A Wondrous Story: When the Tzaddik Placed His Hand in the Burning Fire and 3 More Stories

A father who came with his daughter to receive a blessing from Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a wondered about the Rav's conduct. In response, the Rav placed his hand into a burning fire for twenty minutes and proved his holiness.

A Wondrous Story: When the Tzaddik Placed His Hand in the Burning Fire

A certain Jew related a wondrous and awesome event that he experienced himself, a testimony of what his own eyes saw and not a stranger's. This Jew, who is not the only one to recount this, once entered with his young daughter to our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, to ask for a blessing. During the meeting, the tzaddik placed his holy hands on the girl's head and blessed her.

The father, watching what was happening, found it very difficult to accept this conduct. He pondered this to himself, but the Rav, with his ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration), immediately sensed the father's thoughts and the doubts gnawing at his heart.

The Test of Fire in the Kitchen

Without saying a word about the thought itself, the Rav stood up and entered the kitchen together with the father. The Rav approached the stove, turned on the gas fire, and in an incomprehensible move, placed his holy hand directly into the fire, quite literally.

The father stood stunned in the face of this unbelievable sight. For twenty full minutes, the tzaddik's hand remained inside the burning flames. During that time, the Rav stood calmly and delivered an entire Torah class, as if he felt nothing at all.

Whoever Can Put His Hand in the Fire

Afterward, the Rav turned to the shocked father and asked him to also try putting his hands into the fire. The father tried to get close, but immediately recoiled backward from the intense heat of the burning fire.

Then the tzaddik looked at him and said a piercing, chilling sentence: "Whoever can put his hand into the fire, can also put his hand on the girl's head." (A similar practice is also cited in the book 'Uvda D'Aharon', page 156).

This wondrous story illustrates just how holy and pure the tzaddik's body is. We merit to see how physical fire is unable to control the holy body of a true tzaddik, who is filled with pure fear of God.

A Story of Mesirus Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice): Screaming at Night for Holiness Until Blood Came from His Throat

Whoever observes the figure of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, sees before him a person who has purified himself through spiritual work that has no equal. Behind this supreme holiness lie long years of endless labor, toil, fasting, and severe self-mortification.

Hisbodedus (Secluded Prayer) and Mesirus Nefesh (Self-Sacrifice) in the Forests

For years upon years, the Rav shlit"a would conduct hisbodedus (secluded prayer) for entire weeks in the forests and deserts. He would stay there without eating or drinking, completely immersed in serving Hashem. More than once, people who found him in these remote places discovered him completely fainted from the sheer amount of fasting and spiritual exertion.

The forests were witnesses to roars, screams, cries for help, and heartbreaking weeping. No creature in the world truly knows the extent of the Rav's mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice). Thus, for many long years, he refined and purified himself with supreme holiness, until he literally became an angel of God.

The Testimony of the Tzaddik from Kfar Shalem

The holy tzaddik Rabbi Zerachya Segal HaLevi zy"a (may his merit protect us), from Kfar Shalem, testified to his immense spiritual level. His words are brought in the book "HaTzaddik HaPeli" (The Wondrous Tzaddik), where he warns and writes piercing words: "God forbid to harm an angel of Hashem... faithful is our holy Rebbe." This testimony illustrates the awe and respect that the Torah giants of Israel, who recognized the magnitude of his holiness, held for him.

Screaming for Holiness Until Bleeding

Those close to him relate that already in the period immediately following his wedding, the Rav's service of Hashem was beyond all human comprehension. He would go out to the fields and isolated places, screaming for entire nights in order to merit holiness and draw closer to the Creator of the world.

His effort and yearning were so intense that he would cry out from the depths of his heart and soul. They say that due to the sheer force of his cries and weeping at night, blood would come from his throat. Only in this way, through absolute mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) and the renunciation of all physical comfort, did the Rav merit to attain that awesome, supernal holiness that we are privileged to witness today.

