Prayer for the New Moon of Iyar by the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

A wondrous prayer for the New Moon of Iyar composed by our teacher, the holy Gaon, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a in 5748

The New Moon of Iyar this year, 5780, will be on Thursday night