Letter from Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a about the Martyrs of Uman

THESE DAYS, THE 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH OF THE MONTH OF TAMMUZ ARE REMEMBERED BY BRESLOVER CHASIDIM AS HOLY DAYS IN MEMORY OF THE 30,000 JEWS OF UMAN, WHO WERE MURDERED WITH UNIMAGINABLE CRUELTY BY THE OPPRESSOR GONTA, MAY HIS NAME BE ERASED, AND WERE BURIED IN THE CEMETERY WHICH REBBE NACHMAN OF BRESLOV LATER CHOSE FOR HIS ETERNAL REST, IN ORDER TO BE BURIED NEXT TO THESE HOLY MARTYRS, MAY HASHEM AVENGE THEIR BLOOD.

HERE IS AN AWE-INSPIRING LETTER, PUBLISHED HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME, FROM MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A, WRITTEN EIGHT YEARS AGO WHEN THE RAV WAS IMPRISONED IN THE AWFUL JAIL IN JOHANNESBURG:

BS”D

6, 7, 8 Tammuz

THE DAYS OF AWE OF 6, 7, 8 TAMMUZ ARE THE HOLY AND AWESOME DAYS OF THE HOLY MARTYRS OF UMAN OF THE YEAR 5528 (1768), FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE SOUL OF OUR HOLY AND AWESOME REBBE CAME DOWN TO THE WORLD, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A YEAR OF REDEMPTION.

AS RABBI NATAN EXPLAINS IN HILCHOT CHOVEL 3, THESE THREE DAYS, IN WHICH 30,000 SOULS WERE KILLED FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF HIS NAME IN ALL THE MOST UNNATURAL DEATHS IN THE WORLD, THE LIKES OF WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN BEFORE, AND EVERY TIME THAT THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A REVELATION OF THE AWESOME SHECHINA (DIVINE PRESENCE) AND REDEMPTION FOR AM YISRAEL, WHEN A SUPERNAL SPIRIT OF LIFE COMES DOWN AND IT IS A TIME OF FAVOR FOR THE REVELATION OF THE GLORY OF THE SHECHINA, SUDDENLY THE OPPOSITE HAPPENS, AN ASPECT OF “YOU GATHER THEIR SPIRITS, THEY EXPIRE.”

For Tosofot in Baba Metzia 114 reveal to us regarding the revelation of Eliyahu HaNavi to the widow, about which it is said, “I have commanded a widowed woman.”  The holy Zohar asks in Pekudei 186: When did Hashem command her?  Rather, it was before her soul descended to the world, Hashem commanded for her all the paths and ways that she must pass through and whom to visit and whom to support.  Therefore, it is written “TeT - give,” and we read “TiTeN – shall give.”  The holy Zohar says that in the merit of her giving to Eliyahu HaNavi her last half-handful of flour, Hashem sent rain upon the face of the earth, and through this, everyone screamed, “Hashem -- He is the God, Hashem -- He is the God.”

Nadav and Avihu received their rectification, for which they were destined, to bring down fire from heaven, only they were consumed a minute before the time of their revelation.  They said, “When will these two elders die,” [something] which Datan and Aviram did not say.  Rather, they only said, “Why do you exalt yourselves?”  However, they did not dream, God forbid, about the deaths of Moshe and Aharon, especially since Moshe and Aharon were the father and the uncle of Nadav and Avihu.

The Asarah Ma’amarot explains in “Ma’amar Chikor Din,” that what Nadav and Avihu said, “When will these two elders die,” refers to the verse at the end of Mishpatim 24:1, “And to Moshe, He said, ‘Ascend to Hashem, you, Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and prostrate yourselves from a distance, and Moshe alone shall approach Hashem.’”

After a Heavenly voice emerged, [saying,] “Elders of Israel – until here, Nadav and Avihu – until here,” and Nadav and Avihu saw Aharon walk with Moshe, and they were sure that Aharon would ascend with Moshe to heaven, to the highest firmament [Megaleh Amukot 99], “And who is this who will ascend to heaven and descend,” because beside Eliyahu HaNavi, no one merits to descend from heaven, and so Nadav and Avihu understood that Moshe and Aharon are now ascending to heaven, and most likely will not come down anymore, because Moshe merited to descend three times after forty days.  And Eliyahu HaNavi, about this it is said in the Zohar Ki Tisa 190, that Hashem said to him, “What are you doing here, Eliyahu?”  The Zohar expounds in Parashat Naso, “What are you doing here (PoH)” – do not read it as “PoH,” rather “PeH (mouth).”  You want the mouth of Moshe Rabbeinu, a”h – you must go to all the Britot and be the aspect of a baby, “Like a suckling child at his mother’s side; like the suckling child is my soul.”

