"Gog and Magog, the Birth Pangs of Mashiach, the Redemption"

More than a week ago, our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), spoke about the need to sweeten the decree that has been aroused against the enemies of Israel (a euphemism for the Jewish people). As we published in the article, "The Way to be Saved from the Decree of the Holocaust," the Rav shlit"a warned of a terrible Holocaust (catastrophe) that, Heaven forbid, was destined to come. Therefore, the Rav established a special study schedule in order to be saved from the terrible decree of destruction. These are his words as they appeared in one of the prayers for success in the study schedule: "One must study 8 pages of Gemara (Talmud) and 5 chapters of Rambam (Maimonides' Code), because there is going to be a terrible Holocaust, and whoever holds onto this holy study schedule will be saved."

The article caused a great stir, and many turned to us to clarify what the Rav shlit"a truly intended. After they approached the Rav with the question, the Tzaddik answered and said, "People did not understand my words correctly; the Holocaust is only supposed to be in another 200 years, Heaven forbid, and with Hashem's help, the Rav will sweeten everything and it will all turn over for the good."

On the same subject, the Rav spoke in a lesson and said, "In another 200 years, the war of Gog and Magog will begin."

The Rav continues to speak at a home gathering about the cancellation of the decree

Our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a continued to clarify the matter, and at a home gathering held in Neve Yaakov at the home of Rabbi Rachamim Bracha, the Rav said—"In another two hundred years there will be the war of Gog and Magog, but the blessings can be fulfilled every day. Gog and Magog can only take place in another two hundred years; it is written 'two-thirds.' This is like receiving the Shabbat 40 minutes before sunset. This week, for example, the sunset will be at 16:46, so we light candles at 16:06."

"Everyone who comes to the Rav's lesson will live until two hundred, this one will live 300, this one 400, and this one 500—everyone will live 2000 years. We must be Shuvu Banim and cancel the decrees."

Saturday night at Melaveh Malkah - "We canceled the decree"

During the Melaveh Malkah (post-Shabbat meal), in his holy residence, our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a said, "Today is 'Chayei Sarah' (The Life of Sarah), not the death of Sarah; Sarah lives forever, the Tzaddik lives forever."

"One Tzaddik can sweeten all the decrees in the world. The Midrash Rabbah says that now one Tzaddik is enough. After we received the Torah, after we have Rebbe Nachman, one Tzaddik can sweeten all the decrees."

"Now there was already Gog and Magog; the missiles already reached Highway 1. I said that one needs to travel to Tel Aviv via Haifa. But they canceled the decree, we finished it, there was a decree, they said Tikkun HaKlali, they said Shacharis (morning prayer)."

"The Shacharis prayer cancels all the decrees. Shacharis, Mincha (afternoon prayer), Maariv (evening prayer)—praying in 'Shuvu' (the Shuvu Banim yeshiva) sweetens all the decrees in the world. There is nothing it doesn't sweeten. On Thursday we started praying at 12:00, let's hope we start earlier; now it will be at seven. At a quarter to five will be the Mincha prayer, and after that there will be two hours to study Likutey Halachos (the teachings of Reb Noson) and the Gemara in Niddah."

And we see that this is not the first time that our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, warns of a terrible decree and then announces that it has been sweetened. On this subject, the late Gaon Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l (of blessed memory) spoke.

As is known, many times the words of the Rav shlit"a have been published regarding decrees that, Heaven forbid, are looming over the world. The Tzaddik sees things at their root and, Baruch Hashem (thank G-d), even before they manifest, the Rav takes upon himself more humiliations and sweetens them. In one of the final lessons of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l, he spoke about the suffering the Rav endures for the sake of the People of Israel and the world—thereby sweetening the decrees.

The words of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l on the Tzaddik's sweetening of judgments

"The Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a could have lived in the honor of the world as one of the Admors (Chassidic Rebbes), everything wonderful and everyone just bowing before him. But, he chose for himself to be despised, humiliated, and persecuted. His greatness in Torah is not even graspable; his holiness is not graspable at all. Rabbi Berland shlit"a said that the Intifada would stop after the rally in Hebron; the Prime Minister came and said 'we made sure the Intifada stopped'—all credit to him, really."

Rabbi Berland's words on the war of Gog and Magog

In order to bring these matters closer to the heart and shed light on the subject, we have edited selected words from the lessons of our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a regarding the war of Gog and Magog, the period we are currently in, the birth pangs of Mashiach, and the Redemption.

