"Even When Hammering a Nail, It Must Be for the Sake of Heaven"

Summary of a class by The Rav, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, delivered on the 15th of Av, 5777

In all the 'Shuvu Banim' and 'Rabbi Stern' seminars, there will be 10,000 girls. Now we are launching an operation, and starting tomorrow, everyone will go to all the moshavim (settlements). There are 10,000 moshavim, and from every moshav, 100 girls will come. Everyone wants to register for the seminars. We are launching a fundraising campaign, and in the meantime, people will go to all the moshavim; there will be vehicles, we will fund the gas, and they will literally go from moshav to moshav. Avreichim (young Torah scholars) and their wives will go in pairs, entering from house to house, speaking with the girls so they will attend the seminars. They will go in holiness and with veils, covering their heads, and then they will be able to cross the Sambatyon River—we also promise everyone that they will be able to cross the Sambatyon. Just like that daughter who was brought across the Sambatyon and she defeated everyone.

It is written on page 33 in the book Sefat Emet by Rabbi Masoud that they brought a girl from the Sambatyon, because 170,000 righteous Jews crossed over, and that daughter came from them. For only one who knows the Shem HaMeforash (the Explicit Name of God) could cross, so everyone knew the Explicit Name, every single girl.

170,000 left the tribe of Ephraim, because it was impossible to enter; the border was closed, there were no visas, but Iraq and Afghanistan arranged visas for them. They arrived at the Sambatyon, crossed it, and there they would raise every daughter. There are special courtyards for girls, and they do not leave the courtyards (Zohar 90), "And he shall take a wife in her virginity" (Leviticus 21:13). What is a boy? She doesn't know such a thing exists in the world at all. [This is possible] if there are pure, clean thoughts, for if one thinks a not-good thought, he dies on the spot. It is not simple; one needs to take the holiest, purest wife.

And this is what Leah says, "In my happiness (b'oshri), for the daughters have called me happy" (Genesis 30:13). Why? Because she saw that from Asher, the holiest girls in the world would emerge. Serach was a prophetess already from the age of 3. They decided to place Serach the daughter of Asher in cherem (excommunication) together with her father, because they violated the cherem, but she was a prophetess. Once, every girl was a prophetess. All those who go to Rabbi Stern—all of them will be prophetesses. The Rav promises, The Rav signs that every girl who studies with Rabbi Stern will merit to be a prophetess, to cross the Sambatyon, to bring more girls from there, and they will conquer the whole world. That young woman only waved the sword and everyone fled. Everyone should look at page 33 in Sefat Emet to see how the holy girls would win all the wars. Like Devorah the Prophetess with a shield, with a sword and a spear; 40,000 only threw straw and sand.

For it is written that Devorah—all her deeds were for the sake of Heaven. Even hammering a nail must be for the sake of Heaven; whatever one does must be for the sake of Heaven. A person can hammer a nail for the sake of Heaven, but if it is not for the sake of Heaven, he will smash his finger. Many smash their fingers; there is an electrical wire, he doesn't know where, and the whole wall falls or explodes. Like Chanoch, who recited "For the sake of the unification..." (Leshem Yichud) and entered the Garden of Eden with his body. Chanoch was a cobbler of shoes; his entire work was sewing shoes.

Bilaam thought he was Moshe, and Moshe thought he was Bilaam. The difference between Moshe and Bilaam is that Moshe screams "I am Bilaam," and Bilaam screams "I am Moshe, [I] know the knowledge of the Most High." [Moshe says,] "I don't know anything. 'You have begun...' (Deuteronomy 3:24), let me live." Va'etchanan ("And I implored")—do you even know how to implore? Do you know how to pray? Come to Shuvu Banim and pray! You don't know how to implore! What is Va'etchanan? You are arrogant, you are a person of pride, you don't know how to implore. You think you are rich, a prime minister, so you don't know how to implore. When people pray, Gehennom (Hell) is closed for an hour and a half. Moshe wanted to close Gehennom completely, because [he believed] there is no such thing as wicked people. Now is the moment when it is possible to go to all the moshavim, to all the kibbutzim, to establish a seminar of 10,000 girls.

For a person becomes a new person, he is born anew. The Fiftieth Gate opens for him and he is surrounded by fire. Now, anyone who dances at weddings will be surrounded by fire, he will be surrounded by fire for three days and three nights.