A Preparation Gathering for Uman with the Participation of the Gaon HaTzaddik

The True Preparation for Rosh Hashanah by Rebbe Nachman ○ Distribution of Gifts to the Young Men of the Fellowship from the Hands of The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a ○ Summary and Highlights from a Fiery, Flame-Like Shiur for These Precious Young Men

On Thursday night, the eve of 19 Elul, a gathering of preparation and strengthening took place for the journey to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, may it come upon us for good. At the gathering—organized by the “Youth Fellowship for the Service of Hashem” in our holy community, Shuvu Banim—more than two hundred precious young men participated, without ayin hara, who diligently devote themselves to their learning and merit to cleave to the light of The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a.

Even before the gathering began, a weekly chaburah took place in the “Heichal Hora’ah” kollel, as it does every week. But this week, in honor of the approach of Rosh Hashanah, the chaburah was delivered by R’ Dov Zucker—may he be well—grandson and gabbai of The Rav shlit"a. He prepared the young men for the tefillos of the Yamim Nora’im, and especially for the days of Rosh Hashanah. As someone who has researched the chazzanim and the nuschaos of the Yamim Nora’im in Breslov, R’ Dov Zucker expanded on these matters for the young men, and from time to time he even sweetened the atmosphere with his voice by singing melodies of the Yamim Nora’im.

After the chaburah ended close to midnight, the young men received an entry card for the Uman preparation gathering that took place in our beis midrash with the participation of The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a. More than two hundred young men filled the main hall of our beis midrash, and for several minutes they began singing heartfelt songs.

At ten minutes to one in the morning, The Rav Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a entered the gathering and began delivering a fiery, flame-like shiur on many topics—yet its central focus was preparation for the journey to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.

At the beginning of the shiur, he spoke about the parashah of “Ki Seitzei,” and why, regarding Miriam, we remember only the tzara’as. Later in the shiur, The Rav shlit"a spoke about how a person must know that whatever one asks from Rebbe Nachman, one receives. He also spoke about how the essence of traveling to Rebbe Nachman must be through learning Torah with iyun (deep, analytical study). For sometimes a person comes to the tziyun and only goes down—he does not understand that because he is not learning Torah with iyun, he therefore falls in kedushah. He also spoke about the need, on the way to Uman, to guard one’s eyes. And he spoke about using the travel time well on the journey to Uman—especially this year, when the trips are long—while The Rav emphasized that the main learning should be iyun study in Ketzos HaChoshen.

After more than half an hour of words of the Living G-d, delivered in fiery flame by The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a, The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a began singing the songs of Uman… “Becha Rabbeinu nagilah…” “Mi yiten li eiver kayonah…,” and the precious young men of the “Youth Fellowship” passed by one by one and received from the holy hands of The Rav Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a a gartel—a gift from the fellowship in honor of the Yamim Nora’im. As each young man passed, The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a greeted him with a shining countenance, and to some he even said a few words of chizuk, according to what his pure eyes perceived.

After the distribution of the gartlach concluded—at 1:40—The Rav shlit"a stood and recited Kaddish with melodies in fiery flame, and he left the Uman Rosh Hashanah preparation gathering to the singing of “Becha Rabbeinu nagilah…,” ascending to his holy home. Meanwhile, all the excited young men went out in sweeping circles, with singing and dancing to the songs of Uman and with yearning for Rebbe Nachman, the holy one.