Did Moshe Rabbeinu Want Us to Be Kibbutzniks? The Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, Ashdod, Vayera 5780

Our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), arrived to inspire the public in Ashdod, where he delivered his holy words. These are the main points.

"Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) said, 'When you come into the land and plant any tree for food, you shall treat its fruit as forbidden; for three years it shall be forbidden to you, it shall not be eaten' (Leviticus 19:23). The People of Israel did not understand and wondered: What? Does Moshe want us to be Moshavniks (members of a farming cooperative)? To be Kibbutzniks (members of a collective farm)? Rather, Moshe intended that the fruits growing in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) each weigh a ton. It is written, 'He ties his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's foal to the choice vine; he washes his garment in wine, and his robe in the blood of grapes' (Genesis 49:11)."

"Every single grape would fill an entire ship! It is written that they would climb onto a cabbage using a ladder, and all of this was in the merit of Torah study. It is written that Reish Lakish did not come to the Yeshiva (Torah academy) for several days. Rabbi Yochanan asked him the reason for his absence, and he replied that he had gone to harvest grapes. Rabbi Yochanan asked him about the quality of the grapes. He replied that on the first day, the fruits were exquisite, then on the second day they diminished, and on the third day they diminished even further. Rabbi Yochanan answered him that they diminished because he left the Yeshiva for that purpose."

"The tribe of Zevulun would go down in ships and bring the fruits of the Land with them, and all the nations of the world would be astonished and ask: 'What is this? Do you have special institutes?! {The Weizmann Institute?!}.' And they would answer: 'No, this is only in the merit of Torah study.' And then, people from all the nations would come and convert to Judaism."

"Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) emerged from the cave, and everywhere he looked was immediately burned. So Hashem (God) said to him, 'Have you come out to destroy My world?' and told him to return to the cave for another year. Initially, he was there for 12 years, and then he returned for one more year."

"A person needs to tie himself to the bench all day and learn; there is nothing else to do, there is no reason to wander around."

"Now (the 15th of Cheshvan) is the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of the Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz). Everyone can be like the Chazon Ish; everyone needs to learn for 18 hours. Then everyone can be like the Chazon Ish—and now, go travel to the grave of the Chazon Ish."

"It is forbidden to live in Chutz La'Aretz (outside the Land of Israel)."

Photo gallery from the home gathering in Ashdod with the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Photography: Avremi Wittman, may he live long