Parshat Tazria by the Esteemed Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a - "The Shell of Lavan Captures the Entire World"

"A plague of leprosy, when it will be in a person" (Leviticus 13:9)

The shell of Lavan captures the entire world

"The shell of Lavan is a very severe shell, all white, which is leprosy. The shell of Lavan is the greatest impurity! It is white leprosy! The shell of Lavan captures the entire world! It is like the pig that shows the world it has a pure sign, having split hooves, showing everyone it is the whitest, the best, the purest, and with this, it deceives the entire world."

"Our forefather Jacob knew that to defeat the shell of Lavan, he could not come empty-handed; he needed to prepare! Before he arrived at Lavan's house, he did not sleep; he did not leave the yeshiva of Shem and Ever for fourteen years, studying Torah day and night. Jacob knew he was going to Lavan's house to bring out Rachel and Leah, all the souls of Israel, all the souls of Israel were held by Lavan."

They show the world as if they are the whitest

"The shell of Lavan is white leprosy; they are like the pig, showing the world they are the whitest, the purest, deceiving everyone! It is white leprosy, the greatest impurity! They capture the world with words of peace, love, and friendship, all speaking of peace! And peace! And peace! The word peace never leaves their mouths."

Speaking of truth, yet everything is false

"Rabbi Natan says about all the heretics, that the word truth never leaves their mouths! They speak of truth all day! The shell of Lavan is the greatest impurity there is! The more a person is in falsehood, more wicked, more murderous, the more he speaks of peace, of truth. The more he is a heretic, he already places signs in the streets about truth and peace. In every corner of the street, on the roads, truth! Truth! Truth! That's how it is! The more a person is in falsehood, more wicked, he speaks more of peace! He speaks more of truth! But a person who has a drop of truth, a drop of humility, barely utters the word truth from his mouth, what do I have to do with truth? Do I have a connection with truth!? What connection do I have with truth!? I am far from truth! But the shell of Lavan, white leprosy, not only do they speak of truth, but they also proclaim the truth to the whole world."

A person who thinks he is in truth is in falsehood

"A person thinks he has discovered the truth, that he is in truth, he is already Breslov. He thinks everyone is in falsehood, I am the tzaddik, I am in truth. You are not Breslov! You do not know what Breslov is! You are just in illusions! In leprosy! Thinking evil of Jews! Spreading slander! You are in leprosy from head to toe!! You think you are white, pure, a tzaddik, but you are in leprosy! White leprosy."

The purest soul in creation is in the most impure body in creation

"A person needs to leave his leprosy, he needs to know they placed him in a body, they placed his neshamah (soul) in a body that is all leprosy, his body is all leprosy! The body is the most coarse thing there is! The coarsest of all creation! Against this, he has the neshamah, the spirituality, which is the highest! And he must subdue his animalistic nature, his animalistic nature is to think evil, to speak lashon hara, that is his animalistic nature! Like an animal! An animal gores, bites, kicks, he also gores, argues, speaks about this, speaks about that."

"The Rebbe says those who follow falsehood will give more account than the liar himself! Because the liar himself has a great evil inclination, but there are those who follow him, and they do so knowingly! It is convenient for them! They want to be deceived! King David always sought the truth, the eternal, "Make known to me the path of life, the fullness of joys...pleasures in Your right hand forever." David knew he was not the true tzaddik, Rabbi Natan says David had a burning fire to love the other, to give to the other, not a fire to speak about the other, to harm the other. David was pursued all his life, he was always in simcha (joy), in songs, in praises, "the sweet singer of Israel."

For when a person lacks humility, there is no simcha!

"A person needs to be like King David, to have a fire burning within him to give to the other! To honor the other! Why is a person not in simcha, because he is all day in insults and curses! He despises everyone in his heart, he disagrees with everyone in his heart, and therefore he is not in simcha! For when a person lacks humility, there is no simcha! He feels he is the wisest, and the most truthful, and has an evil eye, and the whole world in his eyes is nothing, like the dust of the earth, and sometimes for politeness, he honors this one, gives kisses to this one and that one. He thinks his kisses and politeness will cover the insults and curses burning in him day and night."

"When will a person be in simcha? Only when he is in humility! When he knows he is less than everyone! When he knows he is worth nothing! That only Hashem can help him! When he knows he is still in falsehood! That everything is from Hashem! "I will rejoice in Hashem" only then can he be in true simcha! All sadness is only because of the pride burning in him day and night, which leads him to speak about the other, to disgrace the other, and therefore he is not in simcha."

Every word that comes out of the mouth must be in kedushah (holiness)

"The Zohar says, when a person damages his speech, he damages the seven breaths of kedushah, and then it becomes leprosy. The entire work of a person is to merit those seven breaths of kedushah, that every word a person utters from his mouth will be holy of holies, every syllable will be holy of holies. You must sanctify your breath so that no incorrect word comes out of your mouth, no lashon hara, no gossip, no word of resentment, no word of anger, no word of selfishness, of pride, God forbid. If a person only utters holy breaths from his mouth, then the kingdom of Hashem will be revealed in the world, and he will be able to bring the redemption and build the Holy Temple."

Courtesy of 'Tzama Nafshi'