Rav Brog: Go to Uman, Grow Peyos, and Get Pulled Out of Gehennom? Not Quite.

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Rav Yisroel Brog, well known rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Tiferes Avigdor in Cleveland, in his latest edition of Sichos Yisroel, which contain thoughts on the weekly parsha, addressed the idea that people nowadays frown upon the concept of punishment and accountability, preferring Easy Street.

“Now, the first thing you have to know is what is the Torah’s view on onshim (punishments) and yesurim (suffering)?” Rabbi Brog said. “In today’s world, the western society, they have a very negative view of onshim and yesurim. They don’t like pachad and yesurim. They like love. They’re into the love thing. Ahavah. You do bad? No sweat. Go to Uman, grow a pair of peyos, hide them under your yarmulke. When the time comes, Rav Nachman is going to come down, grab you by those swinging peyos and he’s going to pull you out of the deepest Gehennom and you’re good to go. Just keep coming back every year for the visit. It’s a pelah.”

Rav Brog remarked, “We live in a society that goes for that stuff. People actually believe in this rubbish, this nonsense. No one is getting you out of Gehennom except yourself: Maasecha yekorvucha umaasecha yerachakucha. Your own deeds will cause you to be near, and your own deeds will cause you to be far. Your actions are going to be what gets you out and what gets you in.”

Rav Brog added that, really, it’s an uncomfortable subject to speak about. “Should you tell children, or even adults that there’s a concept of onshim, and that there are consequences? Why don’t you emphasize the positive instead? Positive is so much nicer, so much more palatable. People like to hear the positive. ‘Everybody is going to make it!’ But people don’t realize that there is a place in the Torah for this. The Torah gave us 98 klalos in one tochachah and half a boatload of klalos in Sefer Vayikra.”

{Matzav.com}


31 COMMENTS

  1. “Go to Uman, grow a pair of peyos, hide them under your yarmulke. When the time comes, Rav Nachman is going to come down, grab you by those swinging peyos and he’s going to pull you out of the deepest Gehennom and you’re good to go. Just keep coming back every year for the visit. It’s a pelah.”
    Rav Brog remarked, “We live in a society that goes for that stuff. People actually believe in this rubbish, this nonsense.”

    Someone had the courage to say this! Beautiful!

    • Making fun of a derech in Yiddishkit is not called courage and is not the way start the new year ברכנו אבינו כולנו כאחד

  2. Today’s generation needs ahava not scare tactics. Yes we need to teach about reward and punishment. But the percentage of Yidden going off the derech is insane. And ask them why. It’s because of the coldness and lack of warmth.

    • Actually, it’s often because they’ve come to believe that their actions are inconsequential and don’t have consequences. Understanding that what we do, think, feel etc is consequential is what actually makes people happy and content.

      True, middah Tovah merubah…. The positive consequences for our good actions and thoughts are a lot greater. But it only hurts people when we don’t acknowledge that our negative actions have consequences as well.

    • I thought it was the lack of secular education, or trauma, or abuse.
      We all believe in bechirah. Somehow I am not convinced that the lack of fuzzy and warm stuff will be considered an oness.
      Recognizing everyone’s strengths and contributions? Absolutely. Rewarding justly and often? For sure. Candy coating everything and presenting an untrue picture of Yiddishkeit? No!

  3. Rav Nachum M’Breslov is not the only one to talk about saving people from Gehonim if they do certain things. To give examples from the Litivish world, Rav Schach said wrote in his tzavah that if he can he will be meilitz in Shmoyim for everyone who learns even one mishna l’uley nishmosey. Rav Yechezkel Abramasky also said if he can he will be meilitz in Shmoyim on behalf of anyone who learns his sefer on Tosefta (Chazon Yechezkel)

    I’m no Breslover but I’m not going to mach it avek for those who value it. I was by a Sheva Brochas when my cousins husband who I met the first time got up to speak. Based on the way he looked and based on how she spent her teenage years I wasn’t even sure he was frum. But then he spoke a speech so full of sincere Ahavas Hashem and Ahavas HaTorah all based on Rav Nachman M’Breslov that I was blown away.

    • You’re alleged examples are not relevant. Rav Schach zy”a and Rav Abramsky zt”l didn’t say they would pull people out of gehinnom. Just that they would put in a proverbial good word for them.

    • He’s not chas vesholom tayna-ing against reb nachman, he’s against the people who have made a mockery of rav nachman, they think that’s ikar yahadus to go to uman and be saved, as opposed to working on one’s shmiras Torah umiztvos and tshuva. The other gedolim you mentioned also would not want their words taken out of context.

    • Meilitz yosher for doing an actual mitzvah is one thing. Pull out of gehinom??? Who ever said that? And for what – traveling to a grave for Rosh Hashanah??

    • Being a meilitz for someone (i.e. advocating on his behalf) is not the same thing as promising to take them out of geihinom. Not the same at all.

    • I heard from a Litvisheh Rosh Yeshivah, who is also quite a misnaged, that both Rav Nachman and his talmid Rav Nosson, were great people, and talmidei chachomim. That is not what is the issue or being questioned here.

  4. How many aveiros can one commit and Rav Nachman will still pull you out by your pieos??
    Is there a limit ?
    If I’m in Uman can I do aveiros there??
    If you were ever in Uman you need not answer this ? You know what goes on there besides rav nachman.
    Don’t think for a minute that I never studied the genuine Breslov seforim.
    I did and I still remember most of it.
    That why I’m commenting

  5. Anonymous that’s how conservative thunk.
    We don’t need to keep mitzvah. We have the love…. and the feeling. That’s not enough.
    We need to follow the Torah. End

  6. Such beautiful middos this man is teaching his talmidim!

    Such an elegant and effective way to express one’s opinion!

    So important a lesson this, to learn how to laugh at and ridicule other yidden!

    Parents must be thrilled with how beautifully their boys will turn out — and I’ll bet their future wives will be thrilled to have husbands who will speak in this fashion!

  7. I knew many Bresliver chassidim and they were true ovdei Hashem and yirei Shomayim. Many were moser nefesh to be in Uman on RH
    Rav Nachman zya wrote this that the chassidim should come for RH. He also said the part of shlepping out of Gehennom for those that say tikun klali

  8. Anonymous- Rav Shach ztz’l and Rav Abramsky ztz’l never claimed they’d pull you out of gehinnom if you sin…They said they would be an advocate for you…and I’m sure they will and you’ll be better off than if they were not an advocate for you……

  9. Many of these neshamos are those of people who have deep, searching souls but have been driven away from Yiddishkeit in their formative years and NOW SEEK SOME DEEPER CONNECTION.

    How terrible to dismiss thousands of people, AND to cultivate sinas chinam by having his own followers now hate those who seek something other than his way.

  10. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 48:8) says that Avraham Avinu will sit by the door to Gehinom and not let any Jew enter, unless he is uncircumcised. The Gemara (Eiruvin 19a) says that Avraham will not let any Jew into Gehinom unless he married a gentile woman

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