Matan Torah Gathering on the Eve of Shavuot 5786: The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, Delivers a Fiery Class Following Fifty Minutes of Melodies of Dveikus

A Rare Gathering of Receiving the Torah with The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

In a special gathering held ahead of the festival of Shavuot 5786, the students and followers of the Shuvu Banim community gathered together with The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for an assembly in honor of Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah). The atmosphere was saturated with excitement and anticipation. The masses filled the hall with a profound feeling that "we are going to receive the Torah"—as The Rav shlit"a expressed at the beginning of his class.

Fifty Minutes of Melodies of Dveikus (Attachment to Hashem) with The Rav shlit"a

For about fifty minutes, an uplifting silence of unceasing dveikus (attachment to Hashem) prevailed in the room. The Rav shlit"a, together with the entire holy congregation, elevated themselves through ancient melodies of devotion and self-nullification before the Creator. The melodies captivated the hearts, and a surging excitement washed over the entire crowd. The unified voice sang and ascended higher and higher, until by Chatzos (midnight), all eyes were shedding tears and all hearts were beating with anticipation to receive the Torah.

It is a tradition in the communities of The Rav shlit"a that proper preparation for receiving the Torah is not achieved through Torah study alone, but also—and primarily—through the spiritual service of melody and song. These practices nullify a person before his Creator and prepare him for a spirit of prophecy. During these hours, a fiery flame of devotion was visible in the eyes of the congregation, echoing the teachings of the holy Baal Shem Tov, who established melody as a path to inner service of Hashem.

The Fiery Class: A Tremendous Sermon on Receiving the Torah

Following fifty minutes of deep dveikus, The Rav shlit"a began a fiery and tremendous class, which became one of the most powerful sermons the public has heard recently. The Rav shlit"a opened with the verse, "And Israel encamped there opposite the mountain"—there, opposite the mountain, as one man with one heart. However, The Rav shlit"a warned, that very unity can be lost in a single moment through the single most severe sin: lashon hara (evil speech).

"At the end of the day, people pass away because of the abundance of lashon hara they speak," The Rav shlit"a declared in a loud voice. "A person doesn't know he is speaking lashon hara; he says, 'I am speaking the truth.'" Here, The Rav shlit"a mentioned that during the recent period of Sefiras HaOmer, about ten students of The Rav shlit"a passed away—and all of this was due to the sin of lashon hara and idle chatter between one another, just like the twenty-four thousand students of Rabbi Akiva who died because "they did not treat each other with respect."

Watch the Full Gathering in Spectacular Aerial Footage

The complete documentation of the gathering, from the extended melodies of dveikus to the fiery class of The Rav shlit"a, is included in the video below with spectacular aerial footage.

Key Points of the Class: Parashas Korach as the Foundation for All Generations

The Rav shlit"a led the audience into the depths of Parashas Korach, explaining that the root of the dispute actually lay in Korach's seemingly "justified" claims against Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), peace be upon him. "Korach had terrible, justified arguments," The Rav shlit"a explained. "'Is this the mitzvah of a gold-plated mezuzah? A gold-plated mezuzah?'" Korach presented halachic arguments and logical questions, but beneath it all lay a dangerous evil inclination: an evil eye and arrogance.

The Rav shlit"a focused even more intensely on Chapter 3 in the Book of Bamidbar, verses 27-30, which recount the appointment of Elitzafan ben Uziel as the leader of the fathers' house of the Kehasi family. Here lay Korach's stumbling block: "Who appointed Elitzafan? Who decided on Elitzafan?" Korach asked with jealousy in his heart. "I am greater than you; you will not decide who is the leader of the tribe of Kehas. Who are you anyway?" The words of The Rav shlit"a terrifyingly describe the internal burning of arrogance that transformed Korach from someone with seemingly justified arguments into the leader of a rebellion.

A Stern Warning: The Obligation to Study Tanach, Rashi, and Gemara

Throughout the class, The Rav shlit"a repeatedly emphasized: "You are not learning; you are going against Rashi," "You don't know how to read the halachos; you are not learning Bamidbar." The Rav shlit"a warned with a radiant countenance yet with absolute firmness that failing to study Tanach and Rashi, and failing to delve deeply into the biblical commentators and halachah, is the root of heresy and dispute for all generations. "The Chassidim abroad did not learn Tanach, only here in Israel—because it can lead to heresy when people don't know how to answer the questions, so it was decided not to learn Tanach. But we must learn Tanach, learn Gemara, learn Rashi—Rashi is the entire Torah."

