The Daily Chizuk from The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a — The Holocaust Was Because of the Idolatry of Previous Generations

“And Hashem became angry with me for your sake” (Devarim 3:26)

Wednesday, 23 Iyar 5784 — If Rabbi Akiva had come to Rabbi Eliezer’s shiur, the suffering would have been prevented from him

“And Hashem became angry with me for your sake” (Devarim 3:26)—it was all for your sake, because the Jewish people needed to receive the Ten Commandments, because the entire Holocaust was reincarnations.

The entire Holocaust happened because, in the past, they served idolatry. For 850 years they served idolatry—there is hardly a Jew who did not serve idolatry.

We have already been here for 50 reincarnations. If we divide the 6,000 years from the beginning of Creation by 50, that comes out to 75 reincarnations—whereas until the Flood they lived only 2 reincarnations, no more. There was no woman who did not serve idolatry—they threw the children into the fire. People don’t understand: how can someone take children and throw them into the fire?

Literally like the Nazis—but you did that when you were serving idolatry! Each person grabbed his own child and threw him into the fire—happy, dancing.

Why was it called Gei Ben Hinnom? Because the children were groaning! And “Tophet” is named for the drums!

“Hinnom”—because the children were crying out, screaming, as they were burning them. So they would beat drums—striking the drums so they would not hear the children’s screams. It was also called Gei HaTophet, named for the drums, and also Gei Ben Hinnom, named for the groans and cries that the children would cry out.

People were at the height of joy as they threw the children into the fire, or they danced around the calf. The non-Jews said, “We only want to see the dancing.” They were all once Shuvu Banim—they loved to dance. They would dance: “Oy, come, let’s go to the dancing!” The women had to give every husband two slaps.

What are you going to dancing for? What dancing? This is dancing for the calf!

The women did not give their earrings (for making the calf)—fine, but it wasn’t enough; they remained widows. Every woman remained a widow: six hundred thousand women became widows, when all the men were from age 20. At age 60 a person would say goodbye to his wife, and his wife would go and dig a grave with him. He had to lie down in the grave, and in the morning he would not get up—the woman already knew that it was finished. She has her husband until age 60; if she lives until 120, then for another 60 years she has no husband—the woman remains without a husband.

Because the women had to hold their husbands back so they wouldn’t go to the dancing, to the circles of dancing. Dancing, an orchestra—“Let’s hear a few melodies, let’s get out a little from sadness, from despair”—but it is dancing for the calf. For 850 years people threw children into the fire with joy; they danced; they blasted drums so they wouldn’t hear their cries.

Every woman threw her child into the fire—the third child…, the tenth for sure, because one must give a tithe. There were those who were meticulous—even after three children, already the third child they would throw into the fire.

But the enactment was to read Parshas Bechukosai—these are 49 curses—to always read it on the day of Atzeres. And also to read Ki Savo—these are 98 curses. Together that is 147, the gematria of “Nachman” (148 with the kolel).

When a person has knowledge received from the Tzaddik, he cancels all the curses—the Rebbe cancels all the curses.

Rabbi Eliezer said to Rabbi Akiva: If you had come to me for all the shiurim (you would not have gone through all the suffering). Rabbi Akiva had a spark of Zimri; he needed to rectify the spark of Zimri—therefore they combed his flesh with iron combs.

The entire Holocaust was to rectify the 850 years in which they served idolatry.