“Let the Pure Ones Come and Involve Themselves with Purity”

A fiery lesson from our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a ○ Reading the verses of 'Vayikra' with the pure children ○ Distribution of the Chumash by our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a to the innocent children of the house of the Rebbe ○ Extensive coverage of the Chumash party

The first-grade children of the 'Breslov – Nechamat Tzion' Talmud Torah, led by Rabbi Natan Chananya shlit"a and under the presidency of our teacher Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, celebrated last week on Thursday, the 15th of Tammuz—the Hilula of the holy Ohr HaChaim—the Chumash party in honor of beginning the study of the book of Vayikra.

The Chumash party took place at the Sanhedrin halls on Minchat Yitzchak Street in the Holy City. At the beginning of the event, the excited children arrived with a Torah crown on their heads, dressed 'like a groom with the crown that his mother crowned him on the day of his heart's joy.'

The children entered with singing and dancing in honor of the Torah, praying, 'May He open our hearts to His Torah...' Following this, opening remarks were given by one of the teachers, and then the pure children began a special song about this great day on which they merited to begin studying the Chumash. They continued with the singing of 'Kad Yitvun Yisrael v'askim...' Afterward, they recited chapters 121 and 128 of Psalms, and the song 'For this child I prayed...' filled the hall as all the excited parents and grandparents sang with immense devotion.

Afterward, the 'party sermon' was delivered by the pure child Naftali Ben David, who read with the explained commentary from the Gemara in Tractate Sukkah, page 42. They then sang the song of the Parshiyot with wonderful sweetness.

The pure children merited that our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a arrived to participate in the Chumash party. Upon the entry of our teacher the Rav shlit"a, they began singing 'Ohr Zarua L'Tzaddik' and several other songs, as well as emotional songs: 'Ein Breslov Brant A'Feuer...' and the song 'V'hayu Rachamecha Mitgolalim...'

Following this was the 'Students' Dialogue,' which ended with a roar of breath from the mouths of infants who have not tasted the flavor of sin: 'Na'aseh V'Nishma' (We will do and we will hear)!

Afterward, the supervisor Rabbi Altman spoke in praise of the important teachers, R' Yechiel and R' Zucker, as well as all the members of the administration who invest their energy and time so that every child will grow in Torah and fear of Heaven in the pure path of our holy Rebbe, as instilled in us by our teacher the Rav shlit"a. Finally, the director of the institutions, Rabbi Natan Chananya, may Hashem protect him, who gives his all for the future generation in all the institutions for the future of Shuvu Banim, was honored. Here, one could see our teacher the Rav shlit"a going out of his way to applaud the extensive efforts of R' Natan Chananya, may Hashem protect him.

Afterward, our teacher the Rav shlit"a began delivering a fiery lesson on Parshat Pinchas, and on the virtue of humility and lowliness. Before you is an excerpt from the lesson: "We begin Vayikra with a small Aleph; the entire matter of Vayikra is a small Aleph. Only if a person is a small Aleph can he receive the Torah. One must maintain the small Aleph throughout one's entire life. For the Yud is the Tzaddik, and the Yud below is the student. A person must always be in the state of a student, that he should always be a small Aleph, and then he can—then he reveals the entire Torah. For a person has ego; he was created from dust. The material—the body—is ego, and the body tempts the person. Therefore, one must pour blood [as brought in Parshat Pinchas] into the ear, and also for the leper—for one who speaks evil gossip—for how can a person speak evil gossip about a person?! One who speaks evil gossip has no share in the World to Come."

Our teacher the Rav shlit"a continued to speak from Torah 10, and also spoke of the greatness of Shabbat—the 17th of Tammuz, on which the first Tablets were received. Afterward, he spoke of the virtue of parents' prayers for their children, and mentioned the mother of Sisera, who, even though she cried for her son who was wicked, one must still sweeten this through one hundred shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah. He then spoke of the virtue of song and melody and self-sacrifice to speak with Serach bat Asher, while in the middle of his words, our teacher the Rav began to sing 'Od Yosef Chai V'Melech B'Mitzrayim...' He then concluded with fiery words on the greatness of the occasion.

As preparation for the great moment—when they would begin to study the Chumash—the children began singing 'Vayehi Noam...' After several minutes of uplifting song, our teacher the Rav shlit"a began in his clear voice to read together with the innocent children the first verses of the book of 'Vayikra' along with the 'Teitch'—the translation. How wonderful was this sight to see the voices of the pure children blending together with the clear and pure voice of the Tzaddik.

At the conclusion of the reading, the song 'Baruch Hu Shebaranu Lichvodo...' erupted, followed by the song 'If people would only feel...' from the holy and hidden words of the author of the Hilula—the holy Ohr HaChaim—with the sweetness and pleasantness of the holy Torah. This was accompanied by the children's choir of the lovely children of the fourth grade, who, after the singing, were tested in the presence of our teacher the Rav shlit"a on the entire Tractate Yoma by heart! They concluded with the song 'There is supreme power in the holy Torah to restore the soul!'

And then the great moment arrived, the moment that every Jewish child treasures in his heart until his final day, when he receives the Chumash into his hands. The children merited to receive the Chumash from the pure hands of our teacher the Rav shlit"a, as our teacher the Rav blessed each and every child that he should never cease from the words of Torah, and the children's choir, together with the orchestra, accompanied the child back to his place with the song 'May it be the will before Hashem that he will grow in Torah and in fear of Heaven...'

Afterward, the representative of the children, Shmuel Hallali, spoke and thanked Hashem, our teacher the Rav shlit"a, the entire staff, and the parents.

At the end of the Chumash party, our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a left the hall, and the excited parents lifted their children onto their shoulders and, with joy of the Torah, broke out in dances in honor of the Torah.