New Revelations: Rabbi Shalom Arush Speaks About His Journey to Judaism and Rabbi Berland - 2005 Part 2

Rabbi Shalom Arush shlit"a, head of the "Chut Shel Chessed" institutions, continues his amazing story of drawing close to the esteemed tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. "At that time (after I began drawing close to Rav Berland shlit"a), I felt the desire to study in a yeshiva, so I left the university. Rav Berland shlit"a sent me to a yeshiva to strengthen myself with Dedi Ben Ami (David Rafael Ben Ami). Although I still had long hair, it took me time to get a haircut, but I had already begun to study and pray. During that period, our teacher Rav Berland would give a lesson every Thursday at the home of Gabriel Grossman in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, I got married."

The First Trip to Uman - Unable to Leave the Country

"I remember sitting in a lesson at Gabriel Grossman's, Rav Berland was giving a lesson throughout the night, and not everyone could endure. I found a corner to rest, and suddenly they woke me up and said, the rabbi asked us to inform you that you received a visa on your passport. I prayed a lot to merit traveling to Uman, in my mind's eye, I envisioned that whoever travels to Uman is elevated above others. Indeed, one must believe that traveling to Uman is something very lofty, so I prayed a lot for it. However, in this first trip, I did not merit to travel, and I cannot describe the sorrow I felt from it."

The First Trip I Made to Uman

"In 1984, I traveled for the first time to Uman via Vienna. At that time, I merited being close to our teacher Rav Berland even before he became widely known. I merited driving him in my car, every night we would travel to Hebron to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Whenever we went to the field to do Hitbodedut, I would take books with me because when the rabbi came with other people, he always said, 'We'll meet in an hour and five minutes,' but when I was with him alone, it lasted much longer. Those who merited seeing the rabbi in morning prayers, it's something beyond understanding."

Rav Berland Has Not a Drop of Fear

"Rav Berland is the only person I know who has not a drop of fear, he can enter places alone where no one else can." Once, he had pneumonia, of course, he didn't take medication, nor did he want to go for tests. His wife (Rebbetzin Tehilla Berland tichyeh) called his mother, who convinced him to go for a check-up, and I accompanied him to the hospital. The examination revealed that the situation was severe, and he needed hospitalization, but he told the family that Rabbi Shalom Arush is a medic, so they should give him the medication, and he would ensure I take it on time."

"I traveled with the rabbi shlit"a alone to Arad, of course, he threw the medication in the trash, and not only that, he would immerse only in a cold water mikveh. He would not dry himself, I said to him, 'Honored rabbi, at least now that you are sick, dry yourself,' I know that the rabbi never dries himself after immersion (one of the holy practices of the tzaddik according to the Arizal). Straight from there, we would go out to do Hitbodedut in the mountains. I would do Hitbodedut and see the rabbi going to do Hitbodedut among the tanks, he sees no world around him - not a drop of fear, it's incomprehensible."

"We would travel night after night to Halhul, to Hebron, he never had a drop of fear, it's indescribable to those who haven't seen. He revealed to me the reason for his illness, he said he wanted to stop the work of bringing distant people closer and focus only on serving Hashem, but immediately he fell ill with severe pneumonia. Afterwards, he promised Hashem that he would return to the work of bringing distant people closer, and Hashem healed him."