Lazer Beams

Empowering Women

G-d willing, we'll soon have the details of our upcomimg USA speaking tour, that includes first-time speaking engagements in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and the World Noahide Conference in Dallas. At the termination of our USA tour, we'll be flying to the Ukraine on the way home to lead an amazing Shabbaton and spiritual retreat for women in Uman entitled, "Empowering Women," organized by Shira Herman (Menachem's wife) of Ark 18, which specializes in organizing trips to holy sites all over Europe and especially in the Ukraine. Husbands, this is an awesome gift for your wife; women, this is a break of spiritual rejuvenation that you certainly deserve. Check this out (click on the image to enlarge it):

Lipa in Uman: Longing for Moshiach

The Uman Grapevine tells me that Lipa Schmeltzer has become a new person after having prayed by Rebbe Nachman's holy gravesite. Here is a very special clip showing Lipa longing for Moshiach in front of Rebbe Nachman's holy tziyun.

The Empowered Woman

Uman Experience and Ark 18 together with Breslev Israel are sponsoring an amazing women's retreat to Rebbe Nachman's holy gravesite in Uman, Ukraine from March 3-6, 2011, with an option of an additional two days of touring in the Ukraine. "The Empowered Woman" is your chance to fill your batteries before Purim and Pesach.

Reflections from Uman

Many people still write me asking why I don't stay in Israel for Rosh Hashana rather than traveling to Uman in the Ukraine. Their arguments are logical and well-based, such as the Zohar that states that all prayers ascend from Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless, my reason is simple - emunat chachamim - I believe in my rebbe, Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, and he left explicit instructions for us to do our utmost to be in Uman for Rosh Hashana.

Folks write about Uman as a chassidic version of the Mardis Gras and so forth, stressing the festive atmosphere and the dancing in the streets. In my humble opinion, those are secondary and tertiary details. Uman is all about prayer, for Rebbe Nachman is the master of prayer.

The way to spot a true follower of Rebbe Nachman is by the way he prays. In the kloiz, the main minyan of Uman, you have 8500 people all praying word by word, slowly, as if each word was a delicious delicacy on their lips. Some are laughing and others have tears streaming down their faces, but all are intensely into the prayer. They've spent a mint of money getting there, suffer a long list of trials and tribulations including subhuman treatment by the infamously antisemitic Ukrainians, leaving wives and families behind. For partying? By no means. When the chazan in Uman calls out HaMelech during shacharit, and 8500 people applaud Hashem and His coronation, you feel like your soul is leaving your body. Seeing all 28-30000 Uman-goers swaying together by the river on Tashlich makes you feel the same way.

Some years, I spend time before or after Rosh Hashana traveling around to other tzadikim's graves in the Ukraine. This year, I plan to spend every available minute close to Rebbe Nachman gravesite; it's a holy place where Hashem especially listens to prayers. I have plenty to pray for and plenty of people to pray for. Already, several of them have told me about big miracles they've seen since the last time they asked me to mention their names on the holy gravesite in Uman. G-d willing, I hope to publish a few of these stories in the near future. Whenever I do, the clowns, the spammers, and the agnostics have a fit, but that's nothing new. They're allergic to anything that has anything to do with emuna.

Uman is all about emuna. Emuna is all about prayer, that you believe there's an Almighty that you can pray to and that listens to those prayers.

The Beams wishes you and yours a Ktiva V'Chatima Tova for a wonderful New Year and meaningful prayers. G-d bless.

A Lasting Connection with the Tzaddik

My maternal great grandfather, Reb Yankev ("The Blacksmith") Podrub from Grodno, Belarus (formerly Poland) was a legendary figure in the annals of Stolin-Karlin Chassidus. He arms were like twisted steel, but his disposition was extremely gentle. Although he was a blacksmith. he was also a Talmudic scholar. He worked so that his brother, Arie Leib, could attend rabbinical yeshiva. Ultimately, Arie Leib became the head rabbi of Meretch in Lithuania.

The renowned "Yanuka" of Stolin, the famous Rebbe Yisroel Perlov ob'm who had over 20,000 Chassidim, would stay in Reb Yankev's house every Shabbat Chanuka when he'd visit his chassidim in Grodno. Even more, The Stoliner Rebbe - who loved horses - insisted that only Reb Yankev shoe his horses.

What was so special about Reb Yankev? He never spoke small talk. Even at work, he'd mumble tehillim and mishnayot. Also, his trust in Hashem was phenominal - he'd only work long enough to earn that same day's bread with one extra kopeck; he saved the extra kopecks in a jar all year long, and then at the end of the year, he'd use the money to travel to his Rebbe in Stolin for Rosh Hashanna. As such, my great grandfather lived his connection with the tzaddik all year long.

The minute Reb Yankev finished his day's work, he'd fly up the stairs to the Stoliner shtiebel, conveniently located on the second floor over the smithy, and open up a Gemara. Grodno lore holds him as one of the hidden tzaddikim of the area, may his blessed memory be cherished always.

I heard the above stories and many more from my grandmother Kailie of blessed memory, from Rav Yitzchak Kulitz of blessed memory, former head Rabbi of Jerusalem, who as a little boy saw my great grandfather, and from Rav Benyamin Adler shlit'a of Jerusalem, whose uncle knew my great grandfather well, and from the elderly Stolin-Karlin chassidim of Jerusalem.

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Trying to emulate my great grandfather, I set aside twenty dollars every week and put them in a special envelope marked, "Uman - Rosh Hashanna." That way, I live Rosh Hashanna with my beloved Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, all year long.

Today, I'm doubly happy, for I now have my fully-paid ticket to Uman for this coming Rosh Hashanna, 5771. Just hearing the name "Rebbe Nachman of Breslev" is enough to kindle a fire in my heart.

I know that alte zaidie (Yiddish for great grandfather) has nachas (gratification) that his great granchildren are continuing on in the way of Torah and Chassidus. You know what that means? Hitler and western assimilation lost and we won. We shall continue to overcome, amen.