Many are wondering why are tens of thousands of Jews from around the world traveling to war torn Ukraine to spend Rosh Hashanah there. Let me preempt by saying that the point of this article is not to explain the reasoning for those who do go so that we can all look at them with a better eye and not ridicule or make fun of their practice.

Rebbe Nachman taught (Likutei Moharan 1:211): The practice of chassidim traveling to tzaddikim for Rosh Hashanah is rooted in the fact that the main mitigation of heavenly judgments is only through the sanctification and purification of one’s thoughts, because this is their source. As we find in the Zohar: ‘Everything is clarified through thought.’ And one can only come to have a pure mind through binding oneself to the tzaddikim, as we find in the Zohar: ‘And Moshe took the bones of Yosef…’ Moshe is the aspect of the mind, Yosef is the aspect of the tzaddik, and there is no completion of the mind without binding oneself to the tzaddikim. Rosh Hashanah is the root of judgments for the entire year, and one must purify his thoughts in order to mitigate them. This is the reason for traveling to the tzaddikim – to merit to sanctify one’s thoughts.

All of the souls of each generation are parts of an inseparable whole, and every single one is greater than its fellow, since there are no two people who are on the exact same level at any given time. Hashem’s light flows down from level to level, from the greater soul to the lesser soul, just as the Arizal explained regarding the ordering of the spiritual worlds from above to below. The Baal HaTanya teaches that the worlds parallel the ordering of souls, and so it is clear that as long as people are not bound to the tzaddik, they are spiritually lacking – Hashem’s light is, in some way, not shining on them as it should, since its channel of descent is broken. Yet, when people come to the tzaddik, who has already merited to receive Hashem’s light, they receive the full measure of holy awareness that is possible for them, and they are able to purify their thoughts so that they will from then on be able to focus exclusively on G-dliness and Hashem’s Torah.

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the entire year, the “head” of the year, and so everything that is decreed upon a person is fixed then. Both Rebbe Nachman and the Maggid of Mezeritch explained that it is a person’s thoughts during Rosh Hashanah that constitute the “writing” of the person’s destiny from above. The three books that are open during Rosh Hashanah are actually the thoughts of the person, and if a person purifies his mind at that time, it is certain that his Divine service will come more easily throughout the coming year, and all of the judgments on him will be mitigated. The Maggid taught that if a person finds himself caught up in negative thoughts, he should meditate on the 72-Name which is associated with Divine mercy [חסד = 72], and visualize giving up his life to sanctify Hashem’s Name – this will mitigate all the judgments on him. Rebbe Nachman said instead that one should think good and holy thoughts, and this itself can affect the mitigation of judgments.

This is part of the reason for traveling to the tzaddikim for Rosh Hashanah, so that it will be easier for us to think only good thoughts: of love and fear of Hashem, of dveykus and self-nullification before Hashem. And even if, G-d forbid, a stray negative thought enters a person’s head on Rosh Hashanah, he will not panic, but instead mitigate it through the paths we have already mentioned. He will sweeten it with thoughts of mesirus nefesh or the Divine Names, or even simply by fighting it off and replacing it with a better thought. One is empowered to do this by having received an additional measure of holy awareness, which is Hashem’s light which descends upon the person who makes the journey to the tzaddik. And it is this that makes a person worthy of having a good and blessed coming year.

Now about Uman. Reb Nosson of Breslov writes in Chayei Moharan that on erev Rosh Hashanah Rebbe Nachman spoke about the Rav Aaron the Rav of the city of Breslov, who was not in Uman for Rosh Hashanah. Rebbe Nachman said “What should I tell you; there is no greater thing than being by me for Rosh Hashanah… Even though other tzaddikim do not say so, for to be with them on Rosh Hashanah is not as great of an obligation, so it will be yet another question.

Reb Nosson explains: as it is, people already had questions about Rebbe Nachman, so this idea of being by him for Rosh Hashanah will be just another one. Reb Nosson continued to say that Rebbe Nachman spoke much about the importance and greatness of being by him for Rosh Hashanah; Rebbe Nachman said “My Rosh Hashanah exceeds all… It is surprising for me; since the ones that are close to me, believe in me, why shouldn’t all the people that are close to me, be by me for Rosh Hashanah… My Rosh HaShanah, no one should miss, because my whole thing is just Rosh Hashanah…”

Rebbe Nachman told his followers to make announcements, “that anyone who listens to me, and who is close to me, should be by me for Rosh Hashanah, no one should miss it… And whoever merits to be by me on Rosh Hashanah, deserves to be very very happy… My Rosh Hashanah is a great chiddush… Hashem knows that I didn’t inherit it from my ancestors… Hashem gave me this gift… I know what Rosh HaShanah is… For sure, you all are dependent on my Rosh Hashanah; the entire world is dependent on my Rosh HaShanah.”

