Heart-Wrenching Tears

"Measure for Measure"

HaGaon HaChassid Rabbi Moshe Menachem Kluger shlit"a, head of the Kever Rachel institutions, joins his protest and attributes what is happening to the People of Israel and the world to the persecution of the holy Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

Rabbi Kluger, who manages to keep his voice steady at the beginning of his words, soon begins to weep bitterly while listing the injustices that Rav Berland shlit"a is enduring along with the holy community of Shuvu Banim.

"Peace and blessings. I admit that I am afraid. I know that I will say things that some people will not leave unanswered, and I will receive my share—perhaps I too will 'merit' being called 'Moshe Menachem Kluger, may his name be erased.'"

"I will find myself in a distinguished group with many other tzaddikim, many very important rabbis who do great and hidden things for the sake of our Rebbe and who absorb campaigns of slander and injury from every direction."

"However, yesterday, one of the greatest poskim called me to his home; it was not easy to arrive because of the curfew. I was stunned to hear an instruction: 'You must act. You are a Breslov chassid and you are at Mother Rachel; things are happening here that have never happened before. Things are happening here that would make every heart tremble.'"

"Day by day, dozens are injured and pass away, orphans and widows, thousands of people are in distress—the fire is burning, you are obligated to act."

"The Rambam writes that despite the concealment of the Divine Presence, 'measure for measure' still exists. Things are happening here that, if one examines them a little, will clearly show 'measure for measure' in the most obvious way. The Rav tried to detail the matters for me one after another."

"They took a Rav (Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a), a Jew who delivers a Gemara shiur on the Daf Yomi to hundreds of people with self-sacrifice—police vehicles arrived and took him to prison, and he is still sitting in prison. Measure for measure: unfortunately, all the Admorim, all the rabbis, and the heads of yeshivas are in isolation. There are no more shiurim, gatherings, or assemblies; they all sit in solitude."

"They slandered, gossiped, defamed, and loathed an entire community in the ugliest and cruelest ways, in the not-exactly-Charedi media, in the secular media, and even in the global media of the nations."

"They slandered a Jew (Rav Berland shlit"a) with an entire community (the holy community of Shuvu Banim) of thousands of people. Unfortunately, this is what is happening now as well, measure for measure—in the global media, they are publishing that the Jews are the ones who brought the plague. On the networks, they call it 'the Jewish virus.'"

"They welded doors shut so the community could not enter; unfortunately, the police welded synagogues shut. Synagogues are locked behind bars and bolts—the Shechinah is weeping."

"It is easy to see how everything is orchestrated, how everything is a game; there are people here with interests. They want to ignite a fire, to achieve their interests, and they will do it at any price."

"It is natural for everyone to want to save another soul, but something completely different happened here. People summoned 'Hatzalah.' They set the entire Diaspora ablaze as a focus of fire. A grave thing happened—they called Rav Berland, may his name be erased, 'Shabbetai.' It was prepared for them in advance: which Hatzalah and emergency services to activate, which media outlets to be interviewed by, how to spread more slander. How to activate another wave of bloodshed against Rav Berland, another wave of loathing, in order to loathe everyone connected to a certain community."

"I want to ask: if the matter were truly correct, how much would it pain every Breslov chassid? Jews who were with us for years, we traveled together to Uman, we went out together for hitbodedut, we strengthened each other, we served Hashem together, we took charity from Rav Berland. Suddenly, certain people with interests arrived, sat down, and planned: 'We will do this and that, the operation will succeed.' There are simply targets here. One will even swear on a Torah scroll that he did it. They fought among themselves over who would swear in order to erase this community (Shuvu Banim) and the Jew (Rav Berland shlit"a) standing at its head."

"We all know how much our Rebbe and Reb Noson poured out ink to strengthen us in prayers. If the story had actually happened, they would have gathered in secret and thought about what to do. But this thing did not happen at all (everything they accused Rav Berland of); there was no such direction. All this period, for years, not a single prayer was mentioned."

"They made illustrated pamphlets and so on, but not once was there a prayer about it. But there are targets here to harm and to loathe. My teachers and masters, the fire is burning and everyone needs to take a bucket and help. I, too, am small, but I must cry out; terrible things are happening here day by day."

"We are obligated to see where we erred, where we did, and where we did not do. Each and every one knows how much evil and division between man and his fellow has entered his heart."

"I searched in the Chafetz Chaim and the sayings of our Sages on what to speak about, but it is clear that the most severe thing is the shaming of others, lashon hara, and conflict. How happy I was that I left those courts and drew close to Breslov Chassidut. I was happy with my lot, but the Evil Inclination is not quiet. The people of the tzaddik, the people of our holy Rebbe, and all the tzaddikim are working with them on the tikkun of the world, to bring people back in teshuvah and to ignite hearts for the service of Hashem. And what is happening here? The Evil Inclination succeeded in dressing itself in their service of Hashem."

