Knishta Chada Bulletin 50 Av Month 5776 - The Shechinah in Exile

Knishta Chada 50

No one can claim that everything is fine for them; perhaps one person, thank Hashem, has a steady parnassah (livelihood). Perhaps another has merited a little nachas from their children, but in general, the Jewish people are going through a difficult period – a period of clarification in faith. As the Admor Rabbi Yisrael Friedman of Ruzhin, zt"l, said, in the final generation, the test of faith will be so difficult that he compared it to someone wanting to withstand tests, which would be like climbing a wall without stairs. The Gemara says: "The entire world was created only to be a companion to this" (Berachot 6b). That is, faith and connection to the tzaddik is the primary advice with which one can reach personal and general tikkun (rectification).

Our holy Rebbe prepared us for these fateful moments; he prepared us and gave tools to anyone who would only want to pick them up and use them at the right time – now, when everything around is changing, preparing, readying itself for the coming of the King: "And then, when the honor returns to those who understand, then at the beginning of their rule, a dispute arises. And when the enemies unite, then they suck much, and they suck up all the excesses quickly and fall. And perhaps this is the secret of the birth pangs of Mashiach and the war of Gog and Magog, for then, in the days of Mashiach, the honor will be returned in its entirety to those who understand, and therefore a great dispute will be aroused before the coming of Mashiach against the Torah scholars, in the aspect of 'the generation in which the son of David comes, there will be a category against Torah scholars' (Ketubot 112b), and Rashi explains: 'Many accusers and those who teach guilt will stand against them, and this is the essence of the birth pangs of Mashiach' (Rashi, Shabbat 118), and likewise the war of Gog and Magog that will be aroused then, that all the nations will gather to fight against Israel, and in truth, this will be for the benefit of Israel, for then the nations will fall a complete fall with no one to support them (Yikra D'Shabta, Siman 66)." We have not come to invent a new Torah, and certainly not to sow terror and fear, but only to strengthen ourselves in the power of the tzaddik who prepared for us in advance words of wisdom and knowledge, things that have waited in the background for hundreds of years for the moment they would ripen and grow with the right generation – the generation of Mashiach and his chosen messenger.

"Everyone calls him a holy man"

Moments before Rav Berland shlit"a left Johannesburg, we merited to speak with Rabbi Katz, the prison rabbi in Johannesburg. "Due to my position as the prison rabbi in Johannesburg, I met the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a several times," begins Rabbi Shabtai Katz in a unique interview we conducted with him. "Rav Berland is imprisoned in terrible conditions – but he is happy all the time." According to him, the prison cell where the Rav is located is very small, the size of 3 beds, without flooring, with a toilet corner without a permanent partition, only a blanket, a very small table, and a box for books in the corner of the room. Visitors bring in and take out books for the Rav at every visit.

This is wintertime; at night, the temperatures drop even below zero, and the cold penetrates the cell from inside the huge prison facility, where thousands of prisoners are housed. "I did not notice if the Rav has a heater, but I saw how the Rav warms himself through movement and Torah study. I do not know what the Rav's prayer times are because he is happy all the time and adorned with tallit and tefillin, always holding holy books in his hand."

"The guards and police in the facility, and the prisoners themselves, call the Rav 'THE HOLY MAN,' and they come to him all the time to receive blessings and to consult regarding problems in their personal lives. The prisoners behave with reverence toward the Rav and are always trying to take care of him and ask what he needs."

Rabbi Katz is amazed that Rav Berland shlit"a is always in a positive attitude, not sad and complaining like the other prisoners. "He constantly repeats that everything is good and everything is fine and everyone is helping him, and finally, he has an opportunity to hitboded (seclude himself) as he always wanted. The Rav wanted me to convey in his name that he is with us always in physicality and spirituality, and we need to strengthen ourselves in faith and trust in Hashem that everything that happens – everything is for the best."

In a conversation with his students, the Rav said: "I am here in Gan Eden; for 50 years I have not had such peace of mind to study all day without interruption."

(You can listen to the full interview as well as other hot materials about the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland on the hotline - 02-991-7173)

"Know that Mashiach is already ready to be revealed"