An Amazing Story: Leaping from the Van into a Dark Forest in the Middle of the Night

One of the amazing stories that illustrates the immense holiness and meticulous caution of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a took place decades ago. In those days, before the path to the holy gravesite in Uman was opened, the holy Kibbutz (gathering) for Rosh Hashanah took place in the holy city of Jerusalem. Many Chassidim would gather together to spend the exalted days of the holiday in the presence of the tzaddik.

The Journey Back to Bnei Brak

On the night after Rosh Hashanah, following the conclusion of the holiday's spiritual elevation, the travelers began making their way back from the holy city of Jerusalem toward the city of Bnei Brak. Morinu HaRav shlit"a traveled in a vehicle along with several students. In those years, the road from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak was not illuminated and paved as it is today; rather, it passed through areas that were like a desolate wilderness and dark forests.

In the middle of the nighttime journey, Morinu HaRav shlit"a suddenly became aware of a detail he had not known previously. It turned out that a woman was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle. She was a righteous woman who had worked tirelessly to prepare the food for the community of our people during the holiday, and she had now joined the ride to return to her home.

Leaping into the Darkness

The moment the Rav shlit"a realized there was a woman in the vehicle, his reaction was immediate and extreme. He did not wait even one more second. The Rav immediately asked the driver to stop the car, and he leaped out as if bitten by a snake. He did not consider the harsh terrain or the potential danger lurking outside.

Morinu HaRav shlit"a simply disappeared into the darkness of the night, in the middle of the desolate forest. He preferred to walk alone in the pitch black, just so he would not remain in the same enclosed space as a woman who was not his family. The sight of the tzaddik being swallowed up by the gloom left the passengers in absolute astonishment.

This story was etched into the memories of those present as a living, pulsating testimony to the tzaddik's mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) for guarding holiness and purity. It is a prime example of how a true tzaddik flees from even the slightest hint of a spiritual blemish, even at the cost of jumping into the unknown in the dead of night.

A Chilling Story: Smuggling Shechitah Knives into Soviet Russia with Self-Sacrifice

A certain Jew, one of the prominent Karliner Chassidim, was making his way back from Meron after the Hilula (anniversary of passing) of the Rashbi on Lag BaOmer. During the journey, he sat next to one of the students of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. Suddenly, the Chassid turned to the student and said to him with emotion: "I will tell you who your Rav really is!"

Learning Shechitah Without a Knife

That Chassid began to unfold his fascinating story from the time he lived in Soviet Russia, under the terror of the Communist regime. In those dark days, he approached the holy tzaddik Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber zt"l and asked him to teach him the craft of shechitah (ritual slaughter) and its laws.

Rabbi Yitzchak Zilber was puzzled by the request and said to him, "But what will you get out of this? There is absolutely no way to obtain a shechitah knife here!" Despite this, the Chassid did not give up. He learned the complex craft in a short period, relying completely on Hashem, may He be blessed, to provide him with a kosher knife.

It should be noted that during that era, obtaining shechitah knives under the Communist regime was an almost impossible task. All the more so, bringing knives in from abroad and smuggling them across the strict Russian border was considered an absolute miracle, completely above the laws of nature.

Self-Sacrifice Beyond the Iron Curtain

Then, one day, Rabbi Zilber zt"l informed him of joyous and inconceivable news: "Baruch Hashem (Thank God), a young Torah scholar named Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a has arrived here, and he brought with him eight premium knives for *shechitah*!" These were very expensive knives, each worth about 500 shekels, but their true value in Soviet Russia was absolutely priceless.

The Jew was beside himself with joy and awe. He was astounded by the immense mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) of that righteous young scholar, who abandoned his own safety and risked his life to cross the terrifying borders of Russia.

Smuggling knives into a Communist country involved enormous danger, but Rabbi Berland shlit"a's Ahavas Yisrael (love for his fellow Jews) and his concern for Diaspora Jewry overcame all fear. This act was etched in the Chassid's heart forever, serving as a living testimony to the tzaddik's self-sacrifice for the preservation of Torah and mitzvos anywhere in the world.

From Issue 79 — Parashas Nasso

From the series "Tzaddik Moshel Yiras Elokim" (A tzaddik rules in the fear of God) — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" (Nachmani spoke well) publications