Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak shlit”a, is one of leading Rabbi’s in the main stream Breslov community of Jerusalem.
Recently, Rabbi Kivak came out to join the many other Breslov leaders decrying the awful actions of Rabbi Eliezer Berland’s persecutors within Breslov.
We are pleased to share with you a translation of his recent words, below, which you can hear in the original Hebrew here:
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“Because of this, there is a plague, because people weren’t brought back in teshuva.
Quite the opposite – people were brought back in teshuva, and then fell back [into a secular lifestyle] because there was no place for them, and they were even persecuted. They drove them mad and they disgraced them, and then they drove them mad again.
And what’s left is the klipot (shell of evil) that’s impossible mevarer (clarify). Because we didn’t mevarer them, they fell again.
Over the last 5-6 years, how many thousands of people have completely fallen away, particularly amongst those who already came to Rabbenu.
They totally fell, because of all these deeds of the leitzim (mockers), Hashem should have mercy.
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When there is a place that doesn’t enlighten people how to make teshuva, underneath it all it doesn’t illuminate yirah (fear of Hashem). The work to clarify the imagination is the main testament of the Rebbe. Emuna renews the world.
If there isn’t this, then they just make a business out of some custom that they didn’t receive from Rebbe Levi Yitzhak, and all his students.
[Hashem should] have ‘mercy’ on a few young bochurim who we came in contact with, and afterwards they laughed how they messed up our heads! They are causing a ruach se’ara (storm of destruction) in the world.
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Rav Natan said: The ikker (essence) of Amalek’s strength lies in machloket (stirring strife and slander) against the Tzaddikim.
His intention wasn’t that people oppose Rabbenu (Rebbe Nachman) himself. Rather, that [they prevent] the light of the Tzaddik from being revealed, they oppose the clarifications of the Rebbe’s Torah, and the strength that the Rebbe can give to us.
It’s like what Rabbi Levi Yitzhak used to say. What is the Rebbe is doing for you! You’re getting up for chatzot!?!
So many souls have fallen thanks to these crazy baalei machloket. Though everyone is laughing at them, and everyone knows it’s all garbage, but [they can still] confuse a weak person, and shoot their poison arrows into him, to become scared of them.
People who persuade others, they are enough to cause a plague and dever (a reference to Biblical pestilence), Hashem should have mercy. Hashem has His messengers; ultimately, we will also return in teshuva.
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This is the way the world is arranged, that there is always machloket.
This occurred both against the Baal Shem Tov and against Rabbenu. Today, everyone is searching for Rabbenu, baruch Hashem. 99% of those who are searching for Rabbenu don’t have a place in Breslov. Because a few crazies are chasing everyone away, and they separated people from their service of Hashem.
For them, it is as if Lesson 1 [in Likutey Moharan] doesn’t exist, Lesson 2 doesn’t exist, no lesson in Likutey Halachot exists. What do they fulfill?! Some minhag that they heard from a recording of someone who from a recording….
There are people who heard from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, when he spoke in a totally relaxed way, and gave a place to every single person [who was interested in Breslov].
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And the main establishment of Rabbenu HaKadosh’s light is by way of derech eretz (basic good character traits), between one man and another.
We know how the crazies speak, we all laugh at them, none of us get confused from their nonsense, but we’re speaking here about people who fell.
It’s a shame that we need to speak of these silly things, but everyone is asking why there is so much suffering in the world. Why are there all these illnesses? In order that there would be more klipot (husks of evil).
The tikkun (spiritual rectification) is that we shouldn’t be afraid from the persecutors. It’s written that all the plagues come from these klipot (i.e. the klipot created by Amalek, when they slander the tsaddikim); that every plague occurs because it’s impossible to clarify yirah (fear / fear of Hashem).
People are falling into sadness, and fear, and confusion and darkness.
This is the humiliation and the disgrace that Rabbenu talks about [when he speaks of] matzah shmurah, and the fear of the mitnagdim (literally, opposers, the people who are ‘anti’ chassidut) – and today, these mitnagdim are within Breslov. Everyone knows. And today the whole world is already seeking Rabbenu, they want the [true light].
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Look what happened to Korach.
Korach fell from the ketoret (the incense), don’t mess around with the ketoret. The ketoret is the strength of the Tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, which can rectify the [sefira] of yesod. So, we need to connect with the Tzaddik.
And the suffering is that it’s impossible to connect with the Tzaddik, because they are afraid of some meshuga, some crazy person, who didn’t receive [the true Breslov tradition] from anyone, as is known.
We benefitted from them, we made a lot of money thanks to them. But the main tikkun is not to be afraid of any mitnaged who is against what Rabbenu says about the way to serve Hashem.
Whoever is just afraid of the mitnagdim….Baruch Hashem, we are normal people who know better than to get involved with crazy people. We have no business with them. But this is the essence of yirah – the essence of yirah is not to be afraid of anyone who takes me away from Rabbenu. Not to be scared of anyone who confuses me in my service of Hashem.
And this is the essence of the rectification required, for the pandemic, which came because of fallen fear.
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Always, the essence of the plagues that are in the world are from fallen fears.
Most of the world is meshuga, this is a pandemic of craziness. And there is also a plague of pgam habrit (immorality), and a pandemic of fear – people are afraid of coming close to Breslov.
They are afraid of someone who talks nonsense, and who everyone is laughing at, and this is the fallen fear, this is what’s done the damage, and this is the pandemic in the world.
There is one totally crazy person who is fooling other people. Everyone knows this, and everyone says this.
[God should] have mercy on a couple of young guys [i.e the mitnagdim] who will make teshuva in another year or two. But what they caused to happen in the meantime, Hashem should have mercy.
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But we need to rectify this plague.
And to hide ourselves by the Tzaddik, [put ourselves] in the Tzaddik’s sack. Make a strong connection! Make such a strong connection that even the most crazy mitnaged can’t touch you – even a crazy Breslov mitnaged can’t touch you.
All the crazy people should get away, I have nothing to do with sick individuals.
Rabbenu’s inyan (matter) depends on requesting and seeking. Whoever seeks, will merit [to find]. You don’t need to talk against someone else, he’s going to make teshuva. The point is, what is going to be with me?? That I shouldn’t let something in [to my brain] that’s going to confuse me in my fear of Hashem.
All the plagues that occurred – that so many bachorim fell into joining the army, and using smartphones – it’s all because of machloket, that the Torah wasn’t respected.
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And there are a few crazies who don’t walk in the path of Torah and halacha, and they imagine that they are Breslovers.
And how many young people have they driven crazy…. And nobody really cares about them [i.e. what they were doing], but look how much suffering came out of this.
The path of those who are against the Tzaddik, for them the main thing is katnut (spiritual small-mindedness). Gadlut (expansive consciousness) for them is only after death.
If you protest against the mitnagdim, they will call you by every possible name, and they will also be ‘against’ us.
Definition of mitnaged is someone who doesn’t hold by what’s written in Rabbenu’s books. Not one of them used to hang out in Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Bender’s circles.
They drive the bachurim totally crazy, and who now is learning at all what Rabbenu says?! That there is a point of lashon hakadosh (the holy tongue) in everything. To learn Torah with yirah, and with enthusiasm for this world, confuses a person.
Whoever says something that is not from what Rabbenu said, he is a mitnaged, and even more so, someone who converts someone else (to go ‘against’) – this is truly a ‘false leader’.
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“It’s forbidden to associate with someone who disgraces Torah scholars” – Rav Pinto
