Whoever comes to my gravesite... I will do everything in my power... to cleanse and protect him
Israel's Ben Gurion Airport is preparing for the annual mass departure of Breslov followers journeying for a traditional holiday visit to Rabbi Nachman's grave in the Ukrainian city of Uman.
Rabbi Nachman, the great-grandson of the founder of Hassidism, the Baal Shem Tov, is the founder of the popular Breslov Hassidic dynasty, which places emphasis on being happy and forming a personal connection to G-d.
Some 15,000 people, mostly men, will board 80 flights scheduled to leave before the High Holidays, with 17 flights leaving on September 25th and 20 flights leaving on September 28th. The estimates are based on the airport's year-long experience and on figures collected by the passenger services division with the help of Ben Gurion Airport's rabbi, Nissim Elmaliach.
The pilgrimage is a major undertaking for Israel's Airport Authority, which is arranging designated passport control stands, prayer zones, and the transportation of large quantities of kosher food to Uman as cargo, as part of services provided to the passengers.
According to tradition, Rabbi Nachman invited all of his Hassidim to come to his home in Uman for Rosh Hashanah in the months and weeks prior to his death. Followers of the great Hassidic leader go to Uman to avail themselves of a promise that Rabbi Nachman made:
"Whoever comes to my gravesite and recites the Ten ten Psalms of the Tikkun K'lali, and gives even as little as a penny to charity for my sake, then, no matter how serious his sins may be, I will do everything in my power -- spanning the length and breadth of Creation creation -- to cleanse and protect him. By his very payis (sidelocks) I will pull him out of Gehenna (purgatory)! It makes no difference what he did until that day, but from that day on, he must take upon himself not to return to his foolish ways."
A delegation from Israel's Foreign Ministry visited Uman last December in order to inspect the handling of Rabbi Nachman's tomb by the Ukrainian authorities. It had been feared that following a legal battle with Ukrainian Member of Parliament Petro Kuzmenko, a court-ordered lien on the grave and surrounding synagogue would result in the site being closed or demolished.
In late 2007, members of the Committee to Bring Rebbe Nachman’s remains to Jerusalem called upon Ukrainian President Victor Yuschenko, during his visit to Israel, to allow the revered rabbi’s remains to be brought to Israel for reburial.
Some rabbis, including Shas head Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, as well as a faction of Breslov Hassidim, oppose the pilgrimage to Uman, saying Jews should celebrate Jewish holidays with their families, in the Holy Land.