfully meant to say is that Uman is a dangerous place and Jews ought not go there. But because of the way he said it, religious MKs condemned him instead of issuing their own warning. Doubling down on the idea that God will protect them. But just as six  million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, so to can thousands of Jews be killed in Uman. God forbid!

I do not think we ought to tempt fate like that. I believe that religious leaders across the board ought to strongly warn Jews against doing it. I don’t want to have to mourn for yet another large scale Jewish loss.