When Rav Berland shlit"a went into exile, everyone thought he was already returning, but the Rav prepared us and said already at the beginning that the bitter exile would last three years. And indeed, a little after three years, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, landed in the Holy Land, but the Satan and all his hosts could not bear it, and even before he arrived, they stirred up strife in the world. Regarding this period, our holy Rebbe and his student spoke: "Once, Rebbe Nathan spoke of the 'Megillat Setarim' (Scroll of Secrets), he answered and said: 'The war of Gog and Magog is not mentioned in the Megillat Setarim, which implies that there will be heresy in the world, and this will be the magnitude of our test and the test of Mashiach. And therefore, in every generation, when there is great accusation among Israel, and heresies multiply – know that Mashiach is already ready to be revealed, only the heresies and the atheism cover and hide him. And similar to what Chazal said (Sanhedrin 94a): The Holy One, Blessed be He, wanted to make Hezekiah Mashiach, and Sennacherib Gog and Magog. That is, in every generation, this is against this; against King Mashiach, who is the level of the revelation of the holy faith, there is Gog and Magog, which are the heresies and mockery against him, for the essence of King Mashiach will be to illuminate and reveal His light, may He be blessed, as Chazal said (Midrash Rabbah, Parshat Bereshit, Chapter 1): 'And the light dwells with Him' (Daniel 2:22) – this is King Mashiach, see there... but to this (simple faith) it is impossible to reach except through the true tzaddikim who are the spark of King Mashiach. But this is against this: there is the war of Gog and Magog, which are the totality of the dispute and the accusation that exists against these true tzaddikim who reveal the truth of His existence, may He be blessed, for they want to swallow them alive, Rachmana Litzlan, and they speak every forbidden thing about them and mock them greatly – and through this, they distance the souls of Israel from them. And through this, they prolong the bitter exile, Rachmana Litzlan. And therefore, woe to them! And woe to the souls of those who have a part in the dispute and quarrels against the true tzaddikim, who reveal the truth of His existence, may He be blessed, for they are the brazen-faced of the generation, the face of the dog, the soldiers of Gog and Magog who hide the truth, and they are the wicked of the generation as they said (Bava Metzia 83b): 'Since he is so brazen, it is proof that he is wicked.' And they said in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:10): 'Whoever is brazen-faced and is not ashamed before those greater than him, and whoever is a person of dispute – he is wicked from the wicked, Rachmana Litzlan,' see there. And if you knew, my beloved, my brother, what is written in the Megillat Setarim about these soldiers of Gog and Magog mentioned above who hide the truth, you would be alarmed and terrified and fall on your face from great alarm and fear, who and what and how this bitter exile was prolonged. And they already said in the Yerushalmi (Chapter 2, Halacha 1): 'The brazen one defeats the worthy,' and all for the sake of free choice and the test, until the time of His word, may He be blessed. In any case, however it is, my beloved, my brother, you run away from dispute and quarrels and do not get involved, and do not have any part in any dispute and quarrels and mockery against the true tzaddikim, for you do not know what a day will bring, etc. And you do not know against whom and about what you are disputing and mocking. And even if they want to incite you, that it is a mitzvah to pursue the worthy, you, my beloved! My brother! Spare your soul! And run away from such mitzvot, for it will be bitter in your end, and the opposite; if you help the true tzaddikim, you will hasten the Geulah (Redemption) and merit all the goodness prepared for the soldiers of the house of David." (Sefer Peulat HaTzaddik, p. 507, note 200)

Rabbi Yaakov Meir Salmanovitch - No one knows what awaits him

And just as Rebbe Nathan prepared us, right with the Rav's arrival in the country, the accusers jumped from their holes, even though they knew they were fulfilling the role of Amalek in the story (a parable of a boiling bath, Rashi in Parshat Zachor). We all knew how much these and others pursued the Rav all these years, but we did not expect the intensity of this hatred. Here are some of the things published by Rabbi Yaakov Meir Salmanovitch shlit"a, who was the revered rabbi of two of the leaders of the smear campaign against the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a: "Gewald! Gewald! How can we be quiet? There is already so much sorrow and heartache, so many disputes, so much sorrow, how are you capable of conducting such a cruel war??? You have claims??? You have things??? Only with good! Only with mercy! How are you capable now of causing such sorrow in the world??? Stop!!! Stop!!! Stop!!! Woe to you from the Day of Judgment! This is terrible hatred! This has not been since the days of old! You are delaying the Geulah! You want to go and cause the tzaddikim to stumble again, more signatures, more signatures, woe to you from the Day of Judgment! How can you take such great tzaddikim? The whole world has been crying for four years that in Breslov there is such hatred, such sorrow, everything was fine, our Rebbe went to conquer the world, the 'Baal Davar' (Evil Inclination) awoke and wants to create hatred and division without any mercy." Thus begins Rabbi Yaakov Meir Salmanovitch his cry against those who pursue the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, those who incite innocent rabbis and torment tens of thousands every moment anew.

"Are you not afraid? To take such tzaddikim and cause them to stumble? To take such tzaddikim and instill hatred in them? It is not as simple as you think. To instill such hatred in them. This is not our Rebbe." If it were not enough that Rabbi Salmanovitch is one of the greatest Breslov mashpi'im (influencers) of our generation, he was also in the past the rabbi of the brothers Y.H. and A.H., two of the greatest pursuers of the Rav shlit"a. And he, who knows them personally better than anyone, turns to them with a cry to stop their despicable crimes.

"It is not enough the troubles that everyone has, no one is sure of what will happen to him. What is happening here? How can it be that in Breslov there will be such sorrow? Such wickedness? Four years already such wickedness, people are crying, four years you have torn the life out of thousands of people. There is a lot of hatred here, endless hatred. If everyone had love, they could fix everything. The first thing that brings the Geulah, five types of Erev Rav, the first thing is people of dispute. Our Rebbe can teach merit for everyone, only not for people of dispute." People in the world are not familiar with the magnitude of the hatred that these people arouse, who do not refrain from any plot to make the name of the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland loathsome in the eyes of people. Rabbi Salmanovitch, who never expressed himself in this way toward any person, understands the magnitude of the terrible mistake and goes out with a cry against two of his former students.

"What is this thing? All the people of dispute have already repented. Rabbi Schechter, who was so caused to stumble in the dispute that passed, Rabbi Schechter, who is holy of holies and failed in the dispute that passed, has already asked for forgiveness, failed because of people, now you are coming again, more signatures, calling people and wanting to have him sign more, fear for yourselves!!! Shame on you!!! No one knows what awaits him, Master of the World, have mercy, no one is immune! Mercy, Gewald! Is this our Rebbe?! Is this what we came to our Rebbe for?! Every period to make more disputes?! There were so many disputes, another dispute?! People have been bleeding for four years, people are bleeding, and it does not stop, worse and worse, inciting the authorities too, all because of you! Gewald, everyone who needs to fix is lazy, when they come to break in one moment, everyone loves to break, instead of overcoming his desires, a person overcomes the other, it is much easier." The words of Rabbi Salmanovitch are hard and burn in the heart, to what extent our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, is pursued and remains silent. We cannot yet tell even a fraction of the things known to us, how they exploit the holy leadership of our teacher, the Rav, the leadership that he took upon himself all his days – to believe and only to go in the way that they direct him from above. Complete self-nullification to the will of Hashem, may He be blessed.