(A lesson given by Rabbi Berland shlit"a on Tuesday, Parshas Masei, 27th of Tammuz, 5755)

"Now we are in the Ikvesa D'Meshicha (the Footsteps of Mashiach); we see now that they really want to sell Israel to the nations of the world. The People of Israel are in the greatest trouble, 'your destroyers and wasters shall come from within you.' The Midrash says in Parshat Shemini that before Gog and Magog, Mashiach will come; there will suddenly be terrible things."

"Rebbe Nachman brings (Siach Sarfey Kodesh, Part 2, 31) that it is possible to cancel all the decrees if everyone would join together in prayer, for the trouble is that not everyone joins in prayer at all. There are those who say it's good for me that Jews are being killed, they deserve to die, but if the Tzaddikim were complete in my mind, in my faith, and their religion was with me, I would completely cancel all the decrees decreed upon Israel. For then (in the Rebbe's time) it was decreed to take [children for the army], a million jumped into the Volga, half a million Jews remained holy souls, a million children jumped into the Volga."

"My mother's cousin told me that to this day he wakes up every night; he cannot sleep with everything he saw in Auschwitz. They took him to a place of an 'Agudah,' he saw thousands of children walking, and some Nazi was walking there—he was one of the 'Righteous Among the Nations' (the Rav says ironically), apparently from the S.S., from the Gestapo. They put a cloth with gas on each one; they didn't want to burn them alive, they were 'Righteous Among the Nations.' Within a second the child fell; they didn't know there were stronger children who didn't die from it, so they threw them alive into the fire, may Hashem have mercy. All the children of every age without exception gave such a cry—'Shema Yisrael Hashem,' such a cry that he does not forget his whole life. Every night he wakes up with weeping; he says 9, 8, 7—'Eloheinu Hashem Echad' (Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One)."

"The Biur HaLikutim says (end of lesson 282) that if we do not perform the Yichudim (spiritual unifications) that need to be done, then they simply take the souls of children. Specifically children, 'and graze your kids by the shepherds' dwellings,' and through these children the Yichud (unification) is made."

"Because our entire work is to reach the level of an infant, to the breath of the mouth that has no sin. When a person is close to a true Tzaddik, then he can receive the breath of the mouth that has no sin."

(Wednesday, 2nd day of Chol HaMoed Sukkot, eve of 18th of Tishrei 5759, Yahrtzeit of Rebbe Nachman)

"The Holy One, Blessed be He, wanted to make Hezekiah (Chizkiyahu) the Mashiach and Sennacherib Gog and Magog, and He was already about to make him Mashiach, then the Samael (the Accuser) arrived, the great prosecutor came and said: Where are the songs and melodies? For Hezekiah did not say a song! He hasn't played a melody yet! He hasn't done a dance yet! How can You make him King Mashiach if he hasn't yet sung or played?!"

"King Hezekiah drove a sword into the entrance of the House of Study and said: Whoever does not study Torah shall be pierced by the sword. War broke out, there are no weapons, no riders, no horses, nothing. King Sennacherib says, 'I will give you two thousand horses, let's have a little war.' The Sfat Emet in Parshat Beshalach explains that Hezekiah did not know what to say song over; he said, 'I knew that Hashem would perform a miracle, I knew that Hashem would save the People of Israel.' But, Hashem is waiting for song, Hashem is waiting for some melody; immediately the letter 'Mem' was closed. After the Accuser came and said, 'Master of the World, why didn't he say a song? How can You make a person Mashiach who doesn't play music, who doesn't sing?'"

"The Attribute of Justice said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the World, if David King of Israel, who said so many songs and praises before You, You did not make him Mashiach—Hezekiah, for whom You performed all these miracles and he did not say a song before You, will You make him Mashiach? Therefore, the 'Mem' was closed. Immediately the Earth opened and said before Him: Master of the World, I will say a song in place of this Tzaddik and You make him Mashiach. It opened and said a song before Him, as it is said, 'From the wing of the earth we have heard songs, glory to the Tzaddik.' The Minister of the World said before Him: Master of the World, fulfill the desire of this Tzaddik. The Angel Metatron wanted to sing; Hashem said to him: You cannot sing in place of Hezekiah even though you are the Angel Metatron. The Minister of the World wanted to sing in place of Hezekiah... the Minister of the World said before Him: Master of the World, fulfill the desire of the Tzaddik. A Heavenly Voice (Bat Kol) went out and said, 'My secret is mine, my secret is mine.' The Prophet said: Woe is me, woe is me, until when will this be delayed? It was supposed to be the moment of Redemption! One song, one melody, and there would have been the Redemption, and 'to peace there is no end,' the Holy Temple would have been built, the Third Temple, the final Temple, and there would have been the Redemption..."