An Amazing Story: "Go Bring Him, He Will Be Waiting For You Outside the Prison" / A Story from Zimbabwe

A wondrous story about the Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration) of Morinu HaRav Berland shlit"a, who foresaw the escape of a prisoner from a jail in India and instructed his friend to travel and bring him back.

An Amazing Story: "Go Bring Him, He Will Be Waiting For You Outside the Prison"

A chassid tells a story about his friend, a Jew named Ira who lives in the city of Tzfat. At that time, their mutual friend Ronen (may his light shine) was incarcerated in a prison in India. Out of deep concern, Ira decided to fly to India to visit him and help him.

He arrived within the prison walls, bringing with him an abundance of food and supplies, and even devised various plans in an attempt to smuggle Ronen out. Despite his many efforts and prolonged stay there, the plans did not succeed, and Ira was forced to return to the Holy Land deeply disappointed.

The Surprising Instruction of the Tzaddik

Upon his return to Israel, Ira hurried to enter the holy presence of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. He shared his sorrow with the Rav and asked in pain, "What will be the end with Ronen? When will he finally be released?"

To his great surprise, the tzaddik answered him immediately: "Travel to India to bring him."

Ira was stunned and replied to the Rav, "But I am just now returning from there! I tried with all my might, but I couldn't free him." However, the Rav shlit"a did not retract his words, but rather answered him again decisively: "Go bring him, he will be waiting for you outside the prison."

Revealed Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration)

Ira left the Rav's room not understanding the meaning of these words. He returned to his home in the city of Tzfat, with the wondrous words of the tzaddik echoing in his mind.

A short time later, the phone suddenly rang. On the line were people who delivered amazing news: Ronen had escaped from the prison in India! Now, Ira was asked to travel urgently to bring him, since Ronen was left without a passport and without documents, and could not return on his own.

In that uplifting moment, Ira understood the magnitude of the Ruach HaKodesh (Divine inspiration) of Morinu HaRav shlit"a. He realized that already yesterday, while standing before the tzaddik, the Rav saw with his holy vision that Ronen was already outside the prison walls, and instructed him to travel in order to complete the rescue mission.

A Story from Zimbabwe: Reading Shir HaShirim with the Rav and the Table Soaked with Tears

"Who can fathom and who can describe the work of the tzaddik, how he cleanses and purifies the souls of Israel, and instills within the hearts of the holy nation the pleasantness, sweetness, delight, and friendship of closeness to Hashem, blessed be He." These words, taken from the holy language of Moharnat of Breslov zy"a (Rebbe Natan) in Likutey Halachos, take on a tangible and moving meaning in the following story.

This wondrous story was told by the chassid, Rabbi Eliyahu Biton (may his light shine), at one of the regular gatherings of the group. He shared with those present awesome and moving stories, things the ear has never heard, from what he witnessed with his own eyes during the days he spent in the presence of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a in the country of Zimbabwe.

The Shir HaShirim of Erev Shabbos

Rabbi Eliyahu merited to spend several days in the home of the Rav shlit"a in Zimbabwe, and the Rav drew him very close. On Erev Shabbos Kodesh, the Rav shlit"a turned to him and to the gabbai (attendant), Rabbi Shachar (may his light shine), and said to them: "Now we will say Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs)."

The Rav took Rabbi Eliyahu's hand on one side, and the gabbai's hand on the other side. Thus, holding hands, the Rav began to recite the verses of Shir HaShirim with deliberation and tremendous enthusiasm. The two companions repeated after him, word for word, as they were swept into the spiritual atmosphere.

A Table Soaked in Tears

Rabbi Eliyahu related that he simply does not have the power to describe in words the pleasant feeling and tremendous sweetness that flooded him in those moments. The emotion was so great that he began to shed tears like water, and so did the gabbai standing on the other side of the Rav. The tzaddik continued to recite the verses with an unimaginable sweetness, until they finished the entire book.

Immediately upon finishing, Rabbi Berland shlit"a said to them: "Now we will say it again." Rabbi Eliyahu testified that in those moments he was physically exhausted, having not slept for a long time. But in the holy atmosphere that was created, who even feels the physical body? There was no fatigue and no exhaustion, as if the body did not exist at all.

They began to recite Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) again together with the tzaddik, word for word, until they finished for the second time. When Rabbi Eliyahu opened his eyes and looked at the table, he was amazed to discover that the table was completely soaked with the tears that had poured from their eyes during the reading. Thus, they merited to taste a fraction of the sweetness and closeness to Hashem that the tzaddik imparts to those close to him.

A Wondrous Story: The Shout That Saved the Kohen from a Forbidden Marriage

A wondrous story that occurred a few years ago, during the period when Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a was in exile, reveals the deep spiritual vision of the tzaddik. A certain Jew, who is a Kohen (priest), decided that he wanted to marry a divorced woman. As is known, this is a very severe prohibition according to Halacha (Jewish law), but this individual was absolutely determined. He approached several rabbis in an attempt to find a halachic loophole for his actions, but naturally, none of them permitted him to do so. Despite all the warnings and refusals, he stubbornly insisted on proceeding with his plan.

The Startling Dream

One night, while still clinging to his misguided decision, this Jew had a terrifying and startling dream. In his dream, he saw Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a standing right in front of him. Suddenly, the tzaddik raised his voice and shouted at him with a mighty roar: "You will not marry a divorced woman!"

Overwhelmed by the sheer force of the shout and the anxiety that gripped him, he woke up from his sleep in a sheer panic. The dream would not let him go, and he decided to take action. He packed his belongings and traveled to the distant country where the Rav shlit"a was staying at the time, in order to try and understand the meaning of the dream.

The Chilling Encounter in Reality

When he arrived in that country, he waited near the place where the Rav was staying. Suddenly, the vehicle in which the tzaddik was traveling passed by. As the car drove past him, something incomprehensible happened: Rabbi Berland shlit"a opened the car window, looked him straight in the eye, and shouted the exact same words he had heard in his dream: "You will not marry a divorced woman!"

The man was shaken to the core of his soul by this chilling revelation, where reality and the dream merged into one. Afterwards, the tzaddik called him over and spoke with him at length. Baruch Hashem (Thank God), the heartfelt words of the Rav had their intended effect. The Jew felt complete remorse over his intention to violate such a severe prohibition, and he firmly resolved not to go through with the act. Thus, through the immense spiritual power of the tzaddik, this individual was saved from a devastating spiritual downfall—something no one else had been able to accomplish.

From Issue 79 — Parashas Eikev

From the series "A Tzaddik Rules in the Fear of God" — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" Publications