Listen: Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l

It is forbidden to forget. The holy words of the late Rav Meir Shlomo zt"l, who explains with pain how the Gaon and Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a takes upon himself severe suffering in order to sweeten all the decrees against the people of Israel. These are the words we brought then, but their validity only continues to grow stronger.

After we brought on the site the words of the tzaddikim who reveal to us that the Sitra Achra itself is fighting with Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, we bring before you the powerful words of Rav Meir Shlomo shlit"a, which shed light on the suffering of Rav Berland shlit"a. The words were said in the regular class of Rav Meir Shlomo and were very poignant. Shuvu Banim International brings them before you.

"The Gaon and Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland is suffering from the season," revealed Rav Meir Shlomo shlit"a to those who still have not managed to understand that the battle of Rav Berland shlit"a is for all of us. "One of the tzaddikim was with Rav Berland shlit"a, as well as two of my students, and they asked him, 'Honored Rav, what should we pray for you?' To their surprise, Rav Berland shlit"a answered: 'Pray for me that I remain in exile; as long as I am in exile, you can sleep peacefully.' The Gaon and Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a chose all this suffering for himself in order to protect us.

In order to bring the concept of 'the sorrow of the Shechinah' a little closer to the heart, one must think of all the physical and mental problems that the Jewish people are going through in general and in particular, and combine them together. As it were, Hashem said, 'You do not have the wisdom to understand all this sorrow,' therefore Hashem took an eighty-year-old tzaddik with a pacemaker and countless other problems and ailments that we have no idea about, and if that were not enough, he is persecuted, not in his home, without the books that are so important to him and to which he is attached. They put him in detention, on a mattress, and there he groans and is in pain. When we see all this before our eyes, perhaps we will understand what the sorrow of the Shechinah is. This is how Hashem brings it closer to our hearts.

A person who prays for this tzaddik and says the Tikkun HaKlali for him is actually praying for himself, because we are part of this sorrow of the Shechinah. The Gaon and Tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a could have lived in the honor of the world like one of the Admorim, everything wonderful and everyone just bowing before him. However, he chose for himself to be disgraced, humiliated, and persecuted. His greatness in Torah is not grasped at all; his holiness is not grasped at all. Rav Berland shlit"a said that the Intifada would stop after the assembly in Hebron; the Prime Minister arrived and said, 'We ensured that the Intifada would stop' – truly, all respect to him.

Now we look forward to seeing salvations, with the help of Hashem, on the eve of the seventh day of Passover, following the prayer assembly that Rav Berland shlit"a is organizing in Hebron.

Rav Berland shlit"a is in distress, we are in distress; this is not his matter at all. Rav Berland finished his tikkun at the age of thirty; what has he been doing since then?! Torah day and night, hitbodedut (seclusion), and holiness that is not grasped by the intellect at all. We say to ourselves – he chose this for himself. And the Rav shlit"a says, 'Say the Tikkun HaKlali for me.' 'Fast for me,' Esther said. 'If I perish, I perish.' Where did Esther go? Esther entered the lion's den! The Jewish people are a collection of transgressions and mitzvot; this is the status of the Shechinah. We strive to add Torah and exertion, the fulfillment of mitzvot, each according to his value, and this gives strength to the Shechinah. However, they – our brothers – only bring transgressions; poor things, they don't know what they are doing at all, and the matters are very difficult. And unfortunately, today, even those from our own camp are falling slain. What can be done?! The Sitra Achra is bringing out such powers of the internet, burning souls and causing them to fall into such severe transgressions. If we saw the balance sheet, we would cry; what can be done against this? So a tzaddik came who took upon himself disgraces of nonsense that he has no part in since the age of thirty, and they run after him as if he were a criminal. Understand, these are all heavenly matters; it is all just to protect the people of Israel, to protect us. He took upon himself severe suffering at the age of eighty. At this age, a person sits in his corner and tells his history. So we do him a favor and say the Tikkun HaKlali for him.