Likutey Halachos on the Steering Wheel

One of the veteran students of Rabbi Berland shlit"a is the Gaon Rabbi Avraham Chananya shlit"a. Rabbi Avraham is known as someone who merited to be among the close associates of the Rav during the years when the Rav received teachings from the Breslov Chassid, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender zt"l. Entire books could be written about that period, about the greatness of the Rav and his rare self-nullification before Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender, about the spiritual work of enduring embarrassments that the Rav took upon himself even in those days while still a young Torah scholar in the Volozhin Kollel, and about his self-sacrifice for praying with all his might, Hisbodedus (secluded prayer) in the fields, and the rest of the advice of Rebbe Nachman zy"a.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender used to travel up to Meron every Erev Rosh Chodesh (eve of the new month), and during that period, Rabbi Berland took the responsibility for this upon himself. "We got into my car, which was an old Fiat 127," relates Rabbi Avraham Chananya, "and the Rav and I drove together toward the holy city of Jerusalem to take Rabbi Levi Yitzchak from his home to Meron."

After leaving Bnei Brak, we got onto Highway 1, the fast highway toward Jerusalem. Right at the beginning of the journey, the Rav urged me on and told me to accelerate the speed. As I recall, I reached a speed of 137 km/h, and the car was shaking and sputtering, in the aspect of "and the ship threatened to break up" (Jonah 1:4). The car was not used to such an effort, especially on an uphill climb, and I was sweating from the exertion and concentration, until suddenly the strangest thing that could possibly happen in the middle of driving occurred.

The Rav placed the book Likutey Halachos by Rabbi Nasan of Breslov zy"a under the steering wheel for me, and commanded me to read from the text. I tried to maneuver between the lines of the book and the road, but the effort was beyond human capability. I managed to read seven or eight lines and felt that it was impossible. I told the Rav that I could not manage to both drive and read. Then, the Rav looked deep into my eyes and said to me: "You are not driving! There is no world! You just read, and Hashem, may He be blessed, is driving the car! Everything is miracles, there is no world!"

In those holy moments when I witnessed the self-sacrifice and the immense power of the Rav, I tangibly felt that it was heresy to think that I was driving, for there is no world and no reality whatsoever besides Him, may He be blessed. He fills all worlds and surrounds all worlds. And He is certainly driving the car just as He, may He be blessed, leads the entire world, "Who guides His world with loving-kindness and His creatures with mercy."

We have heard similar stories from the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Shalom Arush shlit"a, a student of the Rav and someone who merited to be the Rav's driver decades ago. He related that many times the Rav would place the book Likutey Halachos under the steering wheel and command him to take his eyes off the road and read, and to tangibly believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is leading the world and driving the car.

Rabbi Avraham Chananya concludes the story with a strengthening insight from the holy book Likutey Halachos, in the laws of Honoring One's Father and Mother. There, Rabbi Nasan of Breslov says that the entire conduct of the world, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are nullified before the true tzaddik, who reveals Divine Providence in the world and nullifies the conduct of nature.

And indeed, as was tangibly seen with the tzaddikim of the world, the unique individuals of their generations who ruled with complete dominion over nature, because they revealed the kingship of Hashem in the world and the conduct of "above the way of nature," until nature itself was completely nullified before them. And just as it is told in the stories of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov zy"a, who would command the wagon driver to let go of the reins of the wagon and allow the horses to reach their desired destination and goal without the natural power of the driver, so too is it with the tzaddik of the generations, Rabbi Berland shlit"a. In all his ways, he nullifies the conduct of nature through the power of immense emunah (faith) and the conduct of the Divine Providence of the Creator, may He be blessed, which he reveals in the world.

From the book "Pele Elyon, Part 3"