Parshat Ki Tisa - The Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Regarding the "Chelbonah" (galbanum), the "Me'or Einayim" (a classic Chassidic work) asks: Who is the one who truly elevates the prayers? Who is the one who raises all the prayers of the minyan (prayer quorum)? The "Me'or Einayim" says there are 11 spices in the Ketores (incense), and the 11th spice is the "Chelbonah," a herb with a foul odor. Specifically, the one who merits to feel that he is the "Chelbonah"—the one who merits to feel that he is the worst of everyone—he is the one who specifically merits to elevate all the prayers of the entire minyan.

The Geulah (Redemption) is ready to come at any moment; our Geulah, the redemption of Am Yisrael (the People of Israel), could happen today! At this very moment! In this very second! If everyone would decide for themselves—I am the lowest person in the world, there is no one lower than me. If one decides he is the lowest, then the Geulah arrives today, because what delays the Geulah is only our pride. A person lives in an illusion that he is more important than the other, more precious than the other, more understanding than the other, and this illusion is what delays the Geulah.

A person is a mass of pride; from the moment a person is born, he is full of pride. He thinks he is the smartest and the cleverest; he always seeks to be with the most important social circles, with the most important people. Even if he is among lowly and inferior people, he will say, "No! I am among the most important people! These are the most important!" Out of his pride, he imagines to himself that he is among the most important people and that he is the most important of them all.

A person needs to know: I am the worst, the worst of the worst, and there is nothing lower than me, and I deserve nothing. I have no complaints against anyone—"Why don't they give me this? Why don't they appreciate me? Why this... why that, why do they treat me this way?" I have no complaints at all.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak (of Berditchev) used to always tell a story about a great tzaddik who was never late for the minyan. Once, it happened that he was late for the minyan by half an hour. He entered the synagogue and left, and only after half an hour did he return. His students asked him, "What happened that you entered, left, and returned after half an hour?" That tzaddik answered them, "I do not enter to pray in a minyan before I make a calculation that I am worse than everyone else present here in the minyan! I am worse than this one... and that one. This one says more Tehillim (Psalms), this one cries, this one sheds tears during prayer, this one is a master of charity. I do not enter the minyan until it is clear to me that everyone is better than me! This person is patient and forgives his insult; that one sits all day with his Tallis (prayer shawl) and Tefillin (phylacteries), sitting and learning—whether he understood or didn't understand, he doesn't move from his four cubits! I always make this calculation that I am worse than everyone! Today I entered the synagogue and saw someone who was known to have committed a certain sin in the city, and I was startled! I saw him and said, 'Woe, woe, how will I make the calculation that I am worse than him? After all, he committed a severe sin! I have a rule that I don't enter to pray without knowing that I am worse than everyone, so I left for half an hour! I tried to find a hundred possibilities of how I am worse than him and I couldn't! I began to cry to Hashem—Master of the World, now I cannot enter the minyan! I have a rule that I don't enter the minyan until I know that I am lower than everyone.' Suddenly, an idea came to me: if I had committed that sin, I wouldn't have come to pray at all! I wouldn't have come! I would have sat at home quietly for a few days until everything was forgotten. And he, even while the whole city is gossiping about him, he strengthens himself and comes to the synagogue! He prays and shouts as if nothing happened. Such a thing I can no longer do—he is already better than me."

The Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) says that humility and lowliness are not being a "shlimazel" (a pathetic failure); it is not laziness! Humility and lowliness mean believing that all my vitality is from Hashem Yitbarach (the Blessed Creator), every breath I take is from Hashem Yitbarach, every single breath I breathe is from Hashem, every word I speak is from Hashem! Hashem speaks from within me! Lowliness is not being a "shlimazel"; it's not sleeping all day. On the contrary, lowliness is all vitality, it is all joy! The more lowliness a person has, the more joy he merits! More vitality! He has more energy, he is more diligent. Because one who is in pride has no vitality! Anything that doesn't go his way, anything that doesn't please him, he can no longer move! He has no joy! He is already despondent, already lying in bed. But a person who is full of lowliness, full of humility, is at the peak of joy! Nothing stops him! He only seeks to give nachas (pleasure) to Hashem Yitbarach; nothing can stop him.

The Zohar HaKadosh (The Holy Zohar) says that through one city or one synagogue, the Geulah (Redemption) will come. There could be one synagogue that will bring the light of the Geulah.

Who is this synagogue? Who is the synagogue that will bring the Geulah, that will bring Mashiach ben David (the Messiah, son of David), and bring Techiyas HaMeisim (the Resurrection of the Dead)? It is that same "Bei Kenishta" (synagogue), that same synagogue where everyone comes with a truly broken heart, with true lowliness. Those people who pray in that synagogue have a truly broken heart, and they feel that they are the "Chelbonah" (foul-smelling incense spice) of all Am Yisrael! They feel that their prayers do not ascend, and they come to pray only because of Hashem's command! That congregation which is at the peak of a broken heart, at the peak of lowliness—that congregation will merit to bring the Geulah.