Lesson for the Participants of the Prayer Gathering at the Residence of the Gaon

On Wednesday, the night of the 22nd of MarCheshvan, the week of Parshas Chayei Sarah, a lesson took place at the home of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), for our community (Anshei Shlomeinu) who merited to organize prayer gatherings and pray for our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, and the success of the community.

Before you is a summary of the topics that our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, delivered during the lesson, which lasted about fifty minutes:

Rabbi Avraham ben Reb Nachman says that captivity is worse than death, for it is like ten deaths every moment. Therefore, the Ten Martyrs (Asarah Harugei Malchus) had to undergo their fate as a rectification for the sale of Joseph. In Parshas Vayigash, there is the revelation of the Tzaddik, where all questions are resolved with the words, "I am Joseph."

In Lublin, they burned the entire massive library of the Yeshiva, but Hitler said that if even one small Jew remains, I have done nothing, for he will rewrite everything from scratch.

The entire Gemara (Talmud) consists of stories: about the seven-headed snake and about the lion of the upper forest (Aryeh d'bei Ilai) that would roar and knock the Caesar off his throne.

"And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba and went toward Haran"—when Jacob the Tzaddik left, Esau raised his voice in weeping. Immediately, the wicked Eliphaz, the son of Esau, arrived, and Jacob gave him all his possessions, leaving him with only his staff.

Likutey Moharan, Torah 12: When Tzaddikim disagree with other Tzaddikim, this is the aspect of "Chen" (grace/favor).

Torah study is the aspect of Rachel, and afterward, everything is elevated through prayer, which is the aspect of Leah. The Land of Israel is the aspect of Rachel, while the spies represented Leah.

One must never leave the Land of Israel, even if there is no money; "Abraham committed a great sin" [by leaving during the famine]. During the War of Independence in 1948, for seven months during the siege of Jerusalem, people ate grass. In the camps, there was no water; the Klausenburger Rebbe told them to dig a pit, and water came out, just like Miriam's Well. The Germans saw this but did nothing.

The Haftarah of Chanukah says, "I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon, seven and seven pipes." The entire secret is seven times seven—the secret of "for that he also (B'shagam) is flesh."

It is written that there are thirty of Hillel's students who can move the sun, and Moses moved the sun several times—during the Ten Commandments—where with every word, they flew for an hour and a fifth.

Since the age of 15, I have been walking alone in the Carmel Forest, crying out, "Where is Hashem?"

All the abundance (shefa) comes in Cheshvan, because MarCheshvan is the month of "Bul" (the biblical name for Cheshvan), the time when the Third Holy Temple is destined to descend. Now, throughout the world, there are floods with water reaching two meters high in the streets because people said the Jews are murderers. The month of MarCheshvan is the "honeymoon," because the wedding was on Yom Kippur, the Seven Blessings (Sheva Brachos) were during Sukkot, and the "Yichud room" (private chamber) was Shemini Atzeret. After Shemini Atzeret, we go on the honeymoon.

The Zohar says in Parshas Toldos that in the year 5408 (1648), the Geulah (Redemption) was supposed to descend. Reb Noson asks: how did it turn around so that not only was there no redemption, but Jews were slaughtered with terrible cruelty (during the Chmielnicki massacres)? Reb Noson explains that there was a great revelation of Hashem, and Hashem took those souls and built the Holy Temple with them, but we did not merit to see it.

When a person studies Torah, he rules over the entire world. Israel is "the boldest among the nations"; the whole world is afraid of the Jews.

Now is the moment when the entire lie is being revealed (with the fall of the Military Advocate General), showing that everything was against us. Haifa was conquered without a single shot, exactly as Rebbe Nachman said—that Mashiach will conquer the world without firing a shot. The Arabs wanted to board boats to leave, but the Palmach didn't let them and forced them to stay in Haifa. They already wanted to flee.

One needs to know how the atom is made. All the secrets of protons—changing iron and copper into gold—is the secret of three times the Name of Hashem (Havayah). However, the Chovos HaLevavos said not to do this. Specifically a woman—Madame Curie—discovered radium, through which the atomic nucleus can be created. Hitler did not use the atom because he said Jews invented it and it is forbidden to use, like "Yayin Nesech" (libation wine of idolaters); otherwise, they would have conquered the entire world.

In 1967 (the Six-Day War), we were in the field all night, and the next day the war began, and all their planes were blown up. Secular people shouted in the streets, "Hashem is God!" Within seven days, the entire country was conquered. According to the UN, it was forbidden to enter the Old City, but Motta Gur entered anyway. We immediately ran to the Kotel (Western Wall), for "eye to eye they shall see when Hashem returns to Zion."

Even on Simchat Torah, there was "the concealment within the concealment" (Hestera she'besoch ha'Hestera). There were many stories in all the kibbutzim of people who were saved in a supernatural way. Whoever believes in Hashem, Hashem goes with him everywhere.

The month of Cheshvan is the sign of the Scorpion (Akrab) - which is the numerical value of 72 (Ayin-Beis) and "Kar" (cold). Rebbe Nachman says: Now there is a harp of seven strings, Mashiach will play on eight strings, and in the future to come, there will be seventy-two strings.

Rashi says that we should not say it is impossible to study Tractate Taanit because of the troubles, but rather because of the miracles that exist—that despite all the decrees and all the nations wanting to eliminate us, the People of Israel continue to live.

Reb Noson says that the reason we fast on Behab (Monday, Thursday, Monday after the festivals) is because we didn't rejoice enough. It's impossible that people commit sins because they were happy; rather, it's because they didn't dance enough. Therefore, one must dance for an hour before prayer and an hour after prayer.