And So, the Righteous • The Joy of the Wedding of the Grandson of our Teacher

The Joy of the Tzaddik's House ○ The Cossack Dance ○ The Seven Beggars ○ Resurrection of the Dead ○ And the Upright Shall Rejoice

In the city of Torah and Chassidus, Beit Shemesh, the wedding celebration of the grandson of our teacher and Rebbe, the Rav shlit"a, took place—the groom, Yaakov, may his light shine, the youngest son of the venerable Chassid Rabbi Nachman Berland shlit"a, with the daughter of the venerable Chassid Rabbi Yosef Zucker shlit"a, the Baal Tekiah (shofar blower) in the Kloiz (the main Breslov synagogue in Uman) on Rosh Hashanah.

The wedding celebration took place with the participation of the Rav shlit"a on the eve of Thursday, during the week of the Torah portion "Ki Yikach Ish Isha" (When a man takes a wife), on the eleventh day of the month of Mercy and Forgiveness (the month of Elul), at the Keramim Halls in the city of Beit Shemesh.

Thousands of Chassidim and Anshei Shlomeinu (members of our community) from all over the country flocked to participate in the joy of the Tzaddik's house. Near midnight, the entire crowd watched and waited feverishly for his holy appearance. Shortly after 1:00 AM, the Rav shlit"a appeared directly from his holy residence. The entire hall shook with excitement as the Rav shlit"a stepped inside in his holy majesty. The voice of the multitude broke out in a mighty song—“The voice of joy and salvation is in the tents of the righteous.” The Rav began a dance full of strength, leaping and dancing with all his might, in a rare simcha shel mitzvah (joy of performing a commandment). The singing intensified, and the entire crowd was swept away after him—not out of an individual's joy, but out of dveikus (cleaving) to the Tzaddik of the generation, whose joy is the joy of all Israel.

In every one of his movements, a wondrous holiness was felt: his head was raised upward, his face radiated light, and he was entirely in dveikus with the Living G-d. The dancing continued for a long time, with all eyes of the crowd fixed upon him, breathing in his every movement. The joy of the Tzaddik filled the hall and ignited a holy fire in the hearts of all the participants.

Among the highlights of the evening, the "Cossacks" group appeared in a dance full of strength and enthusiasm before his holy presence. After them, a group of young men dressed in white kittels (white robes) entered for the "Seven Beggars" dance from the Sippurei Ma'asiyos (Stories) of our holy Rebbe Nachman, with each one bearing his unique blemish. The dance uplifted the hearts of the crowd and acted to bring about many yeshuos (salvations).

Later, the "Resurrection of the Dead" dance was also performed—that holy custom which the Rav shlit"a has often explained: that through the power of the joy of a groom and bride, it is possible to literally resurrect the dead. The attendant, R' Dov Zucker, may Hashem protect him, conducted the ceremony, and by the Rav's instruction, the holy shtreimel (fur hat) was placed on the head of the "dead man," who then rose to life and began dancing in the joy of the groom and bride to the sound of joyful cheers, while the entire crowd was filled with a tremor of holiness and gladness.

Near 2:15 AM, the Rav shlit"a rose from his place to the sound of the song "Light is sown for the Tzaddik," which accompanied him with singing and melodies until his return to his home in a royal procession near 3:00 AM.