"Who knows if the Geulah is not being distanced because of this terrible dispute that exists in the whole world, there is such a Chillul Hashem (desecration of God's name) in the whole world, I hear from the whole world such a Chillul Hashem about this dispute, people are already saying: 'Where do they get such murder? Only in Breslov, with such murder, the Baal Davar put all the forces to put Erev Rav here who will commit murder.' They take such tzaddikim, sick people, and have them sign, 'wicked like the sea that is driven,' they want to have them sign more, instead of calling the other side to say their opinion, because something is rattling for you, you are causing destruction! Are you not afraid? The Holy One, Blessed be He, is in heaven, are you not afraid?

God will seek the pursued! Even a tzaddik pursues the wicked, and here what is going on here, Master of the World, Master of the World, we were a laughingstock to the whole world, Breslov today has become a laughingstock to the whole world. If you go up again, then there will be a force that will also go up, know that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is present and He is merciful, He looks only at a person who is good and does good, who wants to do good, do you not hear the screams? There are thousands upon thousands who are connected to the Rav in the whole world and they are screaming, and their scream rises to the heavens, fear for yourselves! Be afraid! Be afraid, be afraid! There are people for whom this is their whole life, this is not simple at all. Who knows what was prepared for the Jewish people, the two hundred years of our Rebbe and Rebbe Nathan have already ended, what is happening here, repent, do teshuvah, they will accept you with love, there is no hatred, even though you did what you did, there is no hatred, thousands of people, there are tens of thousands of people who are torn and broken from this story." Our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, taught us only to scream and pray, not violence and not hatred, because these things need to be fixed at the root. But, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the magnitude of the evil and the slander that has entered these pursuers who use tools from the world of Tohu in their smear campaign. Unfortunately, too many people fall into their trap. Therefore, we saw a necessity to bring these terrible things.

"Gewald, how can you do this? Did you learn this from our Rebbe?! We learned from our Rebbe only love! Only to bring close! If the Holy One, Blessed be He, has mercy on us, have mercy, have mercy, I know all the claims you have, nonsense and vanity! Nonsense and vanity! You know very well how to justify everything if you want. Fortunate are you and fortunate is your portion if you stop now, from now on stop, everyone stop, Hashem will help that Mashiach will arrive and it will stop, there is much to say, I could have spoken all day, the first time I am doing such a thing, know that this is not simple at all, if you stop now there is a chance, if you stop now with all the strength, there is a chance that the Geulah will arrive!"

(You can hear the conversation of Rabbi Salmanovitch on the hotline 02-991-7173, extension 31)

[Table: Five types of Erev Rav exist in Israel (HaGra, Aderet Eliyahu, Devarim 1:1): And people of dispute are worse than all of them and they are called Amalekites, and the son of David will not come until they pass from the world, and about them it is said 'You shall blot out the memory of Amalek' as explained in the Zohar (Vol. 1, p. 25).]

Grandson of Rabbi Grossman - "They are criminals of Israel in their bodies, and shall we make them like tzaddikim?"

"And now it is necessary that the Rav be found completely innocent because this is the Dreyfus affair, the one who forged the letter (in the Dreyfus trial) committed suicide. Esterhazy (Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy) said that the honor of France is more important than the suicide of that forger who forged, and here people forged the Rav's voice, forged many things endlessly, forged realities, forged things, all for action, all so that they would have more interest, the Rav is happy, the Rav is at the peak of happiness" (Words of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, in a lesson from inside the Johannesburg prison a few days before his return to the country).

Grandson of Rabbi Grossman - "They are criminals of Israel in their bodies, and shall we make them like tzaddikim?"

"It is not simple at all what is happening here, heavens be shocked and earth tremble, over this terrible situation in which the holy Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer ben Atiya Berland shlit"a is placed. Such a terrible situation, this is truly a wonder of wonders and not realistic at all that such a thing is happening, that they take such a tzaddik and humiliate him by force. He is bound in chains and they bring against him strange claims that never were and never existed, after all, anyone who has a little sense and anyone who is connected to our teacher Rabbi Grossman shlit"a understands and knows that this is not relevant and such things do not exist in a tzaddik like Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who is a holy and awesome man." These things were said by the mashpia, the grandson of Rabbi Yitzchak David Grossman shlit"a, in the "Or HaShabbat" editorial board.

"Throughout all the years, everyone held that this tzaddik has no connection and relevance to this world, this person has no connection to desires. He elevates from moment to moment and from day to day and stood in tests that no tzaddik in the last decades has stood. Prison, pursuit from country to country, when every moment he does not let go of the holy Name of Havayah, not one moment to let go of the study of the holy Torah. Anyone who knows the Rav knows that he is attached every moment to the holy Name and he even signals this with his fingers: Y-H-V-H, every moment you see him attached to the Shechinah with his whole body. Every moment he prays and studies and remembers Hashem – a piece of the service of Hashem."

