Hisbodedus in Devekut — The Daily Strengthening from Rabbi Berland shlit"a

In the daily chizuk from our teacher, the holy tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, he describes how they would perform hitbodedut in minus 40-degree weather, yet their bodies would sweat from holy dveikut, and they would immerse in the mikvah with self-sacrifice.

Monday, 10th of Nissan, 5782 – These are his holy words:

"These were the first fields where we would perform hitbodedut a great deal."

"We would go out from 2:00 AM until the light of morning; the sky would turn blue."

"Here in Israel, it is not Uman. Uman is minus 40—we would walk and cry out to Hashem."

"And there is no answer; one does not know when the morning will come. When it becomes blue in the sky, we go to the shul."

"And in the shul, there is no heating, and it is minus 40, and everyone is dripping with sweat—in minus 40, they are dripping with sweat."

"They cry out such cries, and the body warms up, and everyone is literally dripping with water; drops of sweat fall from everyone, and everyone is crying out."

"We begin Shacharit prayer at 5:00 AM and finish at 12:00 PM, the entire prayer."

"Just as they tell of Rabbi Hirsch Leib Leipel who was in the Caucasus; they walked on foot to the Land of Israel, from the Caucasus they walked on foot. He walked to the Land of Israel three times on foot."

"And they said that there is no such thing as not going to the mikvah—one must go to the mikvah every day."