"Conflict for the sake of Heaven in Jerusalem, blood dripping from every direction for the sake of Heaven. The trait of contentiousness does not allow us to admit it, but this is what is happening on the ground. Another wave of slander in the media, more bloodshed for everyone from this community."

"I do not want to describe what I experienced, but they are spilling blood. One example: a Rosh Kollel who went through terror—he is not a Breslov chassid, but he managed to secure the position of Rosh Kollel. He kept two avreichim from Shuvu Banim in the Kollel; he could not withstand the pressure. For a period, he did not come to the Kollel. What is being discussed here? You want to save Judaism, so you need to remove these avreichim, sons of baalei teshuvah who did not study Torah in their youth? Avreichim who disconnected themselves from their families, returned to Torah, and here we found how to rectify the world—by ensuring that these avreichim are distanced from the Kollel!"

"Where does such cruelty come from? The Posek told me about children from Shuvu Banim who were in a Talmud Torah that was not Breslov. At a certain stage, they told them not to bring the children to the Talmud Torah anymore. The principal said: 'I know the children are good and the families are good, but I cannot withstand the pressure.' From the beginning of the school year, the children have been without a framework, wandering at home and in the streets, because these 'tzaddikim' had goals—to erase the Shuvu Banim community at any price."

"Terrible, terrible. Where are the words to describe this? They take a child who studies Mishnayot and so on, and his whole life is cut short. This is happening behind the door; there are enough grave things to shock the whole world—let us be honest and ask for forgiveness from Hashem and try to rectify this. I ask the People of Israel to say, 'We were wrong,' and whoever is prevented by the lust for victory should postpone it for two months."

"The Rambam says: 'The prophets prophesied... but they saw the conflict and did not reach its end.' I am shouting in the name of tens of thousands of Israel who are crying and weeping; it has already taken the blow. We must be brave: 'I was wrong, I was dragged into conflict.' Instead of being a holy fire, they are busy with how to fight and kick."

"The holy Ari could not complete the stage of the Geulah because the wives of his two students fought among themselves. The conflict ended the Geulah, and we are several hundred years after that; how much bloodshed of Israel there has been, how much service of Hashem by the tzaddikim there has already been. We want to reach the Geulah; who knows how much we are to blame here, how much we are sticking sticks in the wheels."

"Twenty years ago, I was with my teacher and master, Rabbi Morgenstern. A dear Jew approached him regarding a conflict. And as much as the year 5760 (2000) was capable of Geulah, Rabbi Morgenstern said: 'Look, it will not be, because we are gripped by conflict.' And here, 20 years of service of Hashem have passed, but the Evil Inclination does not rest and has introduced conflict."

"The Chafetz Chaim said that the way of the Evil Inclination is to bring a person into the trait of evil and victory, and then the Evil Inclination shows him many justifications. I do not want to describe what slaughter was here, what cruelty; I want to judge favorably."

"The Evil Inclination succeeded in the mission and stuck Breslov Chassidut for 7 years in conflict. And this is the trait: to rejoice in others' misfortune, to take revenge, and to harass."

"We were wrong. There were things here that should not be done against the Shuvu Banim community, and against anyone who did not cooperate with them. I, along with many others, was afraid to speak, lest they harass us. I heard myself from Rabbi Koenig of Tzfat two years ago: there was a family there where the husband was connected to Shuvu Banim and the wife was connected to Rabbi Kivek. How agitated Rabbi Koenig was—how do they allow a few young activists to decide in such systems and destroy entire communities?"

"I have a friend who does not belong to the opponents, but every once in a while he listens to their line to vent from the talk. I asked him: 'Are you not afraid that this is called a sect of those who receive lashon hara?'"

"I was yesterday at the Posek shlit"a, who in my presence called Rabbi Shimon Shapira. He asked him: 'Do you not think that there is 'measure for measure' here for what they are doing to Rav Berland?' Rabbi Shapira answered: 'I know, I am afraid, I do not sleep at nights, I cry every night about this.' I am afraid now to do anything."

"I call on every single Jew to offer a strong prayer that we emerge from the Evil Inclination of victory. I beg those who have a part in the persecution of Rav Berland: you have a power of victory of holiness. You are surely holy souls who were dragged into conflict, but enough—give a space of two or three months until the wrath passes."

"Perhaps everyone will try to say the Tikkun HaKlali during the days of Sefirat HaOmer to rectify the matter, that Hashem may illuminate our hearts, illuminate our minds, subdue our stiff necks, and we will do His will, may He be blessed, in truth."

"In the letters of the Baal HaTanya, he writes that most of the suffering and troubles of Israel are due to the sin of conflict for the sake of Heaven—let us pray that we will not have a part in the conflict."