The holy words from the heart’s cry of our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a, about the terrible massacre of Simchat Torah — 24 Tishrei 5784:
Now “It is a time of distress for Yaakov, but he will be saved from it” (Yirmiyahu 30:7). Now the Jewish people received such a blow that it has not received since the founding of the state; from 5 Iyar 1948 [the day of Israel’s independence], there has not been such a blow. Already we are approaching a thousand killed [at the time of the shiur], because of the accursed party which they made during the Chag, that all the young men and women came to dance instead of doing Hakafot for Simchat Torah.
This accursed government, the most accursed Zionist government out of all the governments of Israel, disarmed all the towns. The guards of the gates had no weapons, because the Left said that the Land belongs to the Arabs.
This is the first Rashi of the Parashah, which begins saying, “You are bandits” (Bereishit 1), that the Left say that we are bandits, that we stole the Land. Everyone needs to learn this Rashi.
The war is destined to go on for at least thirty days. Therefore, every boy and girl needs to say all the Tehilim [every day] — there is no time to play, to have fun, and to throw rocks. Every father should watch his children well and worry that he says Tehilim.
Now is the most terrible time, like the Holocaust. The terrorists passed from house to house and cleaned out houses — children and mothers were found full of holes from bullets. They took mothers and children captive; a thing that has not been since the creation of the world, such a terrible test that the Jewish people are experiencing now.
All because of this accursed government that is against religion, against the Torah, against Hakafot of Simchat Torah. However, the thing that can save is only Hakafot of dancing, niggunim (holy melodies), and holy songs — there is no other advice. Therefore, every girl from the age of six, and every boy from the age of seven is obligated to complete every day the entire book of Tehilim. There are 24 hours; this is not a problem, this is the easiest thing. And if they can say it consecutively, this is the best.
Boys need to finish ten dafim (folios) of Gemara every day, every day from eight in the morning until eight in the evening. It is possible to easily read and understand them. All the Gemara is only stories and simple halachot. Every boy from the age of nine, every day needs to finish ten dafim of Gemara, until the war finishes. Already from the age of nine, I learn Gemara every day for several hours. Learning Gemara is the sweetest thing.
Instead of speaking nonsense and listening to news, which is all nonsense; all the news is against religion, against Torah, against the Land of Israel.
We are in the time of the greatest distress; [therefore,] it is possible to say in Tikkun Chatzot the part of Tikkun Rachel, and on Rosh Chodesh to say only Tikkun Leah [Translator’s note: The Rav’s intention is that even though we normally do not say Tikkun Rachel during Tishrei, because there is no Tachanun, nevertheless, because it is a time of distress, we can say Tikkun Rachel now, even in Tishrei, together with Tikkun Leah. However, on Rosh Chodesh, we should only say Tikkun Leah, and after that, to return to saying also Tikkun Rachel]. We need to sit on the ground and weep about the terrible destruction. This is mamash a holocaust, like the Chazon Ish said, that after seventy years, everything will repeat itself; and we are 75 years after the Holocaust, and they murdered children and mothers.
We do not know if they will even return the captives. [Palestine] is not a country; it is just bandits, terrorists, wild animals like the Nazis.
All children from the age of seven already need to know the weekly Parashah; it is only stories.
The sweetening of decrees is only through niggunim, because the rainbow has seven colors, and the color of the prayer and the learning is only through niggunim. “And He saw their distress in His hearing their shout” (Tehilim 106:44). Every prayer that is without niggunim does not ascend on high. Therefore, you need to give color to the prayer, to sing the prayer slowly and with niggun.
There is a government which wants to uproot Judaism. Therefore, in Tel Aviv, they did not permit performing Hakafot, and it is impossible to do anything, because the Supreme Court is with them. The judges eat on Yom Kippur. They do not understand why there is Yom Kippur, but if there is no Kippur, then Hashem annihilates the Jewish people — He is not obligated anything to us. Half the people already do not fast on Yom Kippur, and a portion travel to the Caribbean on Yom Kippur — then there is nothing that will atone for the Jewish people, for the transgressions of every day.
A person thinks that there is no judgment and no judge, but “anyone who says that the Holy One Blessed is He is one who concedes easily, will have his life conceded” (Bava Kama 50a). Hashem does not concede anything, not on a forbidden thought or glance, and it does not matter if it is a boy or a girl — He brings punishment onto the Jewish people. If a girl lifts up a sleeve, at that moment, several soldiers are killed. [If she] walks with see-through clothes, several tens of soldiers are killed.
If we say Tehilim, then this destroys the missiles, this destroys all the nations of the world.
This is what the Gaon of Vilna said: “If the ships of the Russian empire cross the Bosporus Strait, the Messiah will immediately come.” Now we are mamash before the Messiah. This terrible tragedy says that we are before the Messiah. This means that the Messiah needs to be revealed already this week; this is without a doubt.
And there will be the complete redemption speedily in our days, Amen.
