Lesson for the Students of the Mashpia (spiritual mentor)

On Wednesday, the night of the 29th of MarCheshvan, Parshas Toldos, a lesson was held in the holy residence of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for the students of the Mashpia (spiritual mentor), the Chassid Rabbi Moshe Gershonowitz shlit"a.

For about forty minutes, the Rav shlit"a delivered a lesson with flaming fire and immense vitality to the students. Before you is a summary of some of the words of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a:

"And she covered herself with a veil" — Rashi writes, "and she was buried," because a person's true wedding is when he passes away (histalkus).

Yosef Meshita said, "I am not bringing you the Menorah (candelabra)," even though they were cutting him into pieces.

"For in a cloud I will appear upon the Kaporet (Ark cover)." In the First Temple, there were 18 Kohanim (priests), all of them tzaddikim. However, three hundred Kohanim died during the First Temple period, except for four Kohanim, among them Shimon HaTzaddik, Yishmael ben Phabi, Yochanan Kohen Gadol, and Rabbi Elazar ben Charsom.

Nachum Ish Gamzu went with a box full of sand even though it was a mortal danger to all the Jews and not just to him, but he went with emunah (faith) in Hashem that "this too is for the good," and it turned into arrows and swords. Jews do not need weapons and do not need an army; they go with sand (with emunah) and defeat the whole world.

Rabbi Chanina Segan HaKohanim said that he saw a Menorah lit for seventy years.

Yaakov Avinu (our forefather Jacob) traveled to Charan. On the way, he was informed on that he was immersing in Tiberias, so Eliphaz came and took all his clothes. Meanwhile, a horseman arrived to immerse in the hot springs of Tiberias and drowned, and Yaakov took his clothes.

Lavan wanted to kill Esau in order to make Teraphim (idols) from him, because he was a firstborn.

Lavan sought to kill Eliezer, and a miracle occurred where he stood "on the camels by the spring," meaning that the camels hovered in the air and he stood above them.

Yakum Ish Tzerurot, the nephew of Yossi ben Yoezer, saw that they were leading him to the gallows (execution). He said to him, "Look what a horse I have and what you have." Yossi ben Yoezer said to him, "If for me, who studied 24 hours, such a beam is prepared, then what beam is prepared for you?" Yakum went and performed the four court-imposed deaths upon himself. Yossi ben Yoezer said, "He preceded me by an hour to the life of the World to Come (Olam HaBa)."

"And they conspired against him to kill him" — Rashi writes, "Oto (him) is like 'with him' or 'to him'." Regarding this, an ancient sage, Rabbi Nachman bar Shmuel, writes: Why does Rashi write "Oto, with him, to him"? Do we not understand Hebrew? What is Rashi coming to innovate here? And he would kick at Rashi's grave, and smoke came out, and he saw a snake that said to him, "And no impure person shall eat of it," until he fasted, and then Rashi appeared to him and told him that all his commentaries are supreme secrets. The meaning is that the dispute between the brothers and Yosef is the dispute of Metatron and the angels whether to create the world or not, and Metatron — Yosef HaTzaddik — said to create it, and therefore they are now putting him on trial for this.

One must eat the Melaveh Malkah meal (the meal following the Sabbath), and from this, the Luz bone is nourished, from which they will rise in the Resurrection of the Dead (Techiyas HaMeisim). Whoever eats the Melaveh Malkah meal will live forever.