A Miracle Was Done for the Roses • Chanukah Gathering for the “Mitchabrim”

As every year, this Chanukah too a special Chanukah gathering was held with the participation of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a for the “Mitchabrim” Yeshivah, in his holy residence

This year, the Chanukah gathering took place in the home of The Rav shlit"a, on the fifth night of Chanukah—Monday night, the 29th of Kislev. At 10:00 PM, The Rav entered his holy residence and immediately began a fiery, flame-like shiur on the greatness of the days of Chanukah. In the shiur, The Rav addressed many topics. Among them, as he has been doing throughout this recent period, The Rav spoke about the Ramban’s question: Why did Yaakov curse Shimon and Levi, when Dinah had been abducted by Shechem and they were the ones who freed her? From one matter to the next, he spoke about the abduction of the Baal Shem Tov’s daughter, Udel, and his attendant, R’ Tzvi, on the way to Eretz Yisrael, by the “Eidimkes.” After that, The Rav devoted most of the shiur to the story of the miracle of Chanukah—from the revolt against the Greeks, and how Mattisyahu was not afraid and smashed the idolatrous altar, and how the Maccabees succeeded in defeating the largest and most advanced army in the world. The Rav then spoke about the matter of Eliezer, and the questions that are asked against the Tzaddik, and how, in the merit of being “silent,” he merited to see Yaakov and Esav and to understand that Esav is only the outer shell (kelipah) of Yaakov. At the conclusion of the shiur, The Rav strengthened the bochurim to marry young and not to wait until older ages, and he blessed everyone that they should merit to get married already this year—amen!

After the uplifting shiur ended, the bochurim passed by one after another to receive “Chanukah gelt” from the holy hands of The Rav—Chanukah money. The Rav shlit"a greeted each and every bochur with a shining countenance, personally strengthened each one, and blessed each one according to the salvation he needed.