The Activities of “Shuvu Banim Yerucham” ○ A Summary from the Lesson in the Home of Rabbi Berland shlit"a

The residents of Yerucham were privileged: more than ten years ago, the “Shuvu Banim” synagogue was established in the southern town of Yerucham. Even though the synagogue is located in a public shelter, it has become a powerful magnet for young people—especially because of the heartfelt prayers with melodies that take place there. In addition, students of The Rav Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a come from time to time to deliver lessons in the synagogue, adding substance and holiness for the many young people growing up in the southern town, whose souls have been yearning for the word of Hashem... The “Shuvu Banim Yerucham” community was privileged last week, on Wednesday night, the eve of the 28th of Av, to enter “into the inner sanctum” for a special lesson. In the lesson, Rabbi Berland shlit"a spoke about the matter of Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival in Parshas Re’eh, and about Shimon and Levi who killed all of Shechem. After that, he spoke about the greatness of the tribe of Dan—who gathers in all the camps—and how he merits to judge all of the people of Israel favorably, like Hashem. Afterwards, he spoke about the greatness of a woman, and how much one must honor a woman with beautiful words. Below is a portion of the lesson:

“It is written: ‘Your iniquity is complete, O daughter of Zion’ (Eichah 4:22). After Tishah B’Av we go out dancing—‘Your iniquity is complete, O daughter of Zion’—there is no iniquity. A woman has no iniquity. Evil inclinations belong to a man, not to a woman. A woman is only what people entice her into, what they cause her to stumble in; but if she finds her own path, she has no yetzer hara. Therefore she is exempt from tefillin, because tefillin come to atone for transgressions; tefillin come to atone for everything a person does. Now I saw in the sefer of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, the father of Rabbi Menachem Mendel [the last Lubavitcher Rebbe], that he says tefillin and tzitzis—and the tallis—come to atone for the evil thoughts that a person sins with every night: he has thoughts about women, thoughts about this… and he doesn’t know how to get rid of them. Then he needs to know that it is only his wife—my wife is exactly ‘a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud.’ A woman is both a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud.”

After that, he spoke about Miriam and Aharon who spoke against Moshe, and he added more on the subject of shalom bayis. Afterwards, he spoke in depth in Torah about the laws of inheritance, and he discussed the episode of the concubine in Giv’ah, and the might of Shimshon against the Philistines. At the end of the lesson, he spoke about the division of the Land, and how each lot would proclaim on its own where it belonged—and that if it had not been written regarding the place of the Beis HaMikdash, “the place that Hashem will choose...,” but instead it had said “Jerusalem,” no tribe would have agreed to the division. Because the Geulah will come only from Jerusalem!,

[caption id="attachment_52393" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Rabbi Berland shlit''a during the lesson for the residents of Yerucham[/caption]

After the lesson, The Rav shlit"a concluded with Kaddish sung with melodies, and then went out to Ma’ariv as on every evening, in the plaza of the prayer hall, with a great multitude.