The Rav shlit"a mentioned the Maharal of Prague and the Malbim on Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 5, explaining that every instigator of a dispute naively thought his power came from the congregation and his followers, failing to internalize that true power is only the power of the tzaddik. "There is a covenant that a person believes lashon hara; it is a covenant made with the lips—because Adam HaRishon (the First Man) believed the snake. Since they believed, a covenant was forged, and all lashon hara sticks. Once you have heard it, you are already caught in the net, and now it will take you a year or two to get out."

Defending the Gabbaim: "Doing Their Work Faithfully"

On a personal and powerful note, The Rav shlit"a came to the defense of the gabbaim (synagogue managers) of the Beis Midrash, against whom many complaints and lashon hara had been directed. "Everyone must stop speaking lashon hara about the gabbaim," The Rav shlit"a said firmly. "The gabbaim are doing their work faithfully. Whoever wants to enter can enter. Itzik does not tell me who can enter and who cannot. Nothing of the sort. He only ensures that there is a distribution for Pesach, and now there will be a distribution for Shavuot. He also secures the donors—millions, five million shekels. And he also distributed food."

The Rav shlit"a spoke at length about his recent trip to Poland—to Krakow, Warsaw, Lublin, and the cave of the Megaleh Amukos. While there, the holy Rav shlit"a demonstrated immense self-sacrifice, and a broken arm that occurred one night was healed through an awesome miracle. "I just went for a checkup in Bat Ayin, and they said everything is fine. In another two weeks, there will be another checkup; they said it has already healed completely on its own." In all of these travels, The Rav shlit"a was accompanied by his loyal driver, R' Chaim Betzalel Singer zt"l, who, out of all the gabbaim and drivers, people did not know how to forgive for his faith and his devotion.

Stories of Divine Providence: The Gallows that Turned into a Ship

A unique climax in the class was when the Rav shlit"a told the wondrous story brought by the holy Shelah in the name of Maran the Beis Yosef zt"l: On the night of Shavuos in the city of Adrianople (around the year 5300 from the creation of the world), ten Torah scholars sat to learn Torah. The Shelah writes that when seven stand alone — the ministering angels are silent, the Seraphim are quiet, and all the heavenly bodies above listen to the class below. "If you had been ten — the Geulah (Redemption) would have come," the voice revealed from Heaven told them.

Rabbi Berland shlit"a added a wondrous story: A young man in Ukraine was accused of espionage and treason, and was sentenced to death by hanging on the train from Kyiv to Odesa. A certain woman whispered to him, "You are traveling home." Achitophel asked her, "What does that mean?" She replied, "Hashem, Rebbe Nachman, Eliyahu HaNavi — they said so." They brought him to the gallows, placed the rope around his neck, and at the last moment, a lady from Moscow arrived with an order to release him. Within an hour, they placed him on a ship to the Holy Land. "Netzach in Netzach (the Sefirah of Eternity within Eternity) can accomplish anything — to turn a gallows into a ship," concluded the Rav shlit"a.

The Rav shlit"a also brought the well-known story of Yakim Ish Tzroros (in Tractate Avos D'Rabbi Nassan), whose life was saved by the scholarly debate with his uncle, Rabbi Yosi ben Yoezer, regarding the laws of damages caused by pebbles (Tzroros) — and he nevertheless did teshuvah (repentance) before his soul departed. "Whoever does teshuvah, everything is forgiven for him. But whoever does not stand by it — is liable to death," said the Rav shlit"a.

A Call to Receive the Torah in Unity and Joy

At the conclusion of the class, the Rav shlit"a added and spoke about the importance of learning on the night of Shavuos: "If ten people learn all night without sleeping and without eating, it is possible to literally bring the Geulah (Redemption)." He called upon the holy congregation to remain awake and ascend to Hebron at the light of dawn, and to return and receive the Torah at the Cave of the Patriarchs (Me'aras HaMachpelah) by the holy Patriarchs. "Whoever wishes can put on tefillin, and at seven we will go out to Hebron and return." In conclusion, the Rav shlit"a delivered words of strengthening regarding the matter of "HaMelech HaKadosh" (The Holy King) and repeating the prayer when in doubt during the Ten Days of Repentance — and thus, with words of Torah and practical Halachah, the exalted gathering was sealed.

May it be His Will

May it be His will that the entire holy congregation who merited to receive the wellsprings of Torah and deveikus (cleaving to Hashem) from our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a on this night, will merit to receive the Torah in joy and unity, and to see eye to eye when Hashem returns to Zion very soon. And all of Israel are friends. May we merit to receive the Torah properly, and may all our brethren, the Children of Israel, come to brotherhood and peace, and may the glory of Hashem be revealed to the eyes of all flesh. Amen.