A Lesson for the Residents of Or Akiva at the Home of The Rav

'Shuvu Banim' Activity in Or Akiva ○ Summary of the Lesson

Also in Or Akiva, as in all Shuvu Banim branches throughout the country, nestled among the apartment blocks, there is a place for prayer and Torah in the light of our holy Rebbe, with vitality and melodies, and in the special path as outlined by our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

In the past, the synagogue was located within two kindergartens that were joined together, where the anash (community members) of the Shuvu Banim community in Or Akiva prayed. Today, with great siyata d'shmaya (heavenly assistance), there is a more suitable building for the synagogue, named after our holy Rebbe, "Breslov - Shuvu Banim." The place is active during the weekdays and on Shabbat with prayers filled with melodies and immense vitality. A midnight kollel also takes place there, and in addition, a lesson in Kabbalah is held every Thursday night by the honorable Rabbi Shlomo Elmaliah shlit"a, one of the students of our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a.

[caption id="attachment_52464" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The 'Shuvu Banim Givat Olga' congregation at a lesson in the home of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a[/caption]

The residents of Or Akiva were privileged to enter the residence of Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a this evening, the night of the 10th of Elul, for a special lesson.

In the lesson, our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a, initially mentioned the story of Samson and his vengeance against the Philistines, along with several other aggadic teachings. Afterward, he added words of encouragement regarding the study of Torah. Before you is an excerpt from his words:

A person comes to study Torah twenty-four hours a day, like "Jacob, a simple man, dwelling in tents" (Genesis 25:27), whereas Esau is the opposite, "a man of the field" (ibid.) - not a man of the field who performs an hour of hitbodedut, but a man who goes with a bow and arrows... A person comes to see Hashem face-to-face like Moses our Teacher, to see Hashem face-to-face! A person must see Hashem face-to-face, just as Hashem stands before him; to see Hashem face-to-face is his service. "There has not arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses" (Deuteronomy 34:10), who saw Hashem face-to-face. "Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent" (Exodus 33:11). So, to see Hashem face-to-face is the entire goal; this is the entire goal of Breslov Shuvu Banim. If they ask you, what is Shuvu Banim? What is it...? It is to see Hashem face-to-face! We see Hashem face-to-face! We see the Divine Providence of Hashem, we see the Divine Providence of Hashem in every detail and step, such that such Divine Providence has never existed since the creation of the world. Every generation comes to reveal a new Divine Providence!

Afterward, he continued to speak and reveal new insights regarding the Torah portion - Ki Teitzei. Following that, he spoke about the self-sacrifice of Yael when she killed Sisera. Then, our teacher, the Rav, spoke again about the Torah portion, elaborating on the question of why it is written, "Remember what Hashem your God did to Miriam," and if that is what we remember of Miriam, after she sacrificed herself for the sake of the people of Israel, for the sake of Moses our Teacher. Subsequently, he spoke about the prayer of Hannah, as well as the upcoming Torah portion - Ki Tavo, regarding the matter of the first fruits (Bikkurim). Finally, he moved on to the subject of the Scroll of Esther and how she did not forsake her people and her homeland with self-sacrifice, and our teacher, the Rav, began singing 'And Esther added and spoke...' for several minutes, thereby concluding the lesson, which lasted for over fifty minutes.

[caption id="attachment_52453" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, delivering a lesson to the residents of Or Akiva[/caption]