Listen: The Rabbi Showed Me He Knows Everything

Meir grew up in Bnei Brak in a Lithuanian Charedi home where they had never heard the name Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and certainly not about the true tzaddik. It is worth reading his amazing story, which reveals another glimpse of the tzaddik’s ruach hakodesh (holy spirit) and his way of operating.

"Two years ago, I prayed a lot at the gravesite of Rabbi Yehuda Zev Leibowitz zt"l, and I noticed that Rebbe Nachman mentions the concept of the true tzaddik many times in his books. Therefore, I asked in prayer to find the true tzaddik, and miraculously, as soon as I left the gravesite, I heard a Jew telling his friend that he had returned from the Rav shlit"a. Although I had heard the name Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, I had never seen him, even though I had been to Uman. I was awakened by his words and suggested to my brother that we fly to Uman via Holland so we could also merit meeting Rav Berland shlit"a. We arrived at the travel agent, and it turned out that it was better for us to fly to Holland first and from there continue to Uman. This was truly Divine Providence, because if we hadn't traveled to Holland first, we would not have seen the Rav shlit"a."

"We arrived in Holland; the gabbai wanted to let us in, but he told us he does not disturb the Rav shlit"a while he is studying. People who passed by encouraged us, saying, 'Don't worry, the Rav shlit"a knows you are here.' For our part, not being familiar with the subject of the true tzaddik, we treated these people as strange. However, we listened to someone who told us to recite three Tikkun HaKlalis as a key to bringing about salvations. We finished, and suddenly the gabbai came out and brought us into the holy inner sanctum."

"Upon entering his holy abode, we already felt light, but when we saw the Rav shlit"a, we felt how holiness was overflowing. It is not a feeling that can be described; I had been to tzaddikim in my life, but I had never experienced such a thing. The Rav shlit"a took my hand, and I began to cry from thoughts of teshuvah (repentance). While the Rav shlit"a blessed my brother, he told me to come to him for Shavuot and promised to arrange my shidduch (marriage match)."

"After Sefirat HaOmer, I stood behind the Rav shlit"a and said, 'Rav, a shidduch.' And behold, the Rav shlit"a said to the person next to him, 'Your sister will be his shidduch.' That person replied that they were Lithuanians and he didn't think it was suitable. 'He is also a Lithuanian Ashkenazi,' the Rav shlit"a continued, and I was surprised by his ruach hakodesh, because in my outward appearance, I look a bit dark-skinned. I didn't yet understand then that the true tzaddik has ruach hakodesh and knows everything. Of course, no shidduch came of it; later I understood that these were all kinds of tikkunim (rectifications) that the Rav shlit"a does, and we have no understanding of them."

"I arrived at the Rav shlit"a for Shavuot and reminded the Rav shlit"a that I had come for a shidduch. At that time, the Rav was holding the hand of someone who does not keep Torah and mitzvot at all and said to him, 'Here, your sister will marry him.' I said to myself, 'Wow, where have I fallen...' I still didn't understand that the tzaddik was performing tikkunim here. At this stage, it was a bit difficult for me; I still didn't know how to conduct myself in the face of such a reality of the true tzaddik. The Rav shlit"a, who noticed this during the Shacharit prayer, gave me a big smile. I doubted if the smile was for me, and suddenly the Rav shlit"a signaled to me with his finger that the smile was for me. That sweetened everything."

"The Rav shlit"a told me that on Rosh Hashanah I must not stay in Israel, it is better to be in Uman, and if not, then to come to him. And also that on Tu B'Av I would receive my shidduch. In the meantime, I prayed, and to my sorrow, in Tammuz, it was publicized that no one knew where the Rav shlit"a was. Everyone around me told me to forget about it and that there was no chance of making contact with the Rav shlit"a. Then Erev Tu B'Av arrived; the hours passed and I waited. Five minutes before sunset, I was at the gravesite of Rabbi Leib Leibowitz, and suddenly, two minutes later, Rabbi Shalom Arush shlit"a arrived. Without telling him anything, I asked him for a blessing for a match. 'I will bless you,' Rabbi Arush answered, but he made it conditional on my reading his book, 'Garden of Peace.'"

"I took the book 'Garden of Peace,' and although I never read introductions in my life, this time I started reading from the beginning, and it was written there: 'A letter from Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a: There were no better days for Israel than Tu B'Av.' I knew with certainty that the Rav shlit"a had sent me a message that he was looking after me. Later, I managed to make contact with the Rav shlit"a's gabbaim and was invited by the Rav for Tu B'Shvat. On Tu B'Shvat, after obstacles, the Rav shlit"a invited me for the fourth time for Purim. I have a friend who was in the middle of a shidduch, and the Rav shlit"a took him in the middle of the prayer to the side of the women's section and, near the Rabbanit tichye, said to him, 'You see? This shidduch is not yours; I will bring you your shidduch.' I understood that nothing is coincidental and that the tzaddik knows everything and is rectifying me."

"On Purim, the Rav shlit"a gave me a study schedule, and this was the only time the Rav shlit"a did not tell me to return to him. Nevertheless, I no longer wanted to leave there; I felt great sweetness, as if everything around was a lie, and to this day I really miss the Rav shlit"a. It is clear to me that the shidduch will come, but I received the connection to the Rav shlit"a as a gift."

"On Motzaei Shabbat, about a week before the rally, a few guys from Bnei Brak went out to put up posters; no one knew about it. Suddenly, my friend Yinon called me and read me a written message he received from the Rav shlit"a, and this was its content: 'Thank you very much for hanging up posters.' Where did Nathan, the Rav shlit"a's gabbai, get his number? We have no idea, and how does he even know that he hung them up?! I was happy for him, but I admit I was jealous. After all, we had done great self-sacrifice together and worked very hard. I said to myself, I also really want to receive a message from the Rav shlit"a. After five minutes, another call from Yinon, who asked me if I had another name besides Israel. 'Meir,' I answered. 'And your mother is Rivka?' 'Yes,' I continued. 'I am asking because I received another message from the Rav shlit"a in which it is written: 'Also, convey thanks to Meir ben Rivka.' I personally have no messages; I went to Yinon to see the message."

"The Rav shlit"a showed me with certainty that he knows everything, unequivocally. I don't understand anything, but I know that he is acting in the best way possible."

Direct responses can be sent to the email knishta148@gmail.com