First Report! The Righteous Rav Berland shlit"a Redeems Two Severely Injured in

The entire country was shaken when the media cried out (the beginning of these matters was edited from an article published at the time in Kikar HaShabbat): "An approximately 80-year-old woman and a man of about 30 were critically injured (Wednesday, the night of the 13th of Av, 5778, July 25, 2018, at 3:00 AM) in a fire that broke out in an apartment on Yosef Mizrahi Street in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood of Jerusalem."

The reports continued, "The two were rescued from the flames and evacuated to the hospital. Five firefighting and rescue teams operated at the fire, penetrated the burning apartment, and rescued the man and woman who were trapped among the flames."

Magen David Adom paramedics, Moti Glushtein and Dov Tzinort, recounted: "We were very close by when we received the report about the fire. Even as we approached the area, we saw fire burning and black smoke rising from the building. We know the area and knew it involved narrow streets with difficult access, so we made sure to keep paths open for the fire trucks and ambulances."

"From calls we had received to the building in the past, we knew that an elderly woman lived on the ground floor and that she needed to be rescued. I brought the jack from my vehicle and with it, we broke the bars of the apartment. Together with other first responders who arrived at the apartment, we rescued an approximately 82-year-old woman to the intensive care ambulance. She was in serious condition, suffering from smoke inhalation. The paramedics provided her with medical treatment, performed resuscitation efforts, and evacuated her in very serious condition to Shaare Zedek Hospital."

Documentation of the apartment fire in Beit Yisrael where the young man Yaakov David Teitelbaum was trapped.

"The firefighters who arrived at the scene performed a search of the apartment and after a few minutes, located and rescued to us a man of about 30, unconscious and in critical condition. We performed advanced resuscitation efforts on him in the field, and when his pulse returned, he was also evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in critical condition."

Shaare Zedek Hospital reported that "two of the victims of the fire in Jerusalem who were evacuated to Shaare Zedek were transferred in serious condition, intubated and sedated, to the hyperbaric chamber at Assaf Harofeh for continued treatment."

Behind the scenes of the amazing story

These were the dry facts as they were made known to the general public at the time of the event, but in reality, what occurred behind the scenes was beyond description and beyond all imagination. Early Wednesday morning, the young man Yaakov David Teitelbaum, who had arrived from England and studies at the Mir Yeshiva, passed by the elderly woman's apartment. He knows the woman from the yeshiva, as she has worked for many years as a cook there. Teitelbaum saw the fire, did not think twice, and jumped straight into the apartment. Both were trapped for two whole hours inside the burning apartment due to the immense heat that melted the door.

Yaakov David Teitelbaum is very connected to the Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and when the Rav returned to his residence in Jerusalem, Yaakov David crowded with the entire audience at the reception. Then, in a loud voice, so that everyone could hear, he recited the blessing 'Shehecheyanu' upon the return of the tzaddik to Jerusalem.

On Wednesday morning, the avrech Y.B., one of the students of Rav Berland who is in constant contact with him, tried to make contact with Yaakov David. But as mentioned, Yaakov was hospitalized in critical condition, and it was his friend who answered.

Have you not yet done a pidyon (redemption) with Rav Berland?!

Y.B. asked the friend if they had done a pidyon nefesh for his salvation, and he replied that they had done it with Rav Arush shlit"a. Immediately, Y.B. turned to Rav Berland and told him what had happened with Yaakov David and the elderly cook from the Mir Yeshiva. In the recording, one can hear how they inform the Rav that Yaakov David's condition is difficult and that he inhaled a lot of smoke, but surprisingly, Rav Berland announces the pidyon nefesh and says that through this, the danger of infection and brain damage will pass. At that time, the matter was amazing; after all, all they wanted was for Yaakov David to stay alive, while Rav Berland was already speaking about avoiding brain damage.

