"And the Needy for a Pair of Shoes"

In honor of Parshas Vayeishev, which recounts the sale of Yosef HaTzaddik, this morning—17 Kislev—The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, arrived to pray Shacharis facing the resting place of Yosef HaTzaddik in Shechem—Mitzpe Yosef on Har Gerizim, also known as Har Bracha.

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, arrived at the site before dawn. After a quiet prayer opposite Yosef HaTzaddik’s tomb, he began Shacharis with deep emotion—tears and tremendous vitality. The attendants of The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, related that it was an exceptionally special tefillah, marked by extraordinary intensity of feeling and aliveness in prayer.

After Shacharis, The Rav shlit"a expressed that we have returned here after three thousand years—back to the place where the Jewish people once stood on Har Gerizim and Har Eival and accepted the mitzvos of the Torah. The Rav shlit"a also spoke about the unique greatness of Har Bracha, where all spiritual flow and salvations are drawn down in the merit of Yosef HaTzaddik, who rests at the foot of the mountain in the city of Shechem.

Below are several photos from the occasion: