A Story of Mesiras Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice): The Eternity of Israel and the Miracles Surrounding Rabbi Berland shlit"a

An inspiring account of the eternity of the Jewish people, drawing a parallel between the Exodus from Egypt and the revealed miracles and mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, in the face of relentless persecution.

The holy tzaddik, Rabbi Binyamin Rabinowitz zt"l, would frequently quote the words of the holy Rabbi Yosef Yaavetz zy"a, one of the greatest Torah leaders among the exiles of Spain. Rabbi Yosef Yaavetz said: "The miracle that the Jewish people live and endure through so many years of exile is even greater than the Exodus from Egypt."

To this, Rabbi Binyamin zt"l would add that these words were spoken during the era of Rabbi Yosef Yaavetz. How much more so in our own times, when we see the sheer volume of persecution and suffering the Jewish people have endured. The primary persecution has always come from the enemies of Israel, who sought to erase the name of Hashem from the lips of the Jewish people and to abolish the holy Torah and emunah (faith).

Yet, despite everything, the verse is fulfilled within us: "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad." The Jewish people live and endure, and the Eternal One of Israel does not deceive. We guard the holy Torah, which we received some four thousand years ago, with absolute mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice). We will walk the path of Torah through fire and water without deviating in the slightest. It is impossible to fathom or describe the tremendous Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's Name) in this; these are miracles that completely transcend the laws of nature.

We see tangibly how no trace remains of all the enemies of Israel and persecutors of the faith from past generations. Not of Haman, not of Sisera, nor of the great oppressors of recent generations like Hitler and Stalin, may their names be erased, who vanished like a fleeting dream. Meanwhile, the Jewish people—the oppressed and persecuted who endured horrific and agonizing suffering—have survived. No amount of torment or imprisonment has ever weakened the spiritual fortitude of the Jewish soul.

Revealed Miracles in the Face of Terrible Persecution

We are witnessing this very phenomenon today in a tremendous revelation, in a manner never heard of before. We are eyewitnesses to the salvations, miracles, and wonders that Hashem, blessed be He, performs with great mercy for the Tzaddik Yesod Olam (the righteous one who is the foundation of the world), our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

Despite the horrific ways he is persecuted, Heaven spare us, and though by natural means they have already done everything possible through years of chasing him from country to country—entire books could be written about this alone. Yet, despite it all, every single day we merit to see miracles and wondrous stories that completely overturn the laws of nature.

I recall that at the beginning of this terrible persecution, several years ago, a certain man recounted walking to the holy yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Where are you going?" When he replied that he was heading to the Shuvu Banim yeshiva, the person looked at him in sheer astonishment and asked, "Does such a yeshiva still exist?"

In another instance, two individuals went out to collect tzedakah (charity) for the yeshiva. When a man opened his door and they requested a donation for Shuvu Banim, he too was bewildered, remarking, "I thought that community no longer existed."

The Voice of Hashem Cleaves with Flames of Fire

But Hashem, blessed be He, was, is, and always will be the Maker of all deeds, and He alone determines reality. "Hashem protects all who love Him." Just as in the story of the Exodus from Egypt, where after many years of horrific persecution, Hashem sent His servant Moshe and Aharon the Kohen. They executed judgments against Pharaoh and all his servants, and brought the Jewish people out with a tremendous public display that echoed throughout the entire world.

At that moment, the lie and heresy of "my power and the might of my hand" was shattered and subdued. So too now, in the most wondrous of ways, the voice of Hashem cleaves with flames of fire, echoing and declaring that there is a Master to this world.

All the falsehood, all the illusions of nature, and the entire mindset of "my power and the might of my hand" are exposed as complete lies. Everything is nullified by the power of the mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) of the tzaddik and his students, who continue to shine the light of emunah (faith) into the world despite all the trials and tribulations.

From Issue 81 — Parshas Shmini

From the series "Tzaddik Moshel Yiras Elokim" — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" publications