I Recall Days of Old • The Strengthening Talk Delivered by the Genius Rabbi

About eight years ago, when Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a was staying in the prison in the city of Be'er Sheva, the Chief Rabbi of Be'er Sheva and member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the Gaon Rabbi Yehuda Deri zt"l—who passed away suddenly today to his eternal home—arrived for a visit of chizuk at the protest tent established opposite the prison walls.

On Friday, Rosh Chodesh Av 5776, the Chief Rabbi of the city of Be'er Sheva, the Gaon Rabbi Yehuda Deri zt"l (brother of MK Aryeh Deri, may he live a long and good life), arrived for a surprise visit at the protest tent and expressed support and identification with the followers of the Rav who were staying at the site.

Rabbi Deri instructed his assistants to handle every request for help from the followers and even assisted through his connections in the municipality with several technical arrangements related to the tent at the site.

Likewise, Rabbi Yehuda Deri expressed his admiration for the self-sacrifice of the followers of Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, who are in difficult conditions and continue to remain loyal to their Rav.

A regrettable incident accompanied his visit, when he requested, as the city's Rabbi, to visit our teacher the Rav shlit"a—a professional visit to inquire about his religious needs ahead of the Sabbath—but was refused by the Prison Service. This proves once again the discriminatory attitude with which the state authorities treat the Rav and the ongoing persecution against him. What would have happened if it were an Arab Sheikh staying in prison? The matter would certainly have been different, and a High Court petition would have been filed immediately on the subject by the champions of freedom and democracy. But in the "State of the Jews," this has become a painful routine of ongoing religious persecution under the guise of the rule of law.

Rabbi Deri guided the followers on several halachic rules regarding staying at the site on the Sabbath and even delivered words of chizuk, which are presented before you.

Before you are the words of chizuk delivered by Rabbi Yehuda Deri zt"l in praise of our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a:

A peaceful and blessed Sabbath eve to all the tzaddikim who are staying here now. We are here in the temporary yeshiva tent, truly temporary, which was established here. I hope with the help of Hashem that very soon—perhaps already by the conclusion of the Sabbath—we will hear and be informed of good tidings. "These are the journeys of the Children of Israel," as it is said, we hope that the final journey of the tzaddik will be here. And from here, with the help of Hashem, he will return to his community and his congregation and lead all his congregation toward the springs of Torah and Chassidut.

We will strive with all our might here, with the help of Hashem, to make their stay here pleasant. Even though they are children of kings and deserve palaces, we do not have palaces to build, so we will do the maximum possible for food, drink, and lodging, as far as our hands can reach, with the help of Heaven.

And I strengthen everyone who is here. And they are supposed to arrive, with the help of Hashem—we are expecting hundreds to arrive, so with the help of Hashem, this joy of the final parashah (in the Book of Numbers) and Rosh Chodesh. May Hashem bring us good tidings, salvations, and consolations. And may it be so, and let us say Amen. A peaceful and blessed Sabbath!