Rebbe Nachman also said “on Rosh HaShanah, people can get tikkunim / rectifications which they can’t get during the year… Even though in the middle of the year, sometimes I could not repair them, on Rosh Hashanah they can get a tikkun”… Rebbe Nachman added: “that he does on Rosh Hashanah tikkunim that he could not do during the entire year.”

In a letter to his son encouraging him to attend Rebbe Nachman’s Rosh HaShanah in Uman (printed in the Sefer Alim L’Trufah, a collection of letters from Reb Nosson of Breslov), Reb Nosson wrote: “Our Rosh Hashanah is very very great in the eyes of Hashem Yisborach, for there is nothing higher than it.” Reb Nosson explained that even after the passing of Rebbe Nachman, we must continue this by first going to Rebbe Nachman’s tziyun on Erev Rosh Hashanah, and then afterwards by gathering together with the talmidim of Rebbe Nachman on Rosh Hashanah. This continues for all generations, to gather together specifically with those who are talmidim of Rebbe Nachman.

Rebbe Nachman in Yerushalayim? Reb Shlomo Veksler (a talmid of Reb Avraham Ben Reb Nachman, who was a talmid of Reb Nosson; Reb Shlomo was one of the leaders of all the Breslover Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel, in particular in Yerushalayim) explained that our Rosh Hashanah is very very great in the eyes of Hashem Yisborach. There is nothing higher than it, just as Rebbe Nachman said. Reb Shlomo said that in his humble opinion, this is referring to people who live outside of Eretz Yisroel. However, one should not travel from Eretz Yisroel, chas v’shalom. He said “that he heard this explicitly from the great Breslover Chassidim. Rebbe Nachman said that Eretz Yisroel is ‘greatness of greatness’ (Chayei Moharan #140). Therefore, it is greater than the ‘great thing’, which is outside of Eretz Yisroel. Chazal said that a small group of yidden in Eretz Yisroel is more beloved to Hashem Yisborach than the Sanhedrin outside Eretz Yisroel. Therefore it would seem that a small group is preferable.” In regards to Erev Rosh Hashanah, the Bresslover Chassidim throughout the generations in Eretz Yisroel had the custom of going to Kivrei Tzaddikim – specifically Kever Dovid HaMelech – and the Kosel on Erev Rosh Hashanah, based on the tradition that was received from the talmidim of Reb Nosson that the tzaddik resides by the Kosel.

The Zohar Hakadosh teaches neshomos of the tzaddikim are present at the Kosel Hamaravi, therefore one should go to the Kosel on Erev Rosh Hashanah. Rebbe Nachman promised that one who comes to his kever, gives a prutah to tzedakah, recites the tikkun haklali, and commits to not go back to their sinful ways he will take them out of the greatest depths. This doesn’t only to Uman in Ukraine, the same is true in Yerushalayim, by the Kosel HaMaravi. There are also significant and great secrets behind going to Kever Dovid Hamelech on erev Rosh Hashanah as well, and everyone should do so.

Reb Levi Yitzchok Bender (also one of the leaders of all the Breslover Chassidim in Eretz Yisroel, in particularly Yerushalayim after Reb Shlomo Veksler) used to say that Rebbe Nachman is in Yerushalayim. Reb Levi Yitzchok also remarked from Reb Avraham Ben Reb Nachman that from Eretz Yisroel, one does not have to go to Uman. He also used to say that when he goes to the Kosel, he is going to the Rebbe Nachman, and that on Rosh Hashanah, he is with Rebbe Nachman in Yerushalayim. Reb Levi Yitzchok once wrote a letter to those outside of Eretz Yisroel, saying since the greatness of our Rosh Hashanah in Yerushalayim is so great, he cannot give a definitive answer as to where to go for those outside Eretz Yisroel – whether to Uman or Yerushalayim. Rather, one should daven to Hashem to lead them towards the correct thing for them to do.