A Lesson for the Youth of Beer Sheva at the Residence of the Gaon and Tzaddik

On Wednesday, the night of the 16th of Sivan, Parshas Behaaloscha, a lesson was held for the youth of Beer Sheva at the residence of the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days).

Before you is a summary of the topics mentioned by our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, during the lesson:

All the tzaddikim (righteous ones) were snatched; even the Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) was snatched. There was a dispute between Yosef (Joseph) and the brothers regarding the inheritance. Yosef claimed there were 12 brothers, while the brothers claimed there were 8 brothers, and the sons of the handmaids were not counted. One must study the Rambam (Maimonides). Naftali would jump in a single second from Jerusalem to Egypt, a journey of 8 days. Then they forgot to bring the deed, so Eisav (Esau) did not agree. In Usha (a location of the Sanhedrin), they made many takanos (rabbinic enactments) that a husband inherits and can reclaim property from buyers. Then Chushim (son of Dan) did not understand why they weren't burying the grandfather (Yaakov), so the head rolled into the cave (Me'aras HaMachpelah), and the one in Har HaGilad prayed for Lavan that Eisav should be buried there. A person needs to travel every day to Me'aras HaMachpelah (the Cave of the Patriarchs). Yitzchak (Isaac) knew he (Eisav) was a murderer; he stole the clothes from Nimrod. "Until the coming of Chamath"—Onkelos translates this as "until Antioch." There is Upper Apamea and Lower Apamea. One person left Pumbedita and died immediately; it is written that someone passed away and wanted to descend from the Land of Israel to perform yibbum (levirate marriage abroad), and his teacher said to him, "Blessed is the Omnipresent who killed him." One who goes outside the Land of Israel marries a Cuthean (gentile woman). Rabbi Zira merited to enter the fire because they threw esrogim (citrons) at him. Like the story where someone dreamed, "When you pass through the waters, I am with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you..." (Isaiah 43:2), and the governor said to them, "I will test you; if you are Jews, I will throw you into the fire." So that person who dreamed "When you pass through..." entered the fire. Then the Gemara (Talmud) asks how far the yeshivas (Torah academies) extended; one says until Upper Apamea, and one says until Lower Apamea. Shmuel (Samuel) was born with the Shem HaMeforash (Explicit Name of God) because his father jumped with the Name to his wife. Rabbi Ilish fell into captivity and heard the voice of a raven. There was a man with him who understood the language of birds. Rabbi Ilish asked him, "What is the raven saying?" He told him: "The raven is calling, 'Ilish, flee!'" meaning he must escape from prison. Shmuel (the Amora) would always find a certain widow innocent in the Beis Din (rabbinical court). After he passed away, Rabbi Yehuda took his place and did not find her innocent. The woman said to him, "Shmuel always used to find me innocent." Rabbi Yehuda asked her what Shmuel looked like; the woman described him as stout and short with protruding teeth, appearing very ugly. Rabbi Yehuda "placed his eyes upon her" (a spiritual gaze) and turned her into a heap of bones. A person should only say praises to his wife, telling her: "We are one couple! We are the most compatible." Eldad and Meidad said, "Moshe (Moses) will die and Yehoshua (Joshua) will lead [the nation] in," so Miriam was immediately frightened. There are piyutim (liturgical poems) about the age of Yocheved, who lived over 250 years, because Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), before entering the Land (prior to his passing), comforted his mother over the passing of Miriam and Aharon, as well as his own passing which was to take place on the 7th of Adar. Miriam shouted at her father (Amram) for divorcing her mother, Yocheved, telling him he was worse than Pharaoh; for Pharaoh decreed only against the males, while he decreed against the females too. During the time she was divorced, she married Elitzaphan ben Parnach, and Eldad and Meidad were born to them. Then Eldad and Meidad returned in a gilgul (reincarnation), as brought in Tractate Chagigah. "Mouth to mouth I speak with him"—the mouth of Moshe is the mouth of Hashem. Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) wanted the mouth of Moshe. Returning to Eldad and Meidad, it is brought that they returned in a gilgul as deaf-mutes and would sit in the yeshiva of Rabbi (Yehuda HaNasi) in the front row, making signs that they understood everything. Rabbi prayed that they should speak, and it turned out they knew everything; they were mute only because it was forbidden to speak the prophecy. When a person travels to Uman, he can lengthen the life of another. Next week, they will read about the spies, the princes of Hashem, who did not want to enter without Moshe Rabbeinu. They wanted to kill Yehoshua because "Moshe dies and Yehoshua leads in." And this is "when Moshe saw the humility of Yehoshua," he merited to receive the letter 'Heh' of Sarah; this is the 'Yud' that was taken from Sarai before she received the news about Yitzchak. And this is what is written, that Sarah laughed, but in truth, she did not laugh at all; rather, she cried because she did not want to return to that terrible physical desire. For if a child is brought into the world not in holiness, then he removes his peyos (sidelocks). We were in Shefa-'Amr; an Arab told me that the meaning of the word is "Shufra D'Am" (the best of the nation). Therefore, the leaders of Zionism bought apartments there to preserve the place of the Sanhedrin. In Usha, there was also a seat of the Sanhedrin, and they enacted that a husband can reclaim property from buyers, and also enacted that a daughter receives a "tenth of the assets" (ishur nechasim). It turns out that daughters receive more than sons in a case where there are ten daughters. "Eldad and Meidad are prophesying" (M-T-N-B-I-M) is an acronym for "Moshe will die (Moshe Tamus) in the Garden of G-d (BeGan Elokim), Yehoshua will lead in (Yehoshua Machnis)." But in truth, Moshe did not die, for Moshe lives forever! And if so, they did not want to enter the Land and wanted to kill Yehoshua. Yehoshua moved the sun, and so did Moshe in the war against Amalek. And so he wrote four hundred Torah scrolls. "And they went," "And they came"—they went in distress and returned in distress, for they knew they would not enter the Land; they said all was lost. This is why Korach disagreed with Moshe, knowing they would sin: "So why did you send them?" But Moshe said, "If they ask, I must do what they ask." And then the destruction of the First and Second Temples was decreed. Now we are rectifying this and will merit the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen!