A very important message in light of the difficult situation we are in, from Rabbi Mordechai Soferin shlit"a, one of the longtime students of The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a

These are his holy words:

Usually, I don’t speak here about Rabbi Berland. He is my Rav, so I tell you stories—like what I told you about the court case (a story he told). But in the story of the Baal Tefillah (from the Stories of Rebbe Nachman), there are ten people by the king: the wise man, the queen, the princess, the hero, the baby, the one appointed over the treasures. If Rabbi Berland is one of those people—then he is the hero.

This man (Rabbi Berland)—I don’t know anyone as heroic as him. I don’t know, I haven’t heard, I haven’t seen, and I haven’t read in books about acts of courage like what I have seen by him.

And this hero (Rabbi Berland) sweetens all the harsh judgments. He can sweeten terrible judgments from upon us—everything! But one thing is needed: we must give him strength! We must connect ourselves to him—even someone who doesn’t believe in him!!

I know there are people here who don’t believe in him. You don’t have to believe in him—but at least there’s a doubt, maybe. What do you lose? There are many (very many) people who do believe!

So whoever doesn’t believe in him—come on, there is trouble now; we want to sweeten harsh judgments! Let’s give him strength. There is something (special) that Rabbi Berland revealed, and a few years ago it became revealed to the whole world. It is called “Selected Chapters”!

And it was a secret—no one spoke about it, no one told it. But slowly, this secret was revealed. Little by little, people began speaking about the fact that there are “Selected Chapters” that Rabbi Berland revealed—special chapters. This is a rectification of the covenant—not only for something done unintentionally, but even for something done intentionally, and for the hardest sins in the world!

There is an attack like this (the Simchas Torah massacre), a blow like this—truly, it is a terrible decree that happened to us here on Simchas Torah! It is a warning about what may come next. For what comes next, Rabbi Berland needs our strength!

It is his. Simply, whoever merits to say it is given from what is his—because what does it awaken? That we are doing our part.

It gives Rabbi Berland the desire to strengthen himself!! “Therefore, Israel must be connected and united with the Tzaddik” (Noam Elimelech)—we must be one with the Tzaddik!

(“Selected Chapters”)—is that what he revealed? Then I go with it! Because it is his, so I give it to him, and through this the Tzaddik is helped—with gevurah—to nullify the harsh judgments!

He has the desire to overcome—because do you know what suffering he endures for this? (Rabbi Berland needs) to enter into such severe judgments—decrees of destruction—to enter such wars. Why enter? There, everyone argues with him; everyone humiliates him.

And suddenly people come and tell him: We are with you! (So the Rav says,) Fine—I will go in, and whatever will be, will be. He gives over his life!

Like Moshe Rabbeinu: “And Israel encamped there opposite the mountain” (Shemos 19:2)—all of them as one person, together with him!

If we do this, then Rabbi Berland will remove all the decrees from upon you.

That is what I came to tell you. First, we should understand what is happening here—this is, more or less, the explanation of what is happening. There is a decree upon Am Yisrael, because the harsh judgments have intensified. We don’t need to explain why the harsh judgments have intensified; it is clear to everyone. Everyone sees, everyone knows—it’s not “between man and Hashem”; it’s how we are living.

And the judgments are severe. (And with all the terrible pain,) the decree—baruch Hashem—ended up “small,” small compared to a decree of destruction. It is small, but it is heading in that direction! And the sweetening of it is in the aspect of prayer, in the aspect of judgment, through the Baal Koach.

Where is there a Baal Koach? Do you know a Baal Koach who can nullify such decrees? That is the situation now!

Whoever wants, I brought some “Selected Chapters.” Say them, and with Hashem’s help we will give Rabbi Berland strength to sweeten the harsh judgments from upon us!

And then there will be great livelihood and great abundance for all of Am Yisrael, for each and every person. And if Hashem wills it, and it succeeds completely, completely—then Moshiach will come and redeem us with a complete Geulah!

Amen