"And I Will Betroth You to Me Forever" • The Engagement Celebration for the

On Sunday, the 25th of MarCheshvan, Parshas Toldos, the wedding celebration took place for the great-grandson of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days). The groom is the excellent young man Aaron, son of Rabbi Nachman Treisman, with the bride, the daughter of Rabbi Nachman Weinzehandler, may Hashem protect him, granddaughter of the Mashpia (spiritual mentor), the Chassid Rabbi Yitzchak Weinzehandler shlit"a.

The engagement celebration (Simchas Eirusin) was held at the holy residence of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. During the ceremony and the engagement meal (seudah), our teacher the Rav shlit"a delivered a holy discourse (massa kodesh) for nearly fifty minutes. At the conclusion of the lesson, the Rav shlit"a began to sing, and after a few minutes, he set the date for the wedding for the night of the 21st of Adar—the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk zt"l. He then drank "L'chaim" (a toast to life) with great joy and gladness for the good fortune (Mazel Tov) of the celebration of the house of Tzaddikim!

Before you is a summary of the topics from the holy discourse delivered during the engagement ceremony:

At the moment of Chatzos (midnight), all judgments (dinim) are sweetened. One must rise for Chatzos because until midnight there are judgments, and from midnight they are sweetened in the merit of those who rise for Chatzos.

It is written in the Midrash that the tribe of Zevulun is in the level of Keter (Crown), as it says, "He shall dwell at the shore of the seas."

When Devorah went out to fight Sisera, it was like going out to fight Russia today. No tribe agreed to come except Zevulun, who acted "without a double heart" (with total sincerity).

Michal said to David, "I never saw my father's hand"—everyone back then was the pinnacle of modesty (bushah).

Lavan wanted to kill Eliezer twice, once with a knife and once with poison. He was saved in the merit of his emunah (faith) and his bittul (self-nullification) to the Tzaddik. All the miracles that happened before, like flying through the air, etc., they already knew existed. But Besuel and Lavan didn't know that Eliezer didn't eat the poison; the fact that one person eats poison and the other dies was too much for them, so they said, "The matter has come from Hashem."

Bilaam wanted Phinehas to kill him with his own sword because the Name of Hashem (Havayah) was on it. But Phinehas refused and killed him with his (Bilaam's) own sword.

There are three large letters in Megillas Esther—Taf, Shin, and Reish—to hint that the decree to "destroy, kill, and annihilate" was deferred to the year 5700 (the time of the Holocaust).

We wanted to build an airport in Uman in the past, but there were all sorts of people who blocked us.

Abba Umna would receive a greeting of "Shalom" from Heaven every day because he wouldn't take money from his clients. Abaye would receive it every Friday afternoon, and Rava only every Erev Yom Kippur. Rava was a spark (nitzotz) of Lot, because the verse seemingly is written out of order: "And Lot and his possessions, the son of his brother"—this hints that Rava was a spark of Lot. Abaye didn't understand why he didn't receive "Shalom" every day and sent people to check on Abba Umna. Two people came to him, he hosted them, and at night they stole all his property and offered it for sale in the market the next day. Abba Umna remained silent and overlooked everything.

One must know before getting married that a wife can throw you out of the house on Erev Pesach (Passover Eve) because you returned with a single crumb, and tell you to go sleep on stones. One never argues with his wife! There was a story of someone on 9/11 whose wife told him, "Today you are going to take the son to the Cheder (school) instead of me." He didn't argue, and therefore he was saved from the attack on the Twin Towers. There was another person who forgot his Tefillin (phylacteries) on the counter and got off the flight at the last second, and that flight was the one that crashed into the Twin Towers.

Our forefather Yaakov "hid" in the house of Shem and Ever because Esau sought to kill him, so he went underground. After forty years, he went to Lavan, and then Eliphaz came and took all his clothes. Hashem then caused a horseman to arrive to immerse in that same place where he was, and that person drowned; thus, expensive clothes and a horse came to him. He received "groom's guidance" (hadrachas chatanim) from the Holy Shechinah (Divine Presence), and it is written in the Zohar that one must say to his wife, "This time, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this shall be called woman"—you are the only woman in the world.

When Rabbah bar Nachmani wanted to pass, he simply knocked down the wall. Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) did not come to the Idra (holy assembly) for three days. They asked him why, and he replied that he had to knock down the wall of the prison in the king's palace in the Ono Valley for the sake of Rav Hamnuna Sava and his companions.