According to the Law • With the Participation of Dayanim and Mo"tz

On Tuesday, the 26th of Tammuz, Parshas Matot-Masei, a special ceremony was held at the residence of our teacher, The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), for the distribution of certificates to the students of the Kollel Hora'ah (institute for rabbinic training) of the Shuvu Banim institutions.

The students, who labored, studied, and were tested with great knowledge on Yoreh Deah Part 2 and Choshen Mishpat (laws of neighborly damages), merited to enter the inner sanctum for the certificate distribution ceremony. The event was attended by distinguished Dayanim (rabbinical judges), including the member of the Badatz (rabbinical court), the Gaon Rabbi Sander Erbenfeld shlit"a, the Gaon Rabbi Amram Hoffman shlit"a, and the Rosh Kollel and Mo"tz (halachic authority) of our community, the Gaon Rabbi Nachman Cohen shlit"a. Alongside them sat the manager of the institutions, who is greatly accomplished in this holy work, the Chassid Rabbi Natan Chananya shlit"a.

The ceremony opened with the words of the Gaon Rabbi Nachman Cohen shlit"a, who praised the precious students who sit and toil, studying the aforementioned laws with great passion, as these are among the most difficult laws in Dayanus (rabbinical judging). The Rosh Kollel further spoke about the vast scope of knowledge the students reached through their study and examinations. Afterward, the members of the Badatz, Rabbi Amram Hoffman shlit"a and Rabbi Sander Erbenfeld shlit"a, spoke and uplifted the students who were tested before them to receive the Badatz certificates testifying to their extensive knowledge. Rabbi Sander added that it is not by chance that one sees this spirit, but rather it comes from the "Head of the Tribes" (Rosh HaMatot) — our teacher, The Rav shlit"a, who instills in them the spirit of diligence in the study of the holy Torah. Upon the conclusion of these words, our teacher, The Rav shlit"a, entered the ceremony and delivered his holy discourse.

Before you is a summary of the topics mentioned by our teacher, The Rav shlit"a, during his holy discourse:

Today is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of the 'Yismach Moshe' (Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhel); he was a soul of the kind that had never descended before, and he would cry all day over the troubles of the Jewish people. The small 'Aleph' [in the word Vayikra] comes to hint at Rabbi Akiva, who merited more than Moshe, for Rabbi Akiva merited the letter 'Shin' of the Tefillin, while Moshe only merited the 'Yud' — the knot of the Tefillin. But this changed from 'Akiva' [with an Aleph] to 'Akivah' [with a Heh], because he had to undergo the iron combs since he did not attend all the lessons of Rabbi Eliezer the Great.

The Rav then discussed the issue of the timing of the wood-gatherer (Mekoshesh) — whether it was on the second Shabbat, or a year and a half after the Exodus from Egypt (after the second Ninth of Av), or at the end of the fortieth year. He explained that regarding the fact that the law was seemingly hidden from Moshe, the daughters of Zelophehad told him, "He died in his own sin," meaning he was not in the assembly of Korach nor in the assembly of the spies. For whoever disputes the Tzaddik did not receive a portion in the Land.

The spies said they saw giants, but the truth is they did not want to enter the Land without Moshe. And "when Moshe saw the humility of Joshua," he saw that even though they wanted to kill Joshua because of the prophecy "Moshe dies and Joshua brings them in," Joshua went with them because Moshe told him to, and he did not sleep for forty days and forty nights. The Tzaddik does everything; even this magnificent Kollel, from which such Dayanim emerge, it all comes from the Tzaddik.

The work 'Asarah Ma'amarot' says regarding the prophecy of Eldad and Medad that they did not understand the prophecy at all; "Moshe dies" — the Asarah Ma'amarot says this means that within five minutes there will be the Resurrection of the Dead and they will enter the Land, the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) will be built and will never be destroyed. It is written in the Zohar: Heaven forbid to think that anything was burned! "The Palace expired" — the Beis HaMikdash was not burned! Rather, it ascended to heaven in one piece and it exists, and what they burned was only plywood. So what we cry about is "and show us its building" — the Beis HaMikdash exists, but we want to see it. And this is the meaning of "Behold, I will lay your stones with fair colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires... and I will make your windows of rubies." Only the Tzaddikim see the Beis HaMikdash, like Rabbi Nachman of Horodenka who immersed in the mikvah and saw the Beis HaMikdash. The Baal Shem Tov asked him, "Did you see the Ark?" The Ark is me—wherever the Tzaddik is, that is the Ark of the Covenant! On the 7th of Av, they already entered the courtyard and tried to burn it, but it did not burn. The Beis HaMikdash will descend complete from heaven!

Rebbe Nachman said: "Crumple my book as much as you want, but do not move one section from the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law)." One must study Shulchan Aruch and fulfill all the laws, such as waking up on time; if a person does not recite Krias Shema (the Shema prayer) on time, he is under a ban. "Balak the son of Zippor" had a golden bird that would speak through sorcery, and he said to it, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt." The bird said to him, "This is not a people, this is Israel; they walk with the Clouds of Glory, it is impossible to defeat them!" All the idols used to speak; it is written in the Gemara in Avodah Zarah that the form of the idol would reveal itself to them and say, "Sacrifice a human and rain will fall." It is written in the Zohar on Bereishis that they would go to the house of Tarfus, who was a demon, and anyone who passed before him would have ointment applied and be healed; but he did not apply it to one particular person and said it was because he is a Jew and has no business with one who believes in the G-d of Israel.

Abraham called Eliezer a "donkey" (chamor), because if after 120 years he does not see fire (spirituality), then he is a donkey. And Eliezer was happy that he finally merited to receive rebuke from Abraham our Father — he merited to receive humiliation from the Tzaddik; in that merit, he merited to enter Gan Eden (Paradise) while still in his body. King Solomon's mother tied him to a pillar and struck him with a sandal and said to him, "What, my son? and what, the son of my womb?" All of David's wives prayed that their son would be king; I prayed that my son would be a Tzaddik! Now that you have merited to finish Choshen Mishpat, you must continue to study again and again, to review it another hundred times and know the entire Choshen Mishpat by heart.

After the conclusion of the uplifting lesson, the Rosh Kollel and Mo"tz, Rabbi Nachman Cohen shlit"a, briefly presented to our teacher, The Rav shlit"a, the subjects on which the precious students were tested. Afterward, each and every student passed before the holy presence and received the certificate, which testifies more than anything to the diligence, persistence, and love for the Torah that our teacher, The Rav shlit"a, instills in every single member of the holy community.

After the conclusion of the ceremony, "he returned to his study" (v'yachzor l'talmudo) with the certificate in hand. The students returned to the Kollel Hora'ah to fulfill what was said to them by our teacher, The Rav shlit"a: "to review it another hundred times and know the entire Choshen Mishpat by heart." We conclude with a prayer that it be His will that we merit to raise hundreds and thousands more students, Amen, may it be His will!