The tzaddik redeems the soul in the Heavenly Court

That same day, Rav Berland performed the pidyon for Yaakov David, and immediately after the pidyon, he went down to deliver his weekly lesson on 'Ketzot HaChoshen' before a large audience of students. In the middle of the lesson, the face of Rav Berland took on the appearance of a flame of fire, and at the same time, he began to shout with the entire public - "For life and not for death." The Rav shlit"a repeated the words four times while the public called out after him - "For life and not for death." During the lesson, the Rav shlit"a spoke about a young man who entered the fire but was not burned because he is holy and pure. The words of the Rav were powerful and awakening, especially for those who were familiar with the details of the story, but furthermore, those who observed carefully understood that the tzaddik was simply standing before the Heavenly Court and judging Yaakov David favorably, thereby declaring him innocent and redeeming his soul.

The Rav decided in the Heavenly Court that Teitelbaum should live, and at the end of the lesson, he shouted the Shema Yisrael with the entire public. Y.B. recounts that immediately after the lesson, he called Yaakov David's brother, who informed him that he was already out of life-threatening danger, though there was still a fear of brain damage.

The tzaddik arrives at the hospital for the first time and...

Yaakov David Teitelbaum and the woman were connected to machines for two weeks in intensive care, sedated and intubated without consciousness. Rav Berland arrived to visit him about two days after the hospitalization began, at a time when there was a fear that he would be in a vegetative state if the brain did not function. Y.B. recounts that in an extraordinary manner, they brought him in together with Rav Berland into the intensive care unit after he told the medical staff that a great Rav was coming to bless the patient. Rav Berland stood about two meters from the bed, and the moment he began to say the chapters of the Tikkun HaKlali in a whisper, Teitelbaum, who until then had been lying without consciousness, jumped up and began to pull out the machines.

The astonished doctors take the Rav to the woman's bed as well

Teitelbaum pulled out the ventilation machines and the tubes that were connected to him, while rising with his eyes closed. The ventilator immediately began to beep, because the pulse was not felt. The doctors, who arrived in a panic, immediately gave him an injection and sedated him. They, who were in shock from the incident, asked Rav Berland, "Here, the woman from the fire is also in the hospital." Together with the doctors, the Rav went to the patient's bed and there recited three chapters of Psalms.

Y.B. recounts that after a week, he received a call from Teitelbaum's brother, who called him urgently. Upon his arrival, he played for him Yaakov David, still without consciousness, shouting the name of Rav Berland, saying - "Rav Eliezer ben Atiya, save me, Rav Eliezer ben Atiya, save me." Afterward, they heard him calling to Moses our Teacher, King David, and other tzaddikim. Y.B. says that he called the gabbai of Rav Berland, who informed the Rav. The Rav said he was coming, and behold a wonder, immediately the situation with Teitelbaum calmed down.

Amazing experiences from the near-death experience

After Yaakov David awoke from the near-death experience, he told his friend Y.B. how he saw everything in Heaven. He said that in Heaven, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a is a king; he receives honor from all the tzaddikim. He also said that Rav Berland is responsible for all matters in the Heavenly Court. After the two weeks in intensive care, Yaakov David remained for another month of recovery, at the end of which he returned to recuperate with his family in England.

What happens at the Cave of the Patriarchs when Rav Berland arrives?

Yaakov David Teitelbaum has been in close contact with one of the veteran students of Rav Berland for a long time, a student who himself has already become well-known and famous. That student told him how he would drive Rav Berland to the Cave of the Patriarchs, and then the Holy Patriarchs would come out to greet Rav Berland with royal honor, and then they would speak with him about secrets that no ear has heard. Y.B., who heard this, asked Rav Berland himself about the truth of the matter, and Rav Berland, with characteristic humility, replied, "Yes, it happens to many people."

A year of life for the sake of a tzaddik

In a phone call from England, Yaakov David surprised a large audience by saying - "I am donating a year of my life for the sake of the longevity of the Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a." Then Teitelbaum turned to the public and asked that each and every one donate a year of their own for the sake of the tzaddik remaining in the world.