Anash Uplift Their Heels with the Holy Rav Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a in

During the prayers of the past week of Parshat Eikev, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a encouraged the holy public who came to crowd under the wings of the tzaddik to bounce their heels. Rav Berland shlit"a, who as is his holy custom leads the prayers with moderation and tremendous vitality, and who deeply instills this in his listeners, emphasized this past week the importance of bouncing the heels during prayer and holy dancing. Here are the words spoken by Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a at the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l in Bnei Brak.

"Without hands and without feet, this is the dancing; the dancing elevates the learning. Yeshayahu said to Chizkiyahu: 'Recite a song!' But Chizkiyahu did not understand why. Parshat Ha'azinu is all about singing. The Baal Shem Tov says that the essence is the song in its simplicity. This was the service of Korach—he was supposed to sing, but he said: 'What, do they think I am a singer? Am I an opera singer? Why do I need to sing in the Beit HaMikdash?' He did not understand the concept of singing at all. Singing with the mouth, the song is what validates the sacrifice; if they brought a sacrifice and the Levites did not sing, then the sacrifice did not ascend. The limbs would burn, but the sacrifice did not ascend."

Anash bounce their heels with Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a during Shacharit prayer - tremendous vitality

"The entire purpose of a person is only to sing; the entire purpose is the songs, the dances, and the melodies. A person can recite the prayer in five minutes without songs, instead of reciting it for two hours with all the songs and melodies, but the essence is the songs and the melodies. 'And He saw their distress when He heard their song' (Psalms 106:44). A person who sings the prayer, it sweetens the judgments for him—'when He heard their song.'"

"It is possible to sweeten [judgments], you just don't know how, but if it is in the way of Rebbe Nachman, then Rebbe Nachman leads you. We learned this now in Yoreh De'ah, that through Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe leads the person. When you come to Uman, the Rebbe is already directing you—right, left, right, backward, what to learn, how to learn. If a person comes to Rosh Hashanah to Rebbe Nachman, then the entire year is planned. The Rebbe plans his entire year for him: how he will learn, what he will learn, how he will learn, how he will concentrate, and how he will see Hashem every second."

And in another place, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a said, "A chiddush (novel insight) of the Rebbe in Torah 169—'And it shall come to pass, because (eikev) you listen... to the covenant.' You want to guard the covenant? You will merit it through 'And it shall come to pass, because (eikev).' You want Hashem to guard the covenant for you? Then be 'eikev,' that the joy should reach all the way to the heels—that you should bounce your heels. The whole wedding is to bounce the heels—then Hashem guards the covenant for you, and you have no suspicion."

The words are edited from the Shvivi Or newsletter.

The photograph is courtesy of Shahar Eliyahu.