A Lesson for the Worshippers of the “Shuvu Banim” Minyan in Bnei Brak

The Minyan’s Shabbos-Night Activity in the City of Torah ○ A Summary from the Lesson

Yeshivah bochurim, bnei Torah, and the rest of Hashem’s people who live in the City of Torah know that if they want to taste the flavor of a true Shabbos, they need to come to the minyan with the melodies of The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, on Shach"l Street 10 in Bnei Brak. This minyan, which has brought hundreds closer to the great light, has been operating for more than six years with the same vitality every Shabbos.

About how the minyan was established, the chassidic elder R’ Yosef Lebeiv, the gabbai of the place, relates:

“When we were with Rabbi Berland in South Africa a few years ago, the Rav extended Kabbalas Shabbos for an hour and a half. The light we received from the niggunim was tremendous. One evening after we returned to Eretz Yisrael, we were a group of our people—ten in number—in a field, and we sang those niggunim with great awakening. Then one of the participants had the idea to open a minyan every Shabbos. At first the idea was only for Friday-night prayers, and indeed many began coming every Erev Shabbos for a one-of-a-kind tefillah with niggunim and dancing—a prayer that lasts about an hour and a half, together with words of Torah said in the middle.”

[caption id="attachment_53293" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, giving a lesson for the worshippers of the Shuvu Banim minyan in Bnei Brak[/caption]

“Before long, word about the minyan spread, and many began to frequent the place. True, not everyone can come every single Shabbos, since the minyan is far for them, but many worshippers come—each person according to his ability. The human landscape is diverse, and you can see worshippers from all communities and circles. The minyan is located in the home of the father of Rabbi Avraham Lebeiv, on Shach"l Street 10. Rabbi Berland shlit"a came to the place a number of times, and each time many arrived to listen and be strengthened by his great light. In general, the responses about the minyan’s impact are astonishing. One neighbor once asked why there was no minyan that Shabbos. It was close to Rosh Hashanah, when most of the public had already traveled to Uman, and she explained that since the minyan was established, she sits captivated and listens to the prayers instead of going to sleep after lighting candles.”

[caption id="attachment_53288" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, giving a lesson for the worshippers of the Shuvu Banim minyan in Bnei Brak[/caption]

Some of the minyan’s participants—close to forty men—entered this past Monday night, the eve of the 14th of MarCheshvan, for a lesson at the home of The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. In the lesson, Rabbi Berland shlit"a spoke about several topics, including matters of the day: that in His abundant mercy, Hashem magnified kindness for us and brought about the great victory in the elections a few days earlier. After that, he spoke about the greatness of prayer at Rachel Imeinu, and said that whoever has not yet traveled should go today, and that it is considered like “Isru Chag” with regard to the yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu. After that, he spoke about Iyov—that if he had accepted the suffering with love, they would mention him in Shemoneh Esrei: “the G-d of Iyov.” After that, he spoke from the weekly parashah: that Sarah did not want to return to desire, and she cried over this; therefore it is written, “And Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ for she was afraid; and He said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” After more than forty minutes of a fiery, blazing lesson, he concluded with Kaddish and blessed all the participants in the minyan.