"If Saul Had Possessed the Pleasantness of David, He Too Would Have Repented"

Words of the Living God from the Admor, our Teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for Parshas Tetzaveh.

"If a person becomes crushed (katis), then he burns for a complete year."

"And they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for the light..." (Exodus 27:20). It is written in Midrash Tanchuma on Tetzaveh (Chapter 3): "I saw a Menorah that burned for a complete year." Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, says: "A Menorah." There were many Menorahs in the Temple; a person would donate a Menorah, they placed it in the Sanctuary, and they would kindle all the Menorahs. In the time of Solomon, there were another ten, and this was hidden away.

"In any case, it is written in Tetzaveh, 'And they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed...' 'And you shall command the Children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed.' So it is written that there was a Menorah that burned; all this was at the end of the Second Temple period. He says: 'I [testify] that I saw a Menorah that they did not need to extinguish.' The great Menorah was extinguished, but 'I saw a Menorah that stood there in some corner of the Sanctuary, and it never went out. They did not need to remove its ashes, replace it, or clean it.'"

[caption id="attachment_7073" align="alignnone" width="793"] Kevavas Shomrem Newsletter No. 14 - Words of the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a[/caption]

"So, 'You shall command the Children of Israel.' Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, testifies: 'I was in the Holy Temple and I found a Menorah.' He says 'I found'—it could be that they didn't notice it at all. Every time, they thought another Kohen was lighting it. Apparently, in the end, he discovered that it had been burning for a year; they didn't extinguish the oil at all, they didn't extinguish the wicks. They always thought some other Kohen had tended to it. Because the great, main, central Menorah—that one they changed, they cleaned it in the morning. According to the Rambam, they lit it twice; according to [the other opinion], they lit it once. In any case, there were other Menorahs that burned. So when the wick went out, it had a small light, so it burned for two days. There, they were not strict to remove the ashes every morning. So there was one Menorah that burned for a complete year. 'And I found—suddenly I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year, a Menorah that was lit all the days of the year.' He saw a miraculous event. 'Crushed for the light'—if a person becomes crushed (katis), then he burns for a complete year.

"Solomon added another ten, and everything was hidden away by Josiah, who passed away 22 years before the destruction. [There were] 11 years of Jehoiakim, 11 years of Zedekiah—these are 22 years. So, several years before the destruction, he already hid everything. He already brought everything down into tunnels, deep tunnels—so deep that no matter how much one digs, one cannot reach there. He built an entire underground Holy Temple. He built a Holy of Holies, a Sanctuary, courtyards, and an Altar for Burnt Offerings. He put everything there. What Moses and Solomon made—they brought it all down below. Above, they left a few Menorahs, just for another 22 years, until Nebuchadnezzar came and took everything."

"And in the Second Temple, they already made Menorahs out of tin [or wood]. It is written that there were Menorahs of tin; they barely had iron. Afterwards, when they became wealthy, then these Menorahs that they made in the Second Temple—making them was the handiwork of the Hasmoneans, of the Maccabees, of the latter Tzaddikim, Shimon ben Shetach. Then Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, said: 'I saw a Menorah'—this was already before the destruction—'a Menorah that burned my entire life. I saw a Menorah that, for my entire life, burned without ceasing; it burned without ceasing.'"

"And now Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, tells us that when I was in the Holy Temple, the Menorah was burning for a complete year. 'I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year.' This is not the Menorah that they light every day, which they need to extinguish—even if the candle is burning, they need to extinguish it to renew the lighting. There are many other Menorahs there that people donated; all kinds of people gave donations. So there was a Menorah there that was burning, which the Tzaddikim, holy and pure, had donated. So I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year, and this is how it was year after year—that once a year they would light it."

Haftarah of Parshas "Remember what Amalek did to you"

"If Saul had possessed this pleasantness (that David had), then he also would have repented (teshuvah). Then he would have known to cut off Amalek. He would have waited for Samuel. He did not have the patience to wait for Samuel, because the [spiritual] work of a person is only self-nullification (bittul) to the Tzaddik. This is the entire work of a human being; there is no other work at all, only to nullify oneself to the Tzaddik. Samuel told you to wait—wait! What did Samuel ask of you? Wait! He said wait!"

"Why? Why didn't Samuel come? Why is Samuel delaying? Why have I been waiting for him for 7 days already? The people are already scattering from me. They arrived from Gilad, and Saul declared a revolt against the Philistines. Who needs this revolt? The Nation of Israel is not a nation of revolt. Fine, you declared a revolt, but wait! Wait for Samuel! Wait for Samuel! Wait for Samuel! Nullify yourself to Samuel! You are truly a Tzaddik. 'And he strove in the valley' (Vayarev BaNachal)—when he 'strove in the valley,' he said he does not understand Samuel."

