History has scattered religious shrines all over the world, but pilgrims continue visiting them, as before, in a show of tribute to their faith. In Uman, 20,000 Hasidic Jews from all places recently gathered to see in the new 5770 year. They have been coming here in the past 20 years to pray to their holiest shrine—the grave of their religious guru Tzaddik (Rabbi) Nachman. This pilgrimage costs them a pretty penny because Uman residents charge them exorbitant housing rent. But the Hasidic Jews do not take offense —they have fun. So before the next Rosh Hashanah (New Year) comes around, the hosts do a major renovation for the money they received and rent their apartments out again, moving temporarily to garages and makeshift houses.
The Israeli government would like to transfer Rabbi Nachman’s grave to Israel and promises Ukraine a considerable pay. But money may be here today and gone tomorrow, so neither Ukrainians nor the Hasidim want any changes. (Nachman willed that the righteous visit this land.) The Jews have long been buying apartments in Uman, and local residents say, and rightly so, that Uman is going to be Israel’s second capital.
The number of the visiting Hasidic Jews is expected to rise, as the world population, including that of Judaic believers, is growing. So if Uman becomes a Ukrainian Mecca, we, who live in a polyphonic society, should know the traditions, customs, and values of various religions.
Hasidic Jews are telling the world via their religion that the main thing in the life of a believer is righteous behavior, fanatical prayers, and zealous fulfillment of God’s commandments, which allow a human to become a heavenly interlocutor. They live off a powerful idea and sincerely believe that they will be forgiven everything in the name of the Lord.
It would be also good for us to recall what a great idea is, because it seems to have died in our society. We do not believe in anything now, even in ourselves. “And what can I do? Will this change anything?” Ukrainians say, wringing their hands. All our simplistic adult principles are working against us. Maybe, Ukrainians should also reread and trust fairy tales, as they did in their childhood years. Nachman did not preach — he would tell his followers fairy tales, thinking that they would bring an individual into a specific state of meditation, which would help tell the truth from falsity.
Ukrainians should work out a different perception of things —through personally gained experience. Yes, Hasidic Jews strive to perceive existence the way it is and acquire the original, unspoiled joy. They are educated in the belief that the thing God likes the most: simply is simplicity: simply to believe, simply to be (but the Ukrainian belief is that nothing can be “simple”). Hasidism teaches that man should serve God with all his thoughts and deeds and seek sanctity, whereas what is considered sinful is doubt and spiritual failures, rather than sin itself. We seem to have stopped uplifting our spirit a long time ago. This occurs because we let ourselves sink into despondency and think that we will never succeed — and we will really never succeed as long as we think so.
Good ideas are often tampered with and used to the detriment of people. Yes, Christianity is also a light for people, but it turns into anti-Christianity in the hands of some wicked people. Socialism brings along progress, but it degenerates into genocide in the hands of bandits. Zionists also use the exalted Hasidic ideas to manipulate the consciousness of the faithful in pursuit of their political and financial goals. So, with this in view, let us create a new philosophy in which we will be the real characters, rather than actors playing their parts.
