HaRav Yekutiel Fish, regarding the war the Sitra Achra is waging against Rav

> HARAV YEKUTIEL FISH, REGARDING THE WAR THE SITRA ACHRA IS WAGING AGAINST RAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A

translated from the Hebrew Knishta Chada pamphlet Nissan 5776 [https://www.shuvubanimint.com/%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%90-%D7%97%D7%93%D7%90-%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9F-48-%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%9F-%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%A2%D7%95-%D7%95%D6%B7%D7%90%D6%B2%D7%A0%D6%B7%D7%97%D6%B0%D7%A0/]

We know that the war being conducted against Rav Eliezer Berland is for the sake of the holy Shechina and for all of the souls of Am Yisrael. Recently, Rav Yekutiel Fish made some public comments that confirmed this:

“There is no doubt that the suffering that Rav Eliezer Berland, shlit”a is currently experiencing is for the sake of all of us, and for the sake of the Shechina,” he said. “I’m very pained by what’s going on. I recently told one of the Roshei Yeshiva of big yeshiva about the terrible situation Rav Berland finds himself in, and the man simply dismissed me, saying: ‘Why is this relevant to me? Who’s interested in this?’

I answered this man and said ‘Since Rav Berland is a leader of tens of thousands of families that are not from ‘your group’ will you not pray for him?! Because you are not from his kehilla you are not pained by his situation?! Rather you relate to his suffering in such a dismissive way… What have we come to!?’

The Gemara in Gittin 57b discusses the terrible murder of Zechariah the prophet, and explains how seriously this crime was taken in Shemayim (Heaven). Zechariah was the Tzaddik of Am Yisrael at that time. Years after his death, the Assyrians killed thousands of Jewish youths and girls to avenge his blood, and still Zechariah’s blood continued to bubble up from the ground, where he’d been murdered.  We can see from this passage that the suffering of the Tzaddik is a very terrible and serious matter.

The Sitra Achra (Force of Evil) is fighting with all his might to subdue the holiness of our people, and particularly in relation to a Tzaddik like this, who has encouraged many people to make teshuva. The Sitra Achra is fighting with tzaddikim like this more than with the other tzaddikim, because he knows that if he blackens their name and disgraces them in the eyes of the world, then their words will not be heard, and they won’t be able to make any more Baalei Teshuva (lit. ‘masters of repentance).

We are now in the month of Nissan, the month of redemption, and we must join in the suffering of the Tzaddikim, because that is akin to joining in the suffering of the holy Shechina, itself.”