Lag BaOmer Lesson from Tzalmon - The Holy Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Lesson by the esteemed Gaon and Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a from the eve of Lag BaOmer 5780 in Tzalmon.

"Netzach she-be-Netzach (Victory within Victory) is our Rebbe; Hod she-be-Hod (Splendor within Splendor) is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. For the entire matter is Hod she-be-Hod, the entire service is Hod she-be-Hod, to rectify the Hod she-be-Hod, the smallest of the small. Rashbi rectifies even the edge of the smallest things in the world. There is no smallness that Rashbi does not rectify, even the smallest of the small, the Aleph of Abba and Imma."

"For the first day—meaning the Sefirah, which is seven weeks—always, every first day of the week of the Sefirah is the first Gadlut (greatness) of Abba; the second day is the first Gadlut of Imma; afterwards, the third day of the week of the Sefirah is the second Katnut (smallness) of the small of Abba and Imma. The fourth is always the Sefirah of Netzach, which is the second Gadlut of Imma. The fifth day of the Sefirah is the small of the small, Hod she-be-Hod. Rashbi comes to rectify the Hod she-be-Hod, so that we may see Hashem eye to eye, even in the Hod she-be-Hod—in the small of the small."

"The High Priest must change into linen garments. Rashbi is the High Priest who was for thirteen years in the cave in linen garments, until his entire body was consumed, 'And he shall put on the linen breeches upon his flesh' (Leviticus 6:3), 'Linen upon linen shall it be' (Exodus 30:34). 'Bad' (linen) in At-Bash is 'Shin-Kuf', which is 'Sak' (sackcloth). Esau arrived before Jacob with 400 men, and the 'Sak' nullifies this. The 'Sak' is gematria four hundred; this is 'linen breeches upon his flesh.'"

Rashbi merited 'linen breeches upon his flesh.' Rashbi is the High Priest; he is in the aspect of the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies, for the Rambam brings in the seventh foundation that Moses enters the Holy of Holies every day. Every day, every moment, every second, he is in the Holy of Holies. When one reaches Rashbi, one is in the Holy of Holies. Even when one reaches the tziyun (gravesite) of our Rebbe, one is in the Holy of Holies, just as Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman said that the tziyun of our Rebbe is the Holy of Holies every second. What the High Priest does once a year, one is in the Holy of Holies every second.

Therefore, Abba Umana, who would travel every eve of Rosh Chodesh to Uman, merited receiving peace from Heaven every day (Ta'anit 21b), and every day he was in the Holy of Holies. Even when Abba Umana was performing bloodletting, he was in the Holy of Holies; his whole life he was in the Holy of Holies. The service of Abba Umana was that his whole life he was in the Holy of Holies, so he merited receiving peace from Heaven every day. Abaye only on the eve of [Shabbat], and Rava, who was the soul of Lot, 'And they took Lot and his property, the son of his brother Abram' (Genesis 14:12)—the initials spell Rava. Rava was a spark from Lot; he only received peace once a year on the eve of Yom Kippur.

"And Abaye every eve of Shabbat—Abaye is the initials of 'In You the orphan finds mercy' (Hosea 14:4), and this is the secret of Joseph, whose mother Rachel passed away in his youth. 'Yatom' (orphan) is the initials of 'Beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance' (Genesis 39:6). What is 'beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance'? That he merited being an orphan. This is the greatest level, that a person merits growing up without a father and mother, so he serves Hashem alone, not because he is taught, but because he sees eye to eye."

"Now on Lag BaOmer, one sees Hashem eye to eye. The service of a person is to see Hashem eye to eye. A person comes into the world to see Hashem eye to eye; a person sees Hashem eye to eye every second. A person was created for only one thing—to see Hashem eye to eye. This is his entire creation, this is the entire purpose of Lag BaOmer. For this, one travels to Meron on Lag BaOmer, to see Hashem eye to eye. Whoever merits coming to Meron sees Hashem eye to eye. 'Eye to eye they shall see when Hashem returns to Zion' (Isaiah 52:8). Now we see Hashem eye to eye; we came to the world to see Hashem eye to eye; we were created to see Hashem eye to eye. 'No eye has seen a G-d besides You' (Isaiah 64:3). This is the Garden of Eden; inside the Garden of Eden sits King Mashiach, and the Garden of Eden is outside the world, and at the entrance of the Garden of Eden sits King Mashiach. This is what Rashi says, that the Garden of Eden is outside the world entirely, and Mashiach connects the Garden of Eden and the world."

"And the Mashiach is Rabbi Shimon; he is called Mashiach, 'You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive' (Psalms 68:19)—this is the initials of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Nachman ben Simcha. The service of a person is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; this is the entire service of a person: to see Hashem eye to eye every second, every hour to see Hashem eye to eye, every minute to see Hashem eye to eye. Wherever he goes, to see Hashem eye to eye. 'And He called to Moses' (Leviticus 1:1), that Hashem calls to a person every second, every minute. Every moment Hashem calls to a person to come."

"And now is the moment that one calls to a person, now is 'And He called to Moses,' now is Lag BaOmer, that one is close to Hashem, Hod she-be-Hod, to sew shoes, for Rashbi would sew shoes. Rashbi and Enoch, he is Enoch who sews shoes. On every stitch he says: 'Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.' This is what the frog says, the 'Tzipor De'ah' (bird of knowledge), for the Rebbe says it is the bird of knowledge, this is the true Da'at (knowledge), that it sees Hashem eye to eye. One must sew shoes for the Hod she-be-Hod, so that the Shechinah can descend below. The tzaddikim sew shoes, the Tam (the simple one) sews shoes, Rashbi sews shoes, our Rebbe sews shoes. Our Rebbe is the Tam—he sews shoes. A person comes into the world to sew shoes; the entire service of a person is to sew for the Shechinah, 'For they sold the righteous for silver and the needy for the sake of shoes' (Amos 2:6). Everything is for the sake of shoes. Therefore it is written in Choshen Mishpat 291 that he placed the shoes on the donkey. A donkey is 'Issachar is a strong-boned donkey' (Genesis 49:14), that a person should be like a donkey, his whole life like a donkey—'strong-boned,' that he does not need to sleep and does not need to eat. A Libyan donkey does not sleep and does not eat; for ten days he walks without eating and without sleeping."

"This is the secret of Rashbi, that in his life he did not sleep. He was inside the cave, inside the pit, for thirteen years he did not sleep at all. Elijah the Prophet taught him Torah. If a person does not sleep, Elijah the Prophet himself reveals himself to him. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi wanted to enter; he said, 'What am I for the World to Come?' It is Rashbi who brings [one] in. Rashbi decides all things; all things from small to great are decided by Rashbi. Everything that happened in the world is decided by Rashbi; everything that happens in the Land of Israel is a decision of Rashbi, that everyone should be in the Land of Israel, that everyone should go up to Meron, and everyone should be at the lighting—this is a decision of Rashbi. And therefore Rashbi is the Holy of Holies, this is the Dvir (Inner Sanctuary), this is the true Dvir, this is the Holy of Holies, this is Rashbi. Rashbi is the [soul of] our Rebbe—Rebbe Nachman. Until sunset it was Netzach she-be-Hod, now it is Hod she-be-Hod. We switch the Shin and the Nun, and then we will merit the complete Geulah speedily, in our days, Amen."