Going to Uman for Rosh Hashana? Read This

Uman in Rosh Hashana – What about the Downside?

Yehuda Segal  י”ב אלול ה’תשע”ז 03/09/17
It is one thing to go to Uman from Williamsburg, both in the Diaspora; quite another to go from Jerusalem.

Every year, preceding Rosh Hashana, there is a major pilgrimage by tens of thousands of Jews from around the world to the burial site of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Rebbe Nachman made great mystical promises to those who come to his grave, especially for Rosh Hashanah.

There are known valuable effects to the trip in increased Kavanah in prayer, Chizuk from speeches, dancing, and opportunities for religious growth. But what about the downside?

Breslover Chassidim are very pleased to see the yearly gatherings become bigger and bigger, but along with higher quantity comes lower quality. People come to Uman for all sorts of reasons, not all of them positive. Good friends are important.

The announcements issued by Breslover rabbis against women arriving in Uman for Rosh Hashana imply more than they can say openly. Are Ukrainian police effective in preventing destructive incidents en route? Should young men still be sent abroad without genuine supervision?

Many rabbis, including the late Rabbi Ovadyah Yosef, have seen these pilgrimages leaving the land of Israel as disrespectful to the Holy Land. It is one thing to go to Uman from Williamsburg, both in the Diaspora; quite another to go from Jerusalem.

Here is Rabbi David Bar-Hayim on the topic:

And then there are the dangers of anti-Semitic violence, not all of them reported.

Look before you leap; is visiting Uman for Rosh Hashana the right move for you?

This article first appeared in Hebrew.

With Heaven’s help, Yehuda Segal

YSMehadrinews@Gmail.com

From Mehadrinews, here.

Mechanization Leads to Inequality – and That’s a Good Thing!

The division of labor is the outcome of man’s conscious reaction to the multiplicity of natural conditions. On the other hand, it is itself a factor bringing about differentiation. It assigns to the various geographic areas specific functions in the complex of the processes of production. It makes some areas urban, others rural; it locates the various branches of manufacturing, mining, and agriculture in different places. Still more important, however, is the fact that it intensifies the innate inequality of men. Exercise and practice of specific tasks adjust individuals better to the requirements of their performance; men develop some of their inborn faculties and stunt the development of others. Vocational types emerge, people become specialists.

The division of labor splits the various processes of production into minute tasks, many of which can be performed by mechanical devices. It is this fact that made the use of machinery possible and brought about the amazing improvements in technical methods of production. Mechanization is the fruit of the division of labor, its most beneficial achievement, not its motive and fountain spring. Power-driven specialized machinery could be employed only in a social environment under the division of labor. Every step forward on the road toward the use of more specialized, more refined, and more productive machines requires a further specialization of tasks.

Mises, Economic Freedom and Interventionism

Ron Paul: How to Really Solve the American Illegal Immigration Problem

Read it here.

An excerpt:

While preventing those here illegally from being able to gain employment may appeal to many who would like to protect American jobs, E-Verify is the worst possible solution. It is a police state non-solution, as it would require the rest of us legal American citizens to carry a biometric national ID card connected to a government database to prove that the government allows us to work. A false positive would result in financial disaster for millions of American families, as one would be forced to fight a faceless government bureaucracy to correct the mistake. Want to put TSA in charge of deciding if you are eligible to work?

…

How to tackle the real immigration problem? Eliminate incentives for those who would come here to live off the rest of us, and make it easier and more rational for those who wish to come here legally to contribute to our economy. No walls, no government databases, no biometric national ID cards. But not a penny in welfare for immigrants. It’s really that simple.

Da’as Torah on Bein Hazemanim

When the world changes, the Torah, too, must be re-examined, not to abrogate it, but to better observe it.

Take summertime vacation for Torah learners, for example. As things stand, there are two main camps on the issue, each one absolutely convinced they are in the right, of course.

One group proclaims: Our tradition is to continue learning during the summer as before, and our fathers and rabbis are obviously more righteous and infallible than yours (by virtue of our biological and intellectual relation). Therefore, you people are clearly wrong and at least a bit evil for ignoring the obvious truth. You must hate learning Torah the rest of the year, too.

The other group proclaims: Our tradition is to take a recess from learning, and our fathers and rabbis are obviously more righteous and infallible than yours (by virtue of our biological and intellectual relation). Therefore, you people are clearly wrong and more than a bit evil for ignoring the obvious truth. You must hate learning Torah the rest of the year on the higher level that can only be attained by taking a break.

Without deciding the debate itself, I would only point out the faulty logic underlying the unexamined self-confidence on both sides: Times have changed.

One could argue people are weaker now and must vacation, as seen from the fact we all minimize fasting. Alternatively, seeing as how the summer heat is less oppressive due to widespread, cheap air-conditioning, we ought to keep on learning exactly as before. Or we should meet somewhere in the middle.

But, no. Chadash assur min hatorah…