Over Rosh, I managed to read quite a bit of Martin Buber’s ‘Tales of the Hasidim’.

These books have been out of print for 50 years (they were first published in 1947 (Vol 1) and 1948 (Vol 2), but God helped me to find them, two months apart, in a second-hand book shop here in Jerusalem, where lots of interesting stuff keeps turning up.

So, I sat down and read, and one of the stories I read was about the Seer of Lublin, and the 10 chassidim.

==

A young man came to the Seer of Lublin, who could tell everything about a person just by looking at him.

(Rabbenu, Rebbe Nachman, said he could do this too, and knew everything a person from shaking their hand.)

The Seer stared at the young man for a long time, then ordered him to leave immediately, and go home for Shabbat.

He said it in such a stern voice, there was no point in arguing, so the young man turned around and started back home.

That night, he stayed over in an inn, and coming in the other direction, towards the Seer of Lublin, were 10 of his chassidim.

They also stopped at the inn, and asked the young man what he was doing there.

When he told them the Seer had sent him home for Shabbat, the chassidim ordered some schnapps, started to drink with him, started to dance with him, started to sing niggunim with him, and long story short, passed the night in holy happiness, on the way to the Tzaddik.

The next morning, they told the young man to join their group, and come back with them to the Seer of Lublin.

==

As soon as they entered the Seer’s Court, he stared at the young man, and kept staring at him, hard.

Eventually, the Seer called him over to him, and asked him, tell me: what did you do, between yesterday and today?

The young man described the ten chassidim, the schnapps, the dancing, the niggunim, and how eventually, the chassidim had dragged him back to the Seer almost against his will.

You should know, the Seer replied, that there was a decree of death upon you, which could not be overturned.

You were meant to die this Shabbat, and so I sent you home.  But what can I do?! Sometimes, 10 chassidim can accomplish what one Rebbe can’t.

The decree has been totally removed.

==

In the update about what happened with the Rav, where the State blocked him, yet again, from getting to Uman for Rosh Hashana 5786, the Rav said this:

During the meals, the Rav spoke often of how there is no doubt that precisely through the fact that he could not reach Uman again this year, more people are coming to Uman, and this increases the yearning and desire. The Rav also added that this is his task to be in Krakow on Rosh Hashanah, and one cannot understand the calculations of Heaven.

==

Baruch Hashem, my husband got back already, but I know quite a few people are dealing with cancelled flights, long delays and unexpected stays over Shabbat, because of all the difficulties travelling to Uman and back.

Baruch Hashem, I also know that this was the biggest kibbutz ever, possibly 100,000 made it out there, but it was definitely bigger than last year, and last year was at least 50,000 people.

I’m no prophet, and not pretending to be.

But when I read that story from the Seer of Lublin, about how the 10 chassidim removed a decree of death that even the Rebbe couldn’t remove – it gave me a lot of hope, that Uman this year did some massive, massive things, to sweeten all the decrees still hovering above the Jewish people.

If 10 people could remove a ‘decree of death’, then think of what 100,000 Jews in Uman did this year.

Bezrat Hashem.

==

Shabbat shalom.