An Emotional Meeting of the Elders of Our Chassidim in the Holy Dwelling Place of Our Teacher, the holy gaon and Tzaddik, The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

In honor of the holy yahrtzeit of the elder of Breslov Chassidus in the previous generation and the transmitter of the tradition, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender zt"l, a historic and awe-filled holy gathering was held.

The meeting took place in the home of the greatest of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s students, the one who carries and conveys the faithful path of Breslov Chassidus in our own generation—namely, our teacher, the holy gaon and Tzaddik, The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. Participating in the gathering were the transmitters of the tradition and the mashpi’im of Anash, the gaonim: the chassid Rabbi Yehoshua Dov Rubinstein shlit"a, the chassid Rabbi Gavriel Grossman shlit"a, and the chassid Rabbi Yitzchak Vitzhandler shlit"a.

At the gathering they shared memories and traditions, stories and words of strengthening, as well as conversations that had not yet been published—from the one who transmitted and revived Breslov Chassidus after the Holocaust, as he received it from his teacher—Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman zy"a—our teacher Rabbi Levi Yitzchak zt"l.

Holy words from the moving gathering:

"I have a very beautiful personal story about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender zt"l," Rabbi Dov Rubinstein shlit"a relates. "After my wedding I lived in Sanhedria. Rabbi Berland shlit"a would come every Friday, very early in the morning."

"You would come from the Kotel," Rabbi Rubinstein says, turning to The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a. "I had a neighbor named Eli Berger. We learned as a chavrusa every evening—I think it was Tractate Kiddushin. We were both newly married and we learned Tractate Kiddushin together."

"When we finished Tractate Kiddushin, we started discussing what we should learn the next day, and we couldn’t come to an agreement. The next morning, very early, I came to the shul (the central synagogue of Breslov Chassidim in Jerusalem). I’m going up the stairs, and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender zt"l is going up ahead of me. I approached him plainly and respectfully, and I told him about our discussion."

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a: "You asked him which tractate to learn."

"Rabbi Levi Yitzchak opened his eyes wide and asked: ‘Why shouldn’t our people be disciplined to Rebbe Nachman?’"

"I didn’t understand what he wanted from us."

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a: "Rabbi Bender meant that you have to learn in order—step by step!"

Rabbi Rubinstein continues: "What don’t you understand? Tell me—don’t you know what comes after Tractate Berachos? You learn in order. That’s Rebbe Nachman’s way—step by step, in order."

"‘If you learn in order, I promise you two things,’ he said. ‘First, I promise you that you will finish the Shas—because if you don’t learn in order, you will never finish the Shas. Second, every word is precious—so after every tractate, are you going to debate what to learn tomorrow?’

Rabbi Yitzchak Vitzhandler shlit"a takes the floor

"Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender had several dreams that he would tell over. One of the dreams was about Rabbi Leib Lepta. Rabbi Leib Lepta was a great scholar, but he didn’t learn in order. He was a tremendous talmid chacham, but he would learn this sefer one time and that sefer another time."

"Rabbi Levi Yitzchak saw him in a dream and asked him: ‘Why don’t you learn in order?’"

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a: "Mighty chiddushim."

Rabbi Dov Rubinstein shlit"a returns to holy stories in honor of the hilula of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender shlit"a

“Are you bringing straw to Ephraim?” (Menachos 85a)

"Once Rabbi Levi Yitzchak said: The advice of the yetzer hara is that it always tells a person, ‘You’re on a low level. You have no chance and no hope.’ But the advice of the Tzaddik is that he tells each and every person—people say—don’t stop speaking (keep learning and keep praying, and don’t close your mouth).

Rabbi Yitzchak Vitzhandler shlit"a asks The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a: “Were you there at Rabbi Bender’s passing?”

The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a answers: "I was there until 6 in the evening. I wasn’t at the funeral, but I was there at the passing."

Rabbi Dov Rubinstein shlit"a continues on the same theme: “At the funeral of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak zt"l, one woman cried very much. People around didn’t recognize her; they were surprised—she was a new face.”

"They asked her afterward: ‘Why did you cry so much? How did you know Rabbi Levi Yitzchak?’"

"She told them that she had been a young girl from a broken home, and she worked for Rabbi Levi Yitzchak doing cleaning. One day she opened a drawer and saw a sum of money. She took some for herself. A few days latershe came to work—but in whichever room she entered to clean, she saw Rabbi Levi Yitzchak standing in the doorway with his back to her, continuing to learn."

"At first she thought he was simply deeply immersed in his learning. But she finished that room and went to another room—and the same thing happened again. She understood that he had sensed what had happened, but he didn’t want to say anything to her."

"She said: ‘I went over to him and told him I understand why he is acting this way. I’m asking forgiveness. I’m from a very poor family. I saw a large amount (it was apparently right before Pesach, when relatively large sums of money would come to him), so I took a little. I understand I’m fired and there’s no reason for me to come tomorrow. I’ll try to return it if I can.’"

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender answered her: "You are not fired—chas v’shalom! You are coming to work. More than that: from now on I will increase your wages."

"She says: ‘I changed completely.’"

The Rav, the holy gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, concludes: “Yes—she began to live with modesty and holiness; she changed her entire conduct.”