Heart-Stirring: Rabbi Aba Trotsky Speaks on the Greatness of Rav Berland shlit"a

Much more will be said about the wonderful evening of 10 Tevet 5780 - the Yahrtzeit of Moharnat of Breslov, at the holy community of Breslov Shuvu Banim.

Many rabbis rose to speak before the arrival of our teacher, the holy Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a; the words were wonderful and brought hearts closer. Especially notable were the words of the Maggid Meisharim, Rabbi Abba Trotsky shlit"a, who rose and spoke wonders of the greatness of our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a. There is no need to prolong the introductions; one simply needs to read and listen to his holy words.

"My teachers and my rabbis, distinguished community, with the permission of our master, our teacher and our rabbi shlit"a, with the permission of the Rav shlit"a."

"My friends, members of the community, myriads of your people, the House of Israel, I am sure that many of those sitting here and watching now do not understand exactly why I have taken the microphone."

"With fear and trembling, I am afraid to address the presence of an angel of Hashem Tzevaot; I ask a thousand pardons from the Rav that I am going and speaking and saying these things."

"It can be said that Hashem has privileged me, and for many months now, not even a year yet, that I have been privileged to be in a close, ongoing connection with our teacher the Rav shlit"a, may he have long and pleasant days and years."

"I want to tell you one sentence, because the Rav once threw a few words at me, he told me something about the Steipler. It is known that Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro, Rosh Yeshiva of Beer Yaakov, eulogized the Maran the Steipler zt"l. The difference between the great men of Israel, and may we distinguish between them and a professor, is that the more you approach a professor, the more you smell from him a bad odor of pride, of anger, of physical things. Not so with a Torah scholar; the Chofetz Chaim they talk about in America is not the same as the Chofetz Chaim they talk about in Poland and Russia. And the Chofetz Chaim of Russia is not the same as the one in Radin, the study hall of the Chofetz Chaim; as you get closer to him, it is, 'The King has brought me into His wine cellar.'"

"In the way of the world, when you get close to a person, the Gemara says that your heart becomes coarse toward him. I testify to you faithfully, as I am privileged to get closer to our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a, I tell you, I tremble, I tremble."

"My Admor, the Rebbe of Spinka, told me, 'Abba, you should know, the more you touch the hem of his garment, you will tremble.' And I tell you that I have been privileged, not just to have trust, but I am truly touching things with self-sacrifice for the sake of the Rav."

"The miracles that I and my friends see around the Rav are immeasurable. I know that many stop me on the way and say to me, 'Abba, tell us about this and that.'"

"Just recently, I was sitting with one of the important Dayanim in the Land of Israel, and suddenly a letter was revealed from the Gaon, the Mekubal, the tzaddik, Rabbi Zerachia, Rabbi Yehuda Zerachia Segal. 'An angel of Hashem Tzevaot,' that is how he writes about our Rav - 'An angel of Hashem Tzevaot, anyone who touches him is sure to bring upon himself destructive angels.'"

"That is what Rabbi Segal wrote. That Dayan was trembling in his hands and feet, 'Anyone who touches him is sure that destructive angels dwell upon him.' And I tell you that I feel it every day, miracles."

"But, I will tell you what I said to that Dayan, and I know that you know this - Hashem does not bring down such high souls to the world, with such miracles and wonders that we see every day, if Hashem is not maintaining the balance."

"And the Rav sometimes speaks, and within his words are words of Ruach HaKodesh in the simplest sense, words of Ruach HaKodesh in the simplest sense, which people understand after 40 years."

"I tell you, I have not even been with the Rav for a year and I stand next to him shaking with fear and trembling, with fear and trembling. Why am I saying all this? Mercy, my heart is constricting."

"My heart is torn. I was with the Rebbe of Spinka when the Rav was lying in Hadassah Ein Kerem, in the hospital, there on the tenth floor. The Rebbe of Spinka says to me, 'Abba, one does not enter an angel of Hashem Tzevaot like that; let us first look through the windows that are in the hospital room.'"

"And what do we see? The Rav is connected to IVs, the Rav is connected to IVs and sitting and learning like an 18-year-old boy. An angel of Hashem, nothing interests him. The Rebbe of Spinka says to me, 'Look, look what is going on here.'"

"I told him, 'Rebbe, you don't know anything yet; at night he escapes to the lobby and sits and learns for 6, 7 hours straight.' It is inconceivable, but the shame is ours, we are the guilty ones."

"I asked then the Dayan Rabbi Natan (the personal assistant) who sacrifices himself for the sake of the Rav, 'Rav Natan, where is the shame? The Rav needs to be in the hospital instead of you bringing the hospital to his home?'"

"He says to me, 'Abba, what can I do? I don't have a budget for this.'"

"Why doesn't the Rav worry? The Rav doesn't care about buildings, about physical things, he only cares that one more Jew will get closer to the Creator, may He be blessed, that one more Jew will be in this fire of the faith of our Rebbe."

"The Rebbe of Spinka told me, 'Abba, I have never seen an angel of Hashem who has myriads upon myriads waiting at his door, and his financial situation is terrible.'"

"I tell you, in the dealings that I have with the community regarding our self-sacrifice, against those enemies who try to undermine the Rav, we are fighting with our fingernails."

"I tell you, I said it to those people, to those wicked ones, you are not standing against the Rav who will say 'yes' to you about everything; you are standing against me today."

"I will dig my fingernails into you and I will scratch you. I want to tell you that blood has already been drawn from them. I will scratch them, you will no longer attempt to make contact with him, with us, let's see you be heroes."

"My teachers and my rabbis, I am begging you, I asked the Rav, and the Rav told me a moment before we entered, 'Abba, they will have salvations, they will have salvations.'"

"I said, 'Rav, why are you saying this specifically now?' Because now is a situation where I personally feel that I need it. I need this institution, the building, the medical needs; the Rav is not getting younger by the day. The Rav is aging and his health will be robust until the coming of Mashiach ben David speedily in our days. We see this clearly, but gentlemen, I am begging you, I am from the outside, I was not born into the community."

"I am begging you, when I look into his eyes I am ashamed. The Rebbe of Spinka said that Rabbi Segal told him that wherever Rav Berland arrives, he sanctifies his entire surroundings. I am ashamed to see him in debt; it pains me that I sometimes ask for things to take care of problems."

"A good lawyer, a good rabbinical advocate, there is no money. The Rav told me, almost begging, that anyone who does not have a standing order of 148 NIS for 36 months, I am begging him to do it. This is an hour that we need, and whoever understands, understands; I am saying this from a weeping heart."

"May everyone please stand on their feet and we will sing 'Ohr Zaruah' at the top of our lungs - because generations have not been privileged to see such a tzaddik, an angel of Hashem."