A dramatic emergency conference took place on Wednesday evening, attended by over 100 leading Breslover Rabbanim and community leaders from throughout Israel to reach a decision on the issue of 10,000 chassidim who are at risk of arrest by military police if they travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah.
For over an hour, representatives from the organizations that advise bnei yeshivos about conscription issues presented all the relevant considerations and details regarding conscription, the detention centers, and the army.
Senior Breslover Rabbanim, including HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Meir Shechter, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Kramer, and HaGaon HaRav Natan Libermansch, then convened at the home of HaRav Shechter for about three hours and issued a final decision on the matter.
The Rabbanim stated that since “the conscription decree is a gezeiras sh’mad, no one should consider falling into the IDF’s trap by agreeing to join one of the conscription tracks in any way, shape, or form, or to sign any conscription or recruitment track they offer, including national or civil service. Reality proves beyond any doubt that such a step is the precursor to great sins and apart from the obvious and well-known fact that their promises are worthless, the very act of service is חתיכא דאיסורא, as all the Gedolei Yisrael have already unanimously paskened and instructed, and there is no heter to do so for any reason, no matter how great.”
“Although the great obligation and necessity to travel to Rosh Hashanah to Uman is known to us all, about which Rebbe Nachman said that ‘there is nothing greater than this,’ it is clear and pashut that all this is when the matter does not involve isureh Torah, all the more so an issur chamur like this, which is unparalleled.”
“In order to distance themselves from the danger of arrest, which involves many and severe spiritual dangers and stumbling blocks, each and every person should guard their soul and do everything possible not to reach a state of arrest, chalilah, והחכם עיניו בראשו.”
“And it is pashut that anyone who has an actual arrest warrant should not try to leave the borders of the country because he puts himself in danger of arrest, and whoever violates this is פורץ גדר חייו. Rabbanim and educators have a responsibility to instruct their followers according to these instructions and to ensure that young Breslov chassidim do not not expose themselves to spiritual dangers and stumbling blocks.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Doesn’t seem dramatic to me but rather obvious. It would be more dramatic if a rav paskened you should go and get arrested. Would be hard to understand that logic . Then again full disclosure I am not of that persuasion so hard to understand the whole thing.
With all due respect to the choshuve gesolim and manhigim, the majority of Breslovers haven’t ever listened to them, so why in the world would they start listening now? בפרט that the matter relates to Uman, which isn’t even hard to justify based on ר נחמן constantly reiterating that they will encounter obstacles in trying to get to Uman but they should persevere and break through.
It’s obviously common sense. If they’re going to be arrested anyways, they won’t make it to Uman even if they tried.