Story: Do You Know Against Whom You Signed? For Ten Years My Mind Has Been Clean / A Wondrous Story

A Shaking Story: "Do you know against whom you signed? He cleaned my mind!"

This is an awe-inspiring story that illustrates what is happening in our generation, and how an awesome and terrible tzaddik, who is truly the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik of our generation, is so hidden and subjected to disgrace, may Hashem have mercy.

The Encounter with the Rosh Yeshiva

A certain Jew shared a shaking incident he experienced when he saw one of the Roshei Yeshivos (heads of yeshivas) who had signed a petition against Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. This Jew could not remain silent; he approached the Rosh Yeshiva and asked him with deep pain: "Do you even know against whom you signed?"

To illustrate to the Rosh Yeshiva the magnitude of his mistake, the Jew decided to share his personal story of salvation. He told him that in the past, he was in an extremely low spiritual state, truly sunken in the fifty gates of impurity, may Hashem protect us.

Salvation Before the Holy Ark

This Jew desperately wanted to do complete teshuvah (repentance), but he suffered from terrible torments. All sorts of evil and difficult thoughts from his past relentlessly pursued him, and he simply could not rid himself of them. In his distress, he came to Morinu HaRav shlit"a to ask for help.

When the Rav heard his distress, he stood up, opened the Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark), and placed his head inside it for a while. "From that moment on," the Jew testified, "all the evil thoughts flew away and vanished from me. My mind became completely clean!"

Everything happened through the power of this holy and awesome tzaddik, who is truly Yosef HaTzaddik in our generation. If so, how are people not afraid to sign against and disgrace a Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the righteous one who is the foundation of the world)? May Hashem protect and save us.

A Wondrous Story: Why Did the Deceased Father Appear in a Dream to All Eight of His Children During the Shiva?

A Jew named Ami Weizman, may his light shine, who was an eyewitness to the event, recently shared an awe-inspiring story. The events were recounted during a special gathering that takes place every Thursday night at the "Nachalei Netzach" Yeshiva in the Mea Shearim neighborhood. This shaking incident reveals a glimpse of the wondrous conduct of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a and the immense power of a Pidyon Nefesh (redemption of the soul) in the Upper Worlds.

The Pidyon Nefesh and the Passing of the Father

There was a family whose father fell ill with a severe disease and reached a critical condition, truly on his deathbed. The worried family members rushed urgently to Morinu HaRav shlit"a to beg for mercy for their father. The Rav shlit"a instructed them to bring a Pidyon Nefesh for a massive sum for his healing. The family members followed the Rav's words and indeed brought the requested amount.

To their great sorrow, despite their efforts, the decree was sealed and the father passed away to his eternal home. After the passing, the sons came to the Rav shlit"a and argued that since their father had passed away, they wished to receive the Pidyon money back. Morinu HaRav shlit"a did not hesitate for a moment, and immediately returned all the money to them in full.

A Chilling Revelation in a Dream

The amazing turning point in the story occurred on the second day of the shiva (seven days of mourning). On the morning of that day, all eight family members woke from their sleep deeply shaken. They looked at each other in great panic, and soon the chilling reason became clear: they had all dreamt the exact same dream that night.

In the dream, their deceased father appeared and addressed them with an unequivocal demand. "Return the money to the tzaddik immediately!" the father cried out in the dream, explaining the reason: "The Pidyon you gave to the tzaddik is sorely missing for me in Heaven!"

The terrified sons rushed to return the Pidyon money to Morinu HaRav shlit"a, now understanding the magnitude of the spiritual action that had been performed for their father. This story, which joins several other similar stories from reliable sources, illustrates just how far the actions of the tzaddik are beyond our comprehension, and how the Pidyon Nefesh accompanies and protects a person even in the World of Truth.

An Awesome Story: The Severe Burns and the Promise That Astonished the Doctors

A certain Jew shared a wondrous and awesome story about an open miracle that occurred with his brother. This brother was involved in building a mikvah (ritual bath) for the elevation of the soul of one of his children who had passed away to his eternal home. In the middle of the construction work, while he was inside a closed room together with his son, a sudden disaster struck. A pipe of boiling water suddenly burst, and the two were severely burned. Their bodies swelled terribly, and their condition was critical. The doctors at the hospital were very pessimistic, stating that they had only a ten percent chance of survival.

A Cry from the Crowd

The worried brother hurried to our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, to seek a salvation. When he arrived, it was very difficult for him to approach the Rav, as he was surrounded by a massive crowd of people. Since it was a true situation of pikuach nefesh (life-threatening danger), he did not wait and shouted to the Rav from afar: "The Rav shlit"a! My brother and his son are in great danger!"

The Rav shlit"a heard his cry and answered him immediately: "Bring a Pidyon Nefesh for such-and-such amount." The Jew hurried to do as the Rav said and brought the Pidyon Nefesh as requested. Afterwards, the Rav shlit"a himself arrived at the hospital and entered the room where the wounded were lying. The sight was unbearable, and the heads of the wounded were swollen to twice their normal size.

A Promise Against All Odds

The Rav shlit"a stood in the room and began to recite The Tikkun HaKlali together with those present with tremendous spiritual awakening. At the end of the recitation, the Rav shlit"a declared with absolute certainty: "In three weeks, they will be standing on their feet." To the doctors who heard this, the promise sounded laughable, as their medical condition was critical and left little room for hope.

But the words of a tzaddik do not return empty. The Jew who told the story concluded his words with great emotion: The tremendous miracle indeed took place in full! Exactly as the Rav shlit"a promised, after three weeks the two were completely healed and stood on their feet. Baruch Hashem, today they are healthy and strong by the grace of Hashem, blessed be He, and serve as a living testimony to the power of a tzaddik.

From Issue 79 — Parashas Vayakhel

From the series "A Tzaddik Rules in the Fear of God" — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" publications