Netzach Sheb’Tiferes: Whoever Doesn’t Come to Help the Tzaddik Becomes Dark!

Before you is a transcript from the lesson of our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a, delivered after Sefirat HaOmer, 4th of Iyar 5782, together with the members of our community: "The moment the tzaddik says a word, one must immediately run to fulfill it." These are his holy words:

Now it is 'Netzach shebeTiferet'. Every Wednesday is the counting of 'Netzach'. Next week it will already be 'Netzach shebeNetzach' – the 10th of Iyar, which will be the center, the twenty-fifth day of the Omer – that will be the center.

Yael and Devorah—it is written both Yael and Devorah—it is written in Megaleh Amukot, chapter 7, that they were from Netzach shebeTiferet. Everyone—there are forty-nine sefirot, and everyone belongs to a certain sefirah. Yael and Devorah were both 'Netzach shebeTiferet'. And therefore, Devorah says, "Your splendor will not be on the path" (Judges 4:9) – the moment the tzaddik says a word, one must immediately run to fulfill it. Barak hesitated; he was a hesitating person, he was a person who vacillated. Why does he vacillate? Because he is conflicted; whoever is conflicted, then he vacillates. He was hesitant; he said, "I cannot go." "If you will go with me, then I will go, but if you will not go, I will not" (ibid., verse 8). He said, "You lost out." Now you have lost out; he told you to go, so go! Do not do—what are you making deals with me? Conditions... He told you to go, you should have gone at that very moment; you would have had a complete victory! Over Sisera, over everyone.

For "From heaven they fought, the stars from their courses" (ibid. 5:20). All the stars came to fight. The moment the tzaddik arrives, even the stars descend! Stars come to fight for his sake! All the stars from the heavens descended to fight with Devorah. One star did not descend; it became a black star. There are black stars, for those who have studied a little astronomy; there are black stars that swallow the light. This is all a punishment because they did not come to help Devorah. The moment they did not come to help Devorah, then Hashem turned them from shining stars into dark stars, because whoever does not come to help the tzaddik becomes dark! All his light darkens!

And therefore, only Yael merited to pierce Sisera, because she knew that Rabbi Akiva was embedded in his temple. Rabbi Akiva was embedded in the temple of Sisera, where he was—like Og, King of Bashan. In 'Bashan' is 'Shimon ben Netanel'—the student of Rabbi Yochanan, buried in Tiberias. And he [Shimon ben Netanel] was in the ankle [of Og], therefore Moshe struck the ankle. In every wicked person, there is some tzaddik who is embedded within him; if he were to return in teshuvah (repentance), then this tzaddik would be revealed. If Sisera had done teshuvah, just like Lavan—if he had done teshuvah, he would have been the 'Supernal Whiteness' (HaLoven HaElyon) from the World of Atzilut. The same thing as Esav; if he had done teshuvah, he would have been... it is written in Heichal HaBerachah that he would have been a thousand times greater than Yaakov. The wicked person has more powers; the wicked person has within him—our Rebbe says in Torah 17—he has the 'captured good,' the 'hidden good.' The more wicked a person is... why is he wicked? Because he overcomes the good within him. Why does he become wicked...? Because the good is constantly churning inside him, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea" (Isaiah 57:20)—the good is churning, the good wants to emerge from potential into action. And he does not let it, so he becomes even more wicked, and more wicked, and more wicked. So, the more wicked he is, it only shows how much good is within him. In one second, one can return him in teshuvah. The Rebbe says it is like a volcano—Torah 9, Part 2—a person is like a volcano; when he explodes, everything explodes, suddenly lava comes out, all the good comes out! The greater the wicked person, the greater the good that comes out!

And this is what Devorah the Prophetess did, who brought the entire generation back in teshuvah, "When the leaders took the lead" (Judges 5:2), because they had already stopped the brit milah, so Devorah returned them to the brit milah. So now we have returned to the brit milah, it is possible to conquer the entire world. The moment a person "takes the lead in Israel, when the people offer themselves willingly," then one conquers the entire world, and Mashiach ben David will come speedily in our days, amen!