On the eve of the Shavuot holiday, a special spiritual trip was organized for the students of the “Beit LeBanim” boarding school for boys of the Dnipro Jewish Community. They traveled to Medzhybizh, to the ohel of the founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov. The trip was an important part of the boys’ preparation for the approaching holiday dedicated to the Giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.
Under the guidance of Rabbi David Vaskovsky, the boarding school students not only visited the ohel of the Baal Shem Tov but also fulfilled all the observances associated with visiting the grave of a tzaddik – they prayed sincerely at the ohel, wrote a Pan to the tzaddik, and took part in a Chassidic farbrengen in the special atmosphere connected with one of the most important places in the history of Chassidus. The trip provided the boys with an opportunity not only to connect with a rich spiritual heritage but also to feel a special connection between generations and to recognize themselves as part of the continuing Jewish tradition.
An important part of the trip was the students’ visit to the Beit Chabad in the city of Khmelnytskyi, known in Jewish tradition by its historical name, Proskurov. There, they were warmly received by the Chief Rabbi of Khmelnytskyi, Yosef Teitelbaum, who took care of their comfortable accommodation and organized a wonderful meal for them.
“The trip to Medzhybizh on the eve of Shavuot was a very important event for the boys, because we came to pray at the grave of the great tzaddik and founder of Chassidus, the Baal Shem Tov. This is the best way to prepare for the approaching holiday and to spend time in the special atmosphere of holy places,” said Rabbi David Vaskovsky, director of the boarding school. “We try to organize such trips for our students before important dates – holidays and memorial days. This is not the first time they have taken place, thanks to the help of a great friend of our boarding school, the esteemed member of the Dnipro Jewish Community, Mr. Emmanuil Sidorenko, as well as thanks to the support of our dear, united, and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
