And on Acts of Kindness — The Avodah of Tzedakah and Chesed of The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Great talmidim of The Rav, Rabbi Berland, share stirring and heart-trembling stories about Rabbi Berland’s Avodah of Tzedakah and Chesed ■ Why an important maggid shiur in Ponevezh helped collect money for Rabbi Berland ■ 12 hours a day of chavrusa as an act of kindness ■ Who polished the shoes of the bochurim in Yeshivas Kfar Chassidim ■ Why the door of Rabbi Berland’s home in Bnei Brak had no lock ■ And what a taxi driver in Bnei Brak related—this and more in the article before you

Collecting Tzedakah with One Shoe

Rabbi Michael Gol, Rosh Yeshivah of “Maginei Eretz,” relates: Many years ago, we entered the great beis midrash of Yeshivas Ponevezh in order to collect money for the wedding of The Rav, Rabbi Berland’s daughter. To our astonishment, one of the most prominent maggidei shiur—when he heard for whom we were collecting—stopped his learning and accompanied us, encouraging and urging the many yeshivah students and kollel avreichim to give generously. Indeed, thanks to that important maggid shiur, hearts opened and the donations multiplied. After that maggid shiur felt satisfied, he explained to us why he had thrown himself into helping raise funds for the wedding of The Rav, Rabbi Berland’s daughter: “Many years earlier, a certain avreich—an important talmid chacham here in Bnei Brak—fell into heavy debts and an extremely difficult financial situation. Rabbi Berland, who at the time was a young avreich among the yeshivah students, went out on a fundraising mission throughout the entire city with real mesirus nefesh. I accompanied him, and along the way I saw how one of his shoes tore. He picked it up and kept walking—hours barefoot in the blazing sun—until he succeeded in collecting a significant sum. I was utterly amazed. I saw what chesed for another person looks like. I was moved by the greatness of spirit of R’ Leizer Berland, and so it is no wonder that I went beyond myself when you came to collect money for him…”

Torah of Chesed — 12 Hours for Another

One of today’s prominent talmidei chachamim in Breslov relates that in his youth—despite being the son of a Breslov chassid—he still had not truly acquired a proper path in learning. Only after one time when The Rav, Rabbi Berland, sat with him in the Breslov yeshivah in Bnei Brak for several hours, and told him the entire story of how R’ Yisrael Ber Odesser drew close, and strengthened him greatly regarding Rebbe Nachman—especially in the area of learning. When the young man laid out before The Rav, Rabbi Berland, his difficulty in understanding the learning and the fact that he had no chavrusa, The Rav told him that from that day on, he would be his chavrusa. And indeed, for at least half a year, The Rav, Rabbi Berland learned with him in chavrusa every day—about 12 hours a day! In the middle, the bochur would go to lunch, while The Rav, Rabbi Berland remained in the yeshivah; afterward he would continue learning with him. Only because of this did the young man become an important talmid chacham who sits day after day immersed in Torah and Avodah. A similar account is told by R’ Nachman Horowitz about another talmid chacham, a Breslov chassid, who told him personally that The Rav, Rabbi Berland literally set him on his feet—after he had been very weak in learning and was almost completely leaving the world of Torah. For an entire month, The Rav learned with him every day for several hours.

Another Person’s Physical Needs Are My Spirituality — Chesed with One’s Body

Polishing Shoes

The acts of chesed of The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a already began in his younger years. The chassid R’ Nachman Horowitz told “His’chadshus” that he heard from friends who sat with The Rav, Rabbi Berland on the benches of Yeshivas Kfar Chassidim, that every Motzaei Shabbos The Rav, Rabbi Berland would polish and clean all the shoes of all the yeshivah bochurim, so they would be clean for the entire week.

Hachnasas Orchim

And of course, after The Rav, Rabbi Berland began his work of kiruv, his home became a place of Hachnasas Orchim. The Rav and the Rebbetzin would bring into their home all the yeshivah students and all kinds of people who needed chizuk. They would wash their clothing and provide them with food—all this despite the great crowding in the home, and all with a good feeling and a shining countenance. More than once, the Rebbetzin and her children went out to search for mattresses to serve the guests… and at night the entire house was filled with mattresses. R’ Nachman Horowitz further relates that the door of Rabbi Berland’s home in Bnei Brak had no cylinder and no lock to close it—a home of Hachnasas Orchim for whoever needed. To the point that once, when he came to Rabbi Berland’s home in order to go with him to the field, Rabbi Berland told him he could not, because in every room of his house several people were currently sleeping!!!…

“Bring the Poor into Your Home”

Another awe-inspiring story of chesed is told by R’ Nachman Horowitz in the name of R’ Nissim Guetta, who heard it from an eyewitness—a taxi driver: There was a taxi driver in Yavne who would often drive The Rav, Rabbi Berland to the field. One time, returning from Hisbodedus late at night, The Rav, Rabbi Berland asked the taxi driver to travel toward the central bus station in Tel Aviv. When they arrived, they saw a drunk man sleeping on the floor in filthy clothes… To the taxi driver’s shock, The Rav, Rabbi Berland woke the drunk and brought him into the taxi. They then arrived at the Rav’s home, where Rabbi Berland took care of him for several months—rehabilitated him and provided for all his needs—and afterward even married him off.

Rabbi Berland Slept on the Floor

An avreich told a story that gives us a small glimpse into the rare greatness of the Hachnasas Orchim of The Rav, Rabbi Berland and the Rebbetzin. Once, he happened to be in Bnei Brak in the evening for a few matters, and as he prepared to return to Jerusalem he realized he had missed the last bus. In those years there was no other way to travel to Jerusalem. Knowing The Rav, Rabbi Berland, he decided to go to his home. The Rav indeed received him with a shining countenance, honored him, and gave him a bed to sleep in. When the man awoke, he was stunned to see The Rav, Rabbi Berland sleeping on the floor…

“He Scattered, He Gave to the Poor” — Chesed with One’s Money

The Avodah of “Tzedakah” of The Rav, Rabbi Berland is astonishing—on a scale that is hard to grasp. And of course, this Avodah too began already in his younger years in the yeshivah in Kfar Chassidim: when he would bring a cake and the like, he would cut a slice for himself and distribute the rest to others (as related by the gaon Rabbi Aharon Golovanditz zt"l, who learned in Kfar Chassidim with The Rav shlit"a).

A “Credit” at the Grocery

An avreich once told Rabbi Berland that he spends Shabbosim at his father-in-law’s home, because he had no money to make Shabbos in his own home. Rabbi Berland tried to give him a sum of money, but the avreich refused. To his amazement, a short time later he received a phone call from the grocery near his home: he had a purchasing credit of 2,000 shekels… that someone had donated on his behalf…

The Instruction of the Steipler

The kollel stipend that The Rav, Rabbi Berland would receive—he would distribute most of it to Tzedakah even before it reached his home, when he saw poor people or those burdened with debts, and the like. Because of this, the Steipler zt"l instructed that the stipend should be transferred directly to the Rebbetzin, so that she would have livelihood for the household…

Tzedakah at the Expense of His Teeth

There was a period when The Rav, Rabbi Berland needed dental treatments throughout his mouth—something that cost a great deal of money. But it was postponed for one reason: each time the sum accumulated, Rabbi Berland would immediately pass it on to various poor people and individuals around him who needed money—despite the great suffering from toothaches that The Rav, Rabbi Berland was experiencing at that time…