“Following Rabbi Eliezer to Lod” • A Shuvu Banim shiur from the city of Lod at

Shuvu Banim Lod ○ Summary and excerpts from the shiur

Yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, a group of our dear friends from the Shuvu Banim community in the city of Lod entered into the inner sanctum for a special shiur from The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

The Rav shlit"a began the shiur with the topic of Eliyahu HaNavi, to whom Hashem said, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?” And he said: I want the “mouth” of Moshe—“Mouth to mouth I speak with him.” After that, he spoke about Ur Kasdim, and how Avraham said to Nimrod, “Move the sun just a little,” and Nimrod threw him into the fiery furnace. And when everyone saw the miracle that was done for Avraham, they all did teshuvah and merited to enter Gan Eden—because whoever is with the Tzaddik enters Gan Eden with his very body. He also said that Hashem told Avraham, “Lech Lecha,” because Nimrod did not want to believe that there is a Hashem in the world; rather, he wanted to claim that Avraham was like other “gods.” The Rav shlit"a also spoke about Yonah HaNavi—how it was astonishing that they believed him, because it is like the “research” that claims the world would end, as they said about the year 2000, and so on… The Rav shlit"a also expanded at length on the dispute between the Rambam and the Ramban regarding the killing of the people of Shechem by Shimon and Levi.

Later in the shiur, he spoke about Channah, who prayed above the Shem Havayah—at Atika Kadisha, where every judgment in the world is sweetened. And in her merit came all the miracles, as brought in Likutey Halachos (Choshen Mishpat): she said, “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread”—these are the seventy sons of Haman who came to ask forgiveness from Mordechai; and “those who stumbled have girded themselves with strength”—these are the Chashmonaim. After that, he said that a person must be like the tribe of Zevulun, who went without “heart” with Devorah the Prophetess, as brought in the war of Barak and Sisra—because when you go with the Tzaddik, you do not need a heart. After that, he spoke about the topics of David and Golyas, and he also expanded on how Korach became jealous of Elitzafan.

After an hour and twenty minutes—packed and filled with very powerful words of Torah—The Rav shlit"a rose from his place, recited Kaddish with melodies, and blessed all the members of the Shuvu Banim community in the city of Lod.