"From the prison in Johannesburg they took out hundreds of books, he only asked for books, even though he had no food and the living conditions were unbearable. Rabbi Grossman said to one of his grandsons that the world is placed where they are placed (placed in nonsense), but Rav Berland is placed in the letters of the Torah and prayer. It is written in the Zohar, Parshat Pinchas, that at a time when it is difficult for the generation to receive the sufferings that come to it due to its situation, the tzaddik suffers for everyone. And I ask myself how we did not grasp that there are such judgments on the Jewish people that the tzaddik needs to suffer such things. Maybe it is the internet? Rav Berland spoke a lot about the destructive influence of this and that destroyers are created from these flaws, it could be from this."

"One needs to do a lot of teshuvah and turn the world into a place of peace, and the main thing is not to let people speak – because this is a crime upon a crime – the people whom the tzaddik revives are the ones speaking about the tzaddik. And Heaven forbid that we should not be among these fools, that we should know and remember that the tzaddik revives us, he atones for our crimes. How can they believe stories about a tzaddik who was placed in the hands of criminals, such that turned him into a machine of money, and sold him for the sake of money. They took him from lesson to lesson and everyone who spoke with him took thousands of dollars from him – them can we believe about a scandal they blew up about the Rav?! They are thieves and liars, they have no connection with holiness! They harmed an entire community and closed a rabbi in Israel behind lock and key and did not let him speak with anyone except the things they want – them shall we believe?! These wicked people pay tens of thousands of dollars to someone else who will agree to lie, about them it is said: 'They speak against the tzaddik with arrogance and contempt.' They are criminals of Israel in their bodies, and shall we make them like tzaddikim?"

"And how do people believe this? After all, he is surrounded by mafias and criminal people who exploit the nullification he has toward the leadership of Hashem, and they exploit this and threaten him that if he does not agree with them, they will release false scandals about him – how did we fall into such a thing? How are people not careful to speak about such a tzaddik? The thing that most angers the Holy One, Blessed be He, is that they speak about the tzaddik, it is like speaking with a father about his only son who sacrifices himself every moment for the Jewish people. Especially Rav Berland who every moment sacrifices himself to bring the Jewish people close without food, without sleep, and without drink."

"About such a person can one write that he is wandering and leading astray from the ways of holiness?! After all, he is the one who brings people closest to guarding the eyes and avoiding flaws. He is the one who speaks most sharply about holiness, persistence in Torah in madness, and about prayer in melodies and at length. All the things against him are lies and falsehood and the opposite of all straight logic. This tzaddik is far from sins, all his speech and conversation is only how to get closer to Hashem, even from inside the prison he only strengthened in the study of Torah."

"Hashem, may He be blessed, will merit us that we will accept these words and not deviate from the way of truth."

[Table: The haters are the spirit of the tzaddik just as the Erev Rav were from the root of Moses, rather they were from the waste of the clarification, and they spoke about him all the evils in the world, and we have a tradition from our master, the divine Baal Shem Tov, that they even suspected him of adultery (as the Gemara said in Sanhedrin 110 that everyone suspected him of adultery), for everything that Balaam the wicked did, who was from the sparks of Moses our teacher, they all spoke about him and suspected him, and therefore do not be surprised about a complete tzaddik about what the Erev Rav, complete wicked people, speak about him in what was not in his thought at all, for there is no such thing as coincidence, for many times they speak about what they themselves did, and they are from his root and do not see guilt in themselves, rather everything on a true tzaddik, and sometimes (they speak about him what they themselves did) from a past incarnation that sinned in something similar in great subtlety, and on everything he should set his heart to fix and will accept with love and will ask for mercy for himself and for them and will draw down all good (Nozer Chesed, Chapter 6, D"H Achdut HaSonim - Komarna)]

(You can hear the things on the hotline of Rabbi Grossman shlit"a 077-261-1143, extension 4)

Rabbi the Kabbalist R' Yehuda Sheinfeld shlit"a - "Next to every true tzaddik is the snake"

(Picture of him from the rally in front of the court)

"Regarding the terrible and awful matter of spilling the blood of tzaddikim and worthy people and those who fear Hashem, I have gone out of my way to give my opinion, regarding the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for this has been known for years, also from my personal acquaintance with him for over 30 years, that he is a servant of Hashem with self-sacrifice in the full sense of the word, without fear for family, without money, and also raised and raises many students who fear Hashem, great servants of Hashem. As is known in the holy books, that next to every true tzaddik is the snake, and also there throughout the years, people of no value wandered around and covered themselves in a tallit that is entirely blue, and of course, and here are some God-fearing people who wanted in innocence to organize the court, were harmed by people, and on this they developed a lot of evil, hatred, libel, madness, and even to the point of spilling blood and foul language, and worse than that, and they have not yet reached their desire, until they will declare about the aforementioned tzaddik and all his people that he brought close that their wine is Y"N (forbidden wine) and their bread is P"A (forbidden bread) and their daughters, etc., and not from the seed of Israel they will call, Hashem have mercy."

These sharp words are written by none other than the Kabbalist rabbi, author of the book "Osri LaGefen," R' Yehuda Sheinfeld shlit"a, the father-in-law of that same Y.H., the main pursuer of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a. "Of course, this was not born in one day but in more than three years, how they opened the evil from period to period and distanced the circle of evil until everyone who does not want to help them or not listen to them, they come to him with various and strange claims, and of course, not in one day and not in one story is it possible to release such a terrible bad name, and therefore they started with libels, and even though it is not true, Hashem have mercy, and the main thing is to remove the aforementioned tzaddik and his people from the status of worthiness, and through this, every word or movement, they will interpret that his intention and the intention of his students is for evil, Heaven forbid, by changing small details, and in their plotting, they are constantly plowing without respite to mislead some famous rabbis into their net and through this to mislead everyone."

The things are difficult to understand, to what extent those who wear the cloaks of Torah scholars and God-fearing people have gone, when in their midst beats an evil spirit. "And were it not for the fact that I am close to both sides directly, I would not have expressed my opinion at all, but since I am following this step by step and I see the libel taking shape to the point of declarations of self-sacrifice and victory, I did not restrain my spirit and I wrote this for those who want to know the truth without polluting their brains, and I ask in advance for anyone who is looking, since I am close to both sides. And this is already more than three years that I am inside the affair. Without honor, without sleep, without eating, etc., that there is no room to elaborate here. That this thing causes many enemies from inside and outside. To the point of threats and intimidation, and everyone speaks in the name of the second, half a witness, etc., as is the way of people of dispute. And great interpretations through distortions and lies and taking things out of context."

"I did not restrain my spirit and I wrote this for those who want to know the truth without polluting their brains, and I ask in advance for anyone who is looking for hatred and revenge and pursuit that he should not even read this letter."

And in another letter that Rabbi Sheinfeld wrote directly to the Badatz (Rabbinical Court), he warned them not to accept the words of that same tempting snake and said: "It is about someone who has been entered by a spirit, Heaven forbid, and misleads even himself, and afterwards misleads others with him, therefore the rabbis should know to be careful and T'A"B (may they be blessed). And I know both sides well and it is possible to clarify all the details with me."

And in the same style, the 'Chalev' (Rabbi Chaim Cohen) warned - an evil spirit rests on those who pursue the tzaddik

[Table: "Know, my brother, that the Erev Rav were sparks of Moses our teacher, and likewise Balaam the wicked had in him several holy souls of the sparks of Moses our teacher, as our master the divine Ari said that in the future they will wonder how from the crushed impurity of Balaam came out several holy souls, tzaddikim and chassidim, prophets and masters of the holy spirit, and at the time when Moses our teacher was in the world, because he did not merit to be an angel and Mashiach, he did not merit to fix them yet until the future, and what he did not merit was also because of the Erev Rav as is known. And our master the divine Rebbe, the light of our eyes who illuminates from the beginning of Atzilut to the end of the footsteps of Mashiach, R"B Yisrael ben Eliezer, said that everything that Balaam and the Erev Rav did, they said about Moses, that they suspected him of adultery, literally because of their evil, and they did not say so much in a lie, for Balaam and the Erev Rav who are sparks of his soul, everything they did they said about him, and there is no reality except for Hashem, may He be blessed and exalted. 'And the reproaches of those who reproach You fell upon me,' and Moses and the tzaddikim are engaged in the tikkun of the world to fix everything, 'and everything is prepared for the feast,' but whoever hears the reproach of the tzaddik and does not protest with self-sacrifice, and all the more so when he is happy, will not have a part in the God of Israel and has no tikkun and is rejected from two worlds more than the wicked who reproach" (Sefer Netiv Mitzvotecha - Netiv HaYichud, Path 6, Letter 5)]

'HaChalev', Rabbi Chaim Cohen shlit"a, possessor of the holy spirit and rabbi of many and great people, expressed himself on Monday, 12 Tammuz 5776: "I warn and say, Y.H., an evil spirit rests upon him and this is not in his control, and therefore it is a severe prohibition to speak with him anything regarding Rav Berland shlit"a, because he has the power to convince and slander anyone, even someone who does not accept Lashon Hara. And this is the power of the evil spirit that entered him, Heaven forbid."

Rabbi Motta Frank shlit"a

I hope very much that within these words of mine you will find, if you want, rest for your soul, and may we merit, and the great merit of the owner of the Yahrtzeit of this day, the head of our group, R' Levi Yitzchak Bender z"l, that with my eyes I saw many times how they went up to his house and came to him also in the synagogue, many and good people from among our people to speak evil and bad against R' Leizer (our teacher, the Rav shlit"a) and his people... and R' Levi Yitzchak listened and listened, and then I heard from him in these words: 'What do they want? I arrive at the shul early in the morning, who do I find there? The people of R' Leizer! Who goes to the field? The people of R' Leizer! Who do I meet in the mikvah early in the morning? The people of R' Leizer! - What do they want?!' – May his memory be a blessing and may his merit protect us."

Thus summarizes Rabbi Motta Frank shlit"a, one of the important Breslov mashpi'im in the world, his sharp letter against those who desecrate the name of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, and all who listen to his teachings. Rabbi Frank, who like many others is pained by the pursuit of the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, answers sharply to all the plotters who do not refrain from any means to disgrace the honor of the Rav shlit"a and the honor of the entire Torah. Rabbi Frank is not one of the visitors of Rav Berland's house and is not one of those counted among his court, however, like every Jew watching from the side, in whom a Jewish soul beats, he was disgusted by the false pursuit campaign against the Rav shlit"a.

Avraham Taala - "If there is such a tzaddik, I also want to see him"

"My drawing close to the bosom of Judaism I started in the yeshiva of Rabbi Moshe Arush in Katamon. Rabbi Moshe Tzanani would come to us to give lessons and through him it became known to me that one must continue and search for the true tzaddik and it is forbidden to stand in place and be satisfied. True, I reached our holy Rebbe, but there is a tzaddik in every generation who reveals the intention of our Rebbe according to the situation of the generation. Until then, even though I served in the permanent army for 13 years in the vicinity of the 'Shuvu Banim' yeshiva, I did not know of the existence of the yeshiva, apparently the Rav shlit"a hid this from me." This is the moving and unique story of Rabbi Avraham Taala, from the group of workers at the 'Shuvu Banim' yeshiva.

"So what do I do now? I asked Rabbi Tzanani. After all, I left all my previous life in order to get closer to the purpose and now it turns out that there is another way ahead. 'Hitboded (seclude yourself) on this and ask in prayer to know who is the true tzaddik who lives in our generation, that he should be revealed to you, and will give you a message or something similar!' answered Rabbi Tzanani. Since then, for three months or more, I hitboded only on this, hours upon hours. Master of the World, guide me in the right way, if there is such a thing then why should I not merit? I would plead in prayer. Until on one of the Sabbaths during midnight, I lay on the ground in hitboded and said to Hashem, may He be blessed: 'Why do I need such a life? If there is such a tzaddik, I also want to see him.' Soon, a torrential rain began to fall that did not stop for a moment, and suddenly I see the Rav shlit"a beside me in a very tangible form, wrapped in a tallit and making movements with his hands. I had not seen the Rav before and did not know him, therefore I was alarmed and said to him: 'Sir, what do you want from me?' But, he did not answer me."

"Of course, immediately on Sunday I told this to Rabbi Tzanani who tried to clarify with me if I had not seen a picture, I stood by my opinion, after all, I know clearly what I saw. 'And will you recognize him if you see him again?' he continued to press. 'If so, next Sabbath come to the synagogue on Ido HaNavi Street.' He gave me the address of the synagogue. You can clarify with Rabbi Tzanani that this is a true story. On the next Sabbath, I walked from Katamon to the synagogue on Ido HaNavi, and I arrived at 4:30 in the morning, as I enter, the Rav shlit"a is waiting for me at the door and makes for me the same movements with his hands that he did in the field. Wow, this is the same Rav that I saw in the field! I started talking to myself. From 4:30 in the morning until 14:00, I do not leave the Rav shlit"a. And since then I am in the yeshiva of the Rav, the 'Shuvu Banim' yeshiva. Only after about 15 years did I speak with the Rav about that meeting, the Rav answered and said to me: 'What miracles with you!' and continued on without speaking about it anymore."

"I saw many miracles and wonders from the Rav shlit"a, especially when I would go on his mission for the sake of the many and for bringing the distant close. Many were saved after promises I said in the name of the Rav, the Rav shlit"a would say to us: 'Promise in my name.' Barren women were blessed with fruit of the womb and the unemployed found a paved path, on the roads we discovered the power of the tzaddik. One of the friends asked the Rav: 'Why with the distant people you do miracles like this while with us everything is in concealment?' 'You I have already brought close, but they are still there and one needs to bring them,' answered the Rav shlit"a."

"The Rav shlit"a always speaks with us about prayer that must be in a melody and indeed in all corners of the country we spread Torah and Judaism, and we always played music. People would give us large sums of money as charity for the yeshiva and its students, even without us needing to ask, the melodies would attract them. Whoever goes with the Rav in innocence merits."

"I am an orphan from a very young age, but the sorrow that I have over everything that the Rav shlit"a is going through is greater than the sorrow I had for my parents. Because the Rav is not only ours alone, he is the Rav of all the Jewish people, as long as the Rav is in sorrow we have no life. A friend told me that one of the days before his drawing close to Judaism, he wanted to return in teshuvah, he went to one of the Admorim and wanted to shake his hand, but the latter reached out his hand with a glove. That person was hurt and wanted to retreat backward, one of the friends brought him to Holland, there when the Rav saw him, he hugged him and gave him warm and loving treatment. That friend explained to him that all the other tzaddikim truly see all our flaws, but the Rav shlit"a in his immense love for the Jewish people can get close to us even without gloves and the love fixes all the flaws."

"The Rav is not in prison, the tzaddik is eternal, we are in prison and need to be released from all the flaws that hold us. The Rav fights for us and we need to have the merit to get close to him. If the Rav asks for a sum for pidyon (redemption), one needs to give it immediately without questions, this is our merit to be part of the Geulah."

[To hear the story firsthand as well as for other conversations and stories, call the phone line of - Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland - 'Shuvu Banim International' hotline – 02-991-7173 (extension 31)]

Meir Asulin - Rav Berland shlit"a is an angel of Hashem Tzevaot!

Meir Asulin is a former Border Police officer who has been close for 31 years to our teacher, the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. His drawing close began while he served as a Border Police officer in the area of the Old City, when from time to time he would go up to the 'Shuvu Banim' yeshiva complex located in the Muslim Quarter. However, the connection tightened precisely during the murder of one of the yeshiva students. The thing happened when terrorists, sons of Belial, murdered in cold blood the nice boy Eliyahu Omedi z"l, Hy"d. The thing aroused storms and additional disturbances, these exposed even more the heroic figure of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a.

"I saw the Rav walking without fear with tallit and tefillin, the Arabs threw stones at him, but the stones returned to him. What is the meaning?" we asked him. "Did the Rav pick up and throw at them?" it sounded strange to us that the Rav would bend down and throw stones. No, "the stones flew miraculously! We Border Police officers were there and saw this with our own eyes."

