On to Uman

Rebbe Nachman made it clear that he wanted people to come to his grave in Uman for Rosh Hashannah. During his life, he once expressed great surprise that any one of his students could fail to be with him for Rosh Hashannah, "Rosh Hashannah is what I'm all about!"

Rebbe Nachman said that anyone who comes to him and says the tikkun clali (literally, "The Comprehensive Fixing", a set of 10 particular Psalms) and gives a little money to charity, has his promise that he will do anything within his power to help him. Rebbe Nachman continued - "I'll pull him out of Gehenum by his payos!" (A holy friend in the neighborhood, remarked - "Is that all you're living for? To get out of Gehenum?")

There is no room to doubt that our holy sages work from beyond the curtain that separates this world from the next. Some people are considered dead even when they are alive (we've all been that person once or twice), and our holy sages are considered alive even when they are dead.

My rational side has little to cling to as I plan and pack and make my way to the Ukraine. I can't give a good explanation of why I am going. Am I such a Breslover Chassid? I can't claim that I am. Do I have some great love for north-eastern Europe in early winter? I can't claim that I do. Perhaps part of the reason I'm going (a good friend suggested this) is that I don't know why I'm going.

There is one thing that I've noticed. I poke my nose into a lot of holy books. It's always a beautiful thing in learning when the topic you open to speaks directly to your life, directly to the situation you are in right now. I have not seen a book that does this so often - almost predictably - as Rebbe Nachman's Likutei Moharan. Maybe I am a Breslover Chassid after all?

I'm expecting there to be blocks on the way - maybe external, maybe internal, likely both. We know that when you try and do something of great worth, like going to see a holy master, there are blocks along the way. Daven for me. I'll daven for you. If you want me to put a word in for you, or say a tikkun clali in your name, let me know before I leave tonight.

I'm expecting to be out of radio contact for about a week.

A beautiful year!

May we all have the vision and strength to become ourselves, to tends the gardens of our souls and feed ourselves, our families, our friends, and the world with the bounty that only we can produce.

My God answer all the prayers of your heart for the good!