"The Gemara says in Yoma 22b: 'And he strove in the valley'—he did not understand Samuel. What does Samuel want? To kill innocent people, babies, children, tender women? How did they sin? Granted, soldiers—but even them, what did they do? Amalek didn't do anything. 'And he strove in the valley'—Saul thought that he was wiser than Samuel. Saul was certain that he was wiser than Samuel, that he understood more than Samuel. It was clear to him that he was wise, greater than Samuel; he had no question about this."

"'And he strove in the valley'—what is 'And he strove in the valley'? The Gemara says: 'And he strove in the valley'—Rabbi Mani said: concerning the matter of the valley [a reference to the laws of the breaking of the heifer's neck]. At the hour when the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Saul, 'Go and strike Amalek, from youth to elder, infant and women,' he did not understand. What is Hashem speaking to him? To kill babies, sweet and cute infants? Where has such a thing been heard? The whole world will come upon us, storm us, and cut us off. What kind of nation is this? Killing babies, killing women? What a cruel nation this is, only engaged in murder. Not for nothing did the Nazis kill all the Jews; they said, 'This is a nation of murderers.' The Nazis were 'logical' people, 'refined souls'—why suffer murderers? They could not suffer a nation of murderers. Wherever you open the Tanach, you see a nation of murderers. The Nazis [felt they] had to eliminate this nation once and for all, simply to bring 'redemption' to the world, so that in the world there would only be people who are not murderers, who do not kill, there will only be 'beautiful' people."

"Saul was afraid: What is happening here? What is happening here? To kill innocent people? Such sweet people, such nice people—how is this possible? If a person becomes crushed (katis), then he burns for a complete year. 'And they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for the light...' (Exodus 27:20). It is written in Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh (Chapter 3) that 'I saw a Menorah that burned for a complete year.' Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, says: 'A Menorah.' There were many Menorahs in the Temple; a person would donate a Menorah, they placed it in the Sanctuary, and they would kindle all the Menorahs. In the time of Solomon, there were another ten, and this was hidden away. In any case, it is written in Tetzaveh, 'And they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed...' 'And you shall command the Children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed.'"

"So it is written that there was a Menorah that burned; all this was at the end of the Second Temple period. He says: 'I [testify] that I saw a Menorah that they did not need to extinguish.' The great Menorah was extinguished, but 'I saw a Menorah that stood there in some corner of the Sanctuary, and it never went out. They did not need to remove its ashes, replace it, or clean it.' So, 'You shall command the Children of Israel.' Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, testifies: 'I was in the Holy Temple and I found a Menorah.' He says 'I found'—it could be that they didn't notice it at all. Every time, they thought another Kohen was lighting it. Apparently, in the end, he discovered that it had been burning for a year; they didn't extinguish the oil at all, they didn't extinguish the wicks. They always thought some other Kohen had tended to it. Because the great, main, central Menorah—that one they changed, they cleaned it in the morning. According to the Rambam, they lit it twice; according to [the other opinion], they lit it once."

"In any case, there were other Menorahs that burned. So when the wick went out, it had a small light, so it burned for two days. There, they were not strict to remove the ashes every morning. So there was one Menorah that burned for a complete year. 'And I found—suddenly I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year, a Menorah that was lit all the days of the year.' He saw a miraculous event. 'Crushed for the light'—if a person becomes crushed (katis), then he burns for a complete year. Solomon added another ten, and everything was hidden away by Josiah, who passed away 22 years before the destruction. [There were] 11 years of Jehoiakim, 11 years of Zedekiah—these are 22 years. So, several years before the destruction, he already hid everything. He already brought everything down into tunnels, deep tunnels—so deep that no matter how much one digs, one cannot reach there. He built an entire underground Holy Temple. He built a Holy of Holies, a Sanctuary, courtyards, and an Altar for Burnt Offerings. He put everything there. What Moses and Solomon made—they brought it all down below. Above, they left a few Menorahs, just for another 22 years, until Nebuchadnezzar came and took everything."

"And in the Second Temple, they already made Menorahs out of tin. It is written that there were Menorahs of tin; they barely had iron. Afterwards, when they became wealthy, then these Menorahs that they made in the Second Temple—making them was the handiwork of the Hasmoneans, of the Maccabees, of the latter Tzaddikim, Shimon ben Shetach. Then Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, said: 'I saw a Menorah'—this was already before the destruction—'a Menorah that burned my entire life. I saw a Menorah that, for my entire life, burned without ceasing; it burned without ceasing.' And now Rabbi Chanina, the Deputy High Priest, tells us that when I was in the Holy Temple, the Menorah was burning for a complete year. 'I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year.' This is not the Menorah that they light every day, which they need to extinguish—even if the candle is burning, they need to extinguish it to renew the lighting. There are many other Menorahs there that people donated; all kinds of people gave donations. So there was a Menorah there that was burning, which the Tzaddikim, holy and pure, had donated. So I saw a Menorah burning for a complete year, and this is how it was year after year—that once a year they would light it.