Listen: Rabbi Shimon Peretz from Hidabroot Tells

Rabbi Shimon Peretz, a senior presenter at Hidabroot, opens his heart with his personal story regarding the Gaon Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. "After about 25 years, I left the Habima Theatre after having been at the Cameri Theatre. They told me to come to Simchat Torah at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem. I had never heard of the place, but they promised me I would see a spectacle I had never seen before, so I came. I arrived wearing a Moriah Hotel kippah, clean-shaven, in a nice suit, with a new BMW parked outside. I arrived at the holy yeshiva hall and saw 'strange' people dancing wildly in zebra-striped suits, with intensity and much holiness and purity. I watched from the side and wondered to what energy source they were connected that gave them such intensity."

"Suddenly, everyone jumped toward the entrance, and it turned out that the Gaon Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a had arrived. I didn't know him, but I was happy for the merit to receive a blessing to strengthen my faith. I was still holding the Torah scroll when suddenly the crowd of people opened like the Red Sea, and Rav Berland shlit"a himself began walking toward me. I was in the shock of my life; I looked at the Rav walking toward me, such a great light, sweet as honey, such kind eyes, like shimmering silk. He asked me my name. Shimon Peretz, I answered. What are you doing here? They told me to come for Simchat Torah, I answered. Do you know Batya Lancet? The Rav continued to ask. I wondered about the meaning of the question and answered no. Batya Lancet lives at 1 Bavel St. I said to him: 'Kavod HaRav, I don't know the street or her, what does the Rav mean?!'"

"'Go there and tell her that I sent you so that she will write you a play about Rebbe Nachman, faith, and joy. Your play needs to appear in all worlds, so that every corner will hear you, every Jew.' I started to cry, how did he know that I came from the theatre and he suddenly addresses me on that exact subject? The Rav took the Torah scroll from me and danced with me, while I could barely move. Somehow I reached the large holy library at the entrance of the yeshiva, and before my eyes stood a book of the Malbim. Of course, I didn't know the book, but I said to myself: 'If I open this book and see a hint of what I just went through, it confirms everything for me; if not, then it was all a vision.'"

"I pull out the Malbim, open it in the middle, and read: 'And Judah said to Shimon, bind your fate with my fate, for your fate is my fate.' My name is Shimon, and he is Rav Berland shlit"a. I understood that Rav Berland is actually King Judah, who is saying to me: 'Come and bind your fate with my fate, connect to me, don't leave me for a single moment.' I started crying tears like nothing else. I connected very much to the yeshiva. I went downstairs and met a guy who said to me: 'If you donate by standing order to the yeshiva in the amount of Nachman (148 NIS) for five years, within 48 hours you will see salvations.' Of course, I signed immediately; all I wanted was a shidduch, to get married. The truth is that I was already in the process of a shidduch, and that is what I told that guy, so they took me to Rav Berland shlit"a. Rav Berland shlit"a told me that the shidduch I am talking about belongs to his student, 'If you marry her, you will divorce immediately, you will have troubles.' I said to myself - what is he doing to me?"

"'Rav, if I give her up, when will I meet my shidduch?' 'On the 2nd of Shevat, come to me at Zohavim Hall,' he answers me, 'there I will bless you and you will get married quickly.' I became confused; I called the mother of the shidduch, who eventually met with Rav Berland shlit"a, who told her the same things and even added more. I returned from the Rav's blessing on the 2nd of Shevat, and immediately a matchmaker approached me with a proposal. Miracles - after fifty days I am on my wedding day when suddenly the penny drops that this is the blessing of Rav Berland shlit"a, and I want to invite him to officiate the wedding."

"Near the holy residence of the Rav shlit"a, I meet a guy on his wedding day who tells me that the Rav is going to officiate his wedding today at Tamir Hall. I was happy and told him that he also blessed me and I am also getting married today. While speaking, the Rav shlit"a comes out, hugs and kisses me, and says to me: 'Peretz, I cannot marry you because I am marrying off my student who is marrying the girl you brought to me here.' But he immediately added - 'Because you listened to me and fulfilled the things with joy, you are blessed with a male son. Invite me on the seventh candle of Chanukah to be the sandak of your son.'"

"We got married. On the seventh candle of Chanukah, a son was born to me, but I entered a conflict. Because Rabbi Daniel Zer shlit"a, who brought me to teshuvah, wanted to be the sandak. I went to ask Rav Berland shlit"a what to do. The Rav opened the door, adorned in tallit and tefillin, and immediately blessed me with mazal. I was surprised again; I asked him how the Rav even knew that a son was born to me? I told him that I wanted him to be the sandak, but he interrupted me and asked, 'Who brought you to teshuvah?' 'Rabbi Zer shlit"a from Pardes Katz.' 'If so, Rabbi Zer will be the sandak, he is a worthy sandak, he is a great tzaddik,' answered Rav Berland shlit"a. 'And you know exactly what to name your son.' I answered, 'Certainly,' and indeed I named him Nachman."

"I tell large forums about this tzaddik, Rav Berland shlit"a, and bring the verse - 'Who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes mountains sprout grass' (Psalms 147), and I am sure that from Heaven he will come and there will be such salvations in the merit of this tzaddik. He is a very, very great tzaddik; I speak about him and cry. He is a dear Jew whom they love in Heaven. If we could see with our physical eyes how many legions of angels and seraphim accompany him and do not leave him for a moment. Everything he goes through he is annulling decrees upon the People of Israel. He doesn't belong to this world at all; he has completely nullified himself. This holy Rav carries in his sorrow all the sorrow of the People of Israel. With Hashem's help, in this merit, there will be a complete Geulah for the People of Israel."

"What righteous and great students have come out of Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a: Rabbi Moshe Tzanani, Rabbi Michael Gol, Rabbi Shalom Arush and his yeshiva. My famous cousin, the singer Kobi Peretz, strengthened himself through him and gives up large sums of money and does not perform on Shabbat, and instead, he merits to sing at Kabbalat Shabbat - 'Bo'i Kallah.' Shuli Rand, who played the most chosen role - 'Hamlet,' and merited huge fame, left everything and returned to teshuvah. The Gaon Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a took Jews who were very far away, but with bags of treasures, and brought them to teshuvah, and now they are sanctifying Hashem's name and showing the goodness of Israel."

"Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a made so much noise in the upper worlds that they couldn't stand it; in his holiness, he hovers in the air, he doesn't walk. But he is gathering in his exile all the sparks and bringing more and more to teshuvah. He carries the whole world on his shoulders, even Donald Trump, and he feels nothing."