Because it is impossible to receive the Godly light, which every second multiplies itself, unless a person merits every moment anew and every new second to be the aspect of an infant anew, as Rabbeinu explains in [Likutey Moharan] Lesson 219, “He carried out His decree”­­ – He tore his royal garment, about which it is said, “Hashem has reigned.  He has donned grandeur; Hashem has donned strength and girded Himself,” because Hashem’s garments of glory, which every moment and second are renewed with greater power and greater strength, are impossible to grasp except through, “If a man hides himself in concealment, shall I not see him.”  Only when a person turns into complete nothingness, only then will I see him = “When shall I come and appear before God,” only then can he see the grandeur of Hashem in His garments of glory, because in the place of His greatness, there you will find His humility, and just as Hashem is exalted and glorified every moment and second, so must a person nullify himself from existence more and more every moment and second, and this is the secret of the terrible killings in every single generation, because in every generation, Hashem becomes revealed more and more with greater power and greater strength, and for this, a person needs to nullify himself more and more to the Infinite Light, because the light of Hashem Yitbarach multiplies itself every moment and second, and so will it be until the end of all generations.  And during the revival of the dead, there will be the true nullification, because anyone who has pride, his dust will not stir for the revival of the dead, because at the revival of the dead, they will reach the true nullification, which is the secret of the Red Heifer, and the passing of Tzaddikim atones like the Red Heifer.

AND THIS WE READ BEFORE 6, 7, 8 TAMMUZ, ABOUT WHICH IT IS SAID “HE SHALL SLAUGHTER IT BEFORE HIM.”  THE MIDRASH RABBAH SAYS, “AND ELAZAR TOOK” – THIS IS NEBUCHADNETZAR, WHO FILLED THE ROLE OF THE KOHEN GADOL TO BURN THE HEIFER – ALL AM YISRAEL – IN THE ASPECT OF, “THEY HAVE GIVEN THE CORPSE OF YOUR SERVANTS AS FOOD FOR THE BIRDS OF THE SKY, THE FLESH OF YOUR DEVOUT ONES TO THE BEASTS OF THE EARTH.”

Therefore, the greatest level is that of the frog, which says “If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for coals you heap onto his head.”  The flesh of Rabbi Akiva was sold in the slaughterhouse.  The Ari says that this was the flesh of demons, but Rabbi Akiva himself merited then to the secret of the head Tefillin [Megaleh Amukot 173].  “And all that is precious, his eye saw,” because things that were not revealed to Moshe, were revealed to Rabbi Akiva, for Moshe only merited to the aspect of “you will see My back” – the knot of Tefillin.  But Rabbi Akiva merited to the secret of the Shin of Tefillin, and this was through being included in the apex of the Dalet of Echad, which is what Moshe wanted of the spies in exploring the Land, “You made my heart explore wisdom” [Sefat Emet], so that they would ascend from understanding (binah) to wisdom (chochmah), in the secret of “to explore the Land” [the initial letters of which are “Leah”].  However, they went “from the expanse of the approach to Chamat” [initial letters “Rachel”], and remained in the aspect of Rachel.  Therefore, it was decreed that night regarding all the destructions would come until the end of all generations, because we do not merit to attain the aspect of Leah, the aspect of “And Leah’s eyes were weak,” the secret of crying, which is the secret of the rectification, [“For in Your Name we rejoice all day” – initial letters “Bechiya – crying”].  Because through crying every night at Chatzot, a person can reach the aspect of nullification and rectification in which every day, one attains a completely new [level of] nullification which had never been before.  And through this, we can receive the new Godly light of every single day, which is an aspect of “pi shnayim – double,” which is what Elisha requested from Eliyahu HaNavi, to merit every single day to a new nullification of pi shnayim…until we can receive the new Godly light of every day, which is an aspect of pi shnayim.  Then we will no longer need the rectification of churbanot (destructions), rather, we will merit every single day to the aspect of the revival of the dead, so that we will have vessels of humility and lowliness, to see Hashem face-to-face, and we will not need the aspect of “He tore His garment,” rather we will merit to the eternal light of eternity, which is the light of our holy and awesome Rebbe, the light of nullification.  So therefore, a person needs sometimes to leave the Land and to go abroad in order to receive the new light of nullification, and through this, there will no longer be churbanot, God forbid.