Hebron, Then and Forever

In the month of Kislev 5779, the Holy Land was painted with signs and posters announcing a mass prayer gathering led by the tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, at the graves of the Patriarchs in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. After seeing open miracles at previous gatherings held in Hebron in recent years—and as Rabbi Shalom Arush shlit"a, a student of The Rav, testified that in the merit of the gathering in Hebron about two years ago, the stabbing intifada that had been raging until then suddenly stopped—so too, we believe that in the merit of the gathering on the "Night of Zos Chanukah," many harsh judgments were sweetened (mitigated) from upon the Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

The Rav spoke about the severity of the security situation and said: "We have no power at all, only Tehillim (Psalms). All the attempts of the State of Israel to stop the missiles of Hezbollah and Hamas have come to nothing. Every day we are threatened with thousands of new missiles, capable of hitting any target with millimeter precision. The Jewish people are in actual mortal danger, and we have no way to be saved except through our mouths (prayer), 'The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau' (Genesis 27:22). We are truly in the final moments that we can remain in the Land of Israel, in the State of Israel, because the goal of the Arabs is to eliminate everyone here. They don't care about religious, secular, Haredi, or Neturei Karta; it doesn't interest them. They want to eliminate every single Jew, down to the last of us. Whether he is secular or religious, whether he is Mizrahi, whether he wears a knitted kippah or a black kippah."

Thousands of his students heeded the call of The Rav, and on the night of Zos Chanukah, ten thousand people stood in the plaza of the Cave of Machpelah. Everyone lifted their eyes in prayer, paying no attention to the fierce cold and the hours ticking away deep into the night, until the sunrise was already visible on the horizon.

The Rav lit Chanukah candles near the Cave of Machpelah, and afterward, they began the spiritual work of dancing to sweeten the judgments for hours. After reciting The Tikkun HaKlali with thousands of Jews, The Rav recited Kaddish, leaving not a single dry eye. The Kaddish of The Rav at the conclusion of the gathering, sung with a stirring melody and immense emotion, was etched into the hearts of all the participants who were in Hebron, as well as those who listened and watched the live broadcasts transmitted from the cave's plaza to thirty-eight countries around the world.

The first miracle that occurred, directly connected to the prayer gathering, was the miracle in which a student of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva was saved from being murdered by a terrorist at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

On the morning of Thursday, Parshas Vayigash, December 13, 2018, Rabbi David HaLevi, a student of The Rav, made his way from the Shuvu Banim yeshiva to the prayer hall.

Here are his words in an interview with the Global Breslov Line: "Early in the morning I was at the yeshiva; I learned and immersed in the mikvah. When I came out of the mikvah, a young man approached me and asked for tzedakah (charity). It had never been so difficult for me to take out a few shekels for charity, but in the end, I overcame my hesitation and gave him the last ten shekels I had in my pocket. In hindsight, the saying of our Sages became crystal clear to me: 'Charity saves from death.' I truly felt how I was tested to give the charity that ultimately saved me.

"I left the yeshiva (on Ma'ale Khaldiya Street) heading toward HaChoma HaShlishit Street via the Damascus Gate at around five in the morning. I was alone on the way, humming the melody of Chatzos (the midnight lament over the destruction of the Temple) as I walked. After the plaza of the Lions' Gate, two Arabs were walking in front of me, and suddenly the terrorist emerged from behind them. I can still see before my eyes the blade of the knife he drew against me, with which he tried to stab me.

"The terrorist jumped on me with the knife, and from the force of the blow, I was knocked to the ground. From the floor, I looked at him and he looked at me, and to this day I don't understand why he continued running toward the soldiers and left me alone. A few minutes later, I heard six or seven gunshots and realized they had killed the terrorist. I was bruised from the fall, but he did not succeed in stabbing me with the knife.

"The only reason we walk through the Damascus Gate, and in general, is through the power of the words of Rabbi Berland shlit"a, who teaches that emunah (faith) is greater than fear. We believe in all the years of faith that the Rav has taught us over the years, and we walk with that. I will continue to walk through the Damascus Gate because the terrorists are only there to awaken us to teshuvah (repentance).

"Certainly, the prayer gathering in Hebron organized by the Rav shlit"a contributed to the miracle I experienced, but ultimately, it is the merit of Rabbi Berland shlit"a that protects us all."

From the book "Pele Elyon, Part 3"