Festivals for joy. Whoever has not seen the joy of Pesach in the holy community of Shuvu Banim with The Rav, the holy Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, has never seen joy in his life.

We merited to pray together with the congregation in the presence of an angel of Hashem Tzevakos for 13 hours of song, dancing, and spiritual ascent—serving Hashem through prayer with singing and dancing in a way that has no equal anywhere in the world.

Fortunate is the eye that saw all this…

Fortunate is the people for whom it is so…

Fortunate is the generation that merited him…

More than 13 consecutive hours standing, without rest, beginning with the Minchah prayer of Pesach Shabbos. Immediately after Minchah, The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, continued with the holy order of Seudah Shlishis of Shabbos, with zemiros and fiery enthusiasm.

As is his holy custom, the Rav shlit"a ignited the congregation for many long hours, and immediately after Birkas HaMazon he began Maariv for Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh with Ya’aleh VeYavo. The first night of Sefiras HaOmer was also said with tremendous enthusiasm.

The Rav shlit"a made Havdalah, and then continued again—this time to the Melaveh Malkah meal and the recitation of Chatzos. The light of the singing and dancing only grew stronger as the hours passed, until the congregation noticed that The Rav shlit"a had begun the morning zemiros—Shacharis of Chol HaMoed with the recitation of Hallel, with great fervor.

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, began the Mussaf prayer together with the congregation only at 8:35 the next morning. This means that the Rav shlit"a spent most of the hours of Shabbos in prayer and song already from Kabbalas Shabbos and Maariv, which lasted about 3 hours. Shacharis and Mussaf of Pesach Shabbos—prayed with melody and song—lasted 7 hours, from 4:30 until 11:30.

You don’t need to be especially sensitive to understand that this is not within the concepts of our generation…

We know of Tzaddikim who pray in solitude for many long hours, closed alone in their room. But a Tzaddik who has already passed the age of 85, who performs such holy avodah together with hundreds of his chassidim—joining to them hundreds of simple Jews, men, women, and children—and bringing them to such deveikus and holy awakening with yearning—such a thing we have not found…

To understand even a little of the greatness of the Tzaddik’s mesirus nefesh and holiness, it is important to note that The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, began the avodah of Shabbos with the G-d-fearing public after he had been awake the entire night at the Pesach Seder with tremendous enthusiasm.

Father, thank You for the merit to gather in the shade of the “nachal novea”…

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