A Lesson for the People of Rehovot in the Holy Residence of the Gaon HaTzaddik

Shuvu Banim Activities in the City of Rehovot ○ Summary from the Lesson

As in all the cities of Eretz Yisrael, so too in the city of Rehovot the light of the Tzaddik has arrived. Each week, the Shuvu Banim Rehovot community gathers for a minyan on Friday night, with the melodies of The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. One of the community members who has drawn close in recent years is Rabbi Yair Mor shlit"a, the head of the “Yishrei Lev” Kollel in the city. In the past, Rabbi Yair Mor published an investigative report that stirred up waves—an extensive coverage of the entire controversy surrounding The Rav shlit"a—together with an extraordinary story of coming close.

Some of these men from Rehovot merited to enter inside for a holy lesson on Wednesday night, the eve of 4 Teves, before the Ma’ariv prayer.

The Rav shlit"a began the lesson by speaking about these days: how Adam HaRishon would light candles after Chanukah until the Tenth of Teves, because he was certain that due to the sin, the world was growing darker and diminishing—until “Zos Chanukah,” when the sunset began to be delayed again. He then spoke about the verse “Do you have a father or a brother?” from this week’s parashah, Vayigash, explaining that this is the secret behind the dispute between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel regarding the order of lighting the Chanukah candles—whether one adds and increases, or decreases. He connected this to the secret of the dreidel, “GaShNeH,” as brought in Sichos HaRan 40. After that, he continued speaking about Adam HaRishon.

Later in the lesson, he related the miracle of rescue of the Gaavad, Rabbi Tuvia Weiss zt"l, in the Kindertransport. After that, he spoke about Eldad and Meidad, who spoke about the passing of Moshe. But the truth is that the Tzaddik is alive and enduring—just as Rebbe Nachman is alive and enduring! He also spoke from Torah 282 about judging favorably: that a person must search for how to judge someone to the side of merit—that even if he committed a transgression, it was not his fault; he was under compulsion, and so on…

At the end of the lesson, he spoke about Eliezer, who found Rivkah through Ruach HaKodesh, and through signs—such as seeing in her practices of modesty when he said, “Please tilt your jug,” and she stood to the side. He also saw that she was a wise and understanding woman, when she said, “Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink.”

After fifty minutes of the lesson, The Rav shlit"a recited Kaddish and went out to the Ma’ariv prayer with a great crowd, from the balcony of his home.

The Rav, the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, giving a lesson to the residents of Rehovot