"A fool is anyone who even dares to think evil about the Rav shlit"a, the Rav is an angel of Hashem Tzevaot! When I wanted to visit him in Johannesburg, I joined the Leviev family and together we made the way. But, because we had a connecting flight, we were delayed on the way for a long time. In fact, by the way of nature, we could no longer arrive before Sabbath to Johannesburg in any way, therefore we called the Rav shlit"a who told us to travel anyway. I will shorten the story and say that according to the clock and the schedule, the Sabbath was immediately entering, but all of us around saw that the sun was refusing to set. I said to Leviev - 'Look, the Rav is stopping the sun for us, after all, if he told us to travel, he will not let us desecrate the Sabbath.'"

"We arrived at the place of the community's seat and even though the hour was late, the Rav shlit"a had not yet started the Mincha prayer. 'Look, I stopped the sun for you,' he muttered toward us as we entered and immediately started the prayer." We wanted to meet with the Rav shlit"a in private, but for various reasons, it was not possible for us. Here, perhaps more than all the stories of the inconceivable miracles, the greatness of the Rav shlit"a was revealed. The Rav sacrificed himself and arrived at our hotel at five in the morning, despite the danger lurking in Johannesburg at these hours and despite the difficult hour. He spoke with each of us separately and only afterward continued to his students who were waiting for him for the Shacharit prayer.

[Table: It is forbidden to miss, words that the ear has not heard. Additional conversations can be heard on the new hotline of "Shuvu Banim International" – 02-991-7173]

Rabbi Yehoshua Dov Rubinstein shlit"a – Disputes about tzaddikim

(Picture from the rally in front of the court and a picture of him with the Rav is on the site)

B"H, a holy conversation of Rabbi Yehoshua Dov Rubinstein shlit"a reached our hands, who was one of the first close ones to our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, already from the period of the Steipler zt"l. Anyone who spares his soul, it is fitting for him to lend an ear to the important things - so important.

"The Ra'avan (Explanation of the Likutim) writes: 'The disputes between the great of Israel and the true tzaddikim were one of the most difficult tests for us. Who is like Joseph the Tzaddik, whom his brothers disputed against. Moses our teacher, who was a target for arrows by the people of his generation, a generation of knowledge that suspected him of the most serious sins. King David, Jeremiah the prophet, whom they imprisoned several times in the house of prisoners. The dispute about the Rambam in which they burned all his books and manuscripts until he had to flee his city. The great of the generation who wanted to excommunicate the holy Ari. In which house today is the book 'Mesillat Yesharim' not found, and in its time there was a difficult dispute about the Ramchal until they wanted to kill him and he had to flee from city to city.'"

"The Rav shlit"a said about the dispute about the Ramchal: 'Great and elderly rabbis sit and suddenly a young avrech arrives and does things supposedly new, it was difficult for them to come to terms with this.' Afterward, the dispute about the Baal Shem Tov that caused the destruction of entire communities and a break inside the homes."

"The Ra'avan concludes: 'People like us have no right to investigate and judge the reason for these disputes, in the aspect of: 'In what is hidden from you, do not inquire.' R' Shmuel Shapira would say: 'We need to be of those who do not speak to anyone. We can never know who is right, about whom they are speaking, and what is my test. Woe to whoever has a part in the dispute and especially when it begins for the sake of Heaven.' The Rav shlit"a once said: 'You do not know how to connect a word in the Gemara, but when they come to speak about a Torah scholar, you suddenly become a scholar.'"

"There was a storm 15 years ago and in that period the Rav shlit"a said: 'Whoever has a nature to speak about others, I suggest to him to go there and speak about me. I forgive everyone who speaks about me and I am even interested in this, but whoever with me will speak about others, he will fly from here like a missile.'"

"It is known that tzaddikim of the magnitude of the great of the generation did things that seemed strange to us, but we need to be careful not to speak, Heaven forbid we could lose both worlds."

(The conversation is courtesy of Rabbi Yaakov Shabbat. You can hear the conversation on the Shuvu Banim International hotline 02-991-7173, extension 31)

Rabbi Abergel zt"l - You were at a true tzaddik of the generation

We merited to catch Rabbi Mordechai Deri, an avrech at the 'Shuvu Banim' yeshiva, and raise him for a poignant conversation about stormy events that passed over him on his way from Rabbi Yoram Abergel zt"l, to our teacher, the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

The beginning of the story is very difficult to digest and we hesitated very much if to put it in writing. It can be heard firsthand on the Shuvu Banim International hotline 02-991-7173, extension 31, or to speak with Mordechai directly.

The first time Mordechai arrived at the Rav shlit"a, he joined a friend who went up from Kfar Saba to Jerusalem for a pidyon (redemption) at the Rav. Suddenly, the Rav started speaking with his friend about his leg pain and told him to come to the yeshiva and dance there on Simchat Torah. 'What leg pain?' my friend wondered, after all, until then he was healthy and did not feel any pain and what is the suddenness that the Rav shlit"a is speaking about this?"

"'Where do you live?' the Rav shlit"a turned to me with a question. 'In Kfar Saba,' I answered, surprised by his turning to me, after all, I was only an escort. 'You are moving to Jerusalem and not raising the children in Kfar Saba,' the Rav shlit"a ruled firmly while he pounded on the table with force. I did not understand where the Rav shlit"a knows at all that I am married and that I have children, this is after all the first time I am seeing him."

"Meanwhile, that friend did not arrive for the dances on Simchat Torah, afterward, he was struck by severe pain in his legs. In retrospect, he understood what the Rav shlit"a meant, the Rav could have sweetened it for him in the dances."

"The meeting with Rav Berland shlit"a was on Wednesday and on Friday, as my custom, I traveled to the lesson of Rabbi Yoram zt"l. After the lesson, I spoke with Rabbi Yoram when suddenly he turns to me and tells me that I need to move to Jerusalem. 'What..?' my surprise only grew. 'Why?' I asked. 'You were at a true tzaddik of the generation whom I love with a love of soul.' In retrospect, the connection and the great love that rested between these tzaddikim became clear to me. Rabbi Yoram zt"l told me himself that two hours that he studied with the Rav shlit"a were worth against tens and hundreds of hours of study."

"It was difficult for me to come to terms with the decree, every time I came to Rabbi Yoram with another suggestion for a place of residence. 'Maybe to Safed? Maybe to Yavne'el?' I tried to evade the decree. Finally, a thought flashed for me and I suggested: 'Rabbi Yoram, maybe I will move to you to Netivot?'"

"'You can live where you want, but a tikkun you will not have. Rav Berland decreed on you in heaven to live in Jerusalem.' B"H we moved finally and already eight years I am an avrech in the regular line at the yeshiva of the Rav shlit"a. Life in Jerusalem in the shadow of the Rav shlit"a is above nature, we live in miracles."

"During a trip on the bus, a person approached me who heard about my story and wanted me to strengthen his friend. It turns out that those two were at the Rav shlit"a who told them also to move to Jerusalem. One of them nullified himself to the words of the tzaddik and moved while the second did not move. One of the days they went to be blessed at a hidden tzaddik in Hod HaSharon when their intention is for the children and their Torah studies. But no, to their surprise, the hidden tzaddik told them that the friend needs to move to Jerusalem because Rav Berland shlit"a decreed on them in heaven."

"Why specifically the Rav shlit"a? Now more than ever we see, that with all the difficulty that the Rav shlit"a is going through, he does not speak and does not worry for himself, but only Torah, strengthening, and worry for the Jewish people. The fire and the light that you receive here in Jerusalem cannot be received in any other place. This is Moses our teacher of the generation. If Rabbi Yoram Abergel, who was not afraid of anything, and once during a circumcision ceremony waved the knife and said that whoever will look at the knife, he takes from him all the flaws of the covenant. That same Rabbi Yoram zt"l who did not give titles to everyone, told me that the Rav Berland shlit"a is a true tzaddik of the generation. True tzaddikim like Rabbi Yoram zt"l know who is the true tzaddik."

"I have a friend who is connected to Rabbi Yitzchaki from Porat. Not long ago, a certain person started to provoke against our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, beside him. Rabbi Yitzchaki turned to him and said: 'You dare to speak against a tzaddik that all the Tikkun HaKlali that they say at the holy grave in Uman and all drawing close and all strengthening that exists through Rebbe Nachman in this generation belongs to Rav Berland shlit"a? That he is the only one who can enter into the throat of the Satan and play with him there. About him you dare to speak?!' When I turned myself to Rabbi Yitzchaki from Porat, he told me: 'Do not worry, the Rav shlit"a controls everything, may it be His will that everything will end in a great Kiddush Hashem.'"

Amen.

(You can hear the conversation and all the other interviews and conversations on the 'Shuvu Banim International' hotline 02-991-7173)

"With the help of Hashem, you will dance until the morning light"

"Difficult is the matchmaking of the children of Israel like the splitting of the Red Sea," how true are the words in our generation and how much is the blessing of the true tzaddik needed. "We heard that a blessing from the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a works miracles and wonders," begins Rachel the story of her miracle. "Therefore, we turned to the Rav shlit"a and transferred the names of the daughters and their ages for a blessing. We added and said that the reason for the delay in finding their shidduch is not clear to us, after all, they are successful and from a good home and the thing is simply puzzling."

"We heard the Rav shlit"a say in the recording that one needs to do a pidyon nefesh and that until Passover there will be miracles - with the help of Hashem you will dance until the morning light - and indeed, so it was. Even before we finished the Sheva Brachot of the first daughter, and already the next day we closed the 'vort' (engagement) of the second daughter, exactly as the Rav shlit"a said."

"We thank you for the recording of the Rav shlit"a that you sent us, the thing encouraged us very much and breathed into us a lot of hope. And of course, we thank the Creator of the world, that you were His messengers, for all the kindness He did with us. Although we prayed a lot, but we saw eye to eye how the blessing of the tzaddik helped."

Lesson of the month of Tammuz from inside the Johannesburg prison a few days before his return to the country

"It is written in Chayei Moharan, that Moses our teacher could have made peace with Korach in a millisecond, Moses our teacher did not give any punishment, Heaven forbid, Moses does not give punishments to a person, like swallowing and splitting in the earth, the moment that the tzaddik is not there, then the person weighs more than the entire globe and he splits the globe. It is written in Shabbat Chapter 9 and in Yoma Chapter 5 'If your sins will be like scarlet': like scarlet is like all the years from the creation of the world until now, there are sins from the creation of the world until now, 'they will be white like snow if they are red like crimson': a person has sins up to the heavens, up to no end, up to the space, but through the tzaddik in one second every thought of teshuvah is accepted. The Rebbe said: 'Since I am a vacuum, I swallow all the sins,' the tzaddik has the power to swallow all the sins in a millisecond, but one needs every second to be connected to the tzaddik, to know that the tzaddik is leading me, I do not do anything, even prayer I cannot pray, cannot get up in the morning, who is leading me is the tzaddik. How can I hear the Ten Commandments? Through the tzaddik!

Korach said everyone is holy, everyone heard 'Anochi' (I am). But, in truth, you heard 'Anochi' because Moses made you hear, 'Moses will speak and God will answer him with a voice' - even what is heard from the mouth of the Almighty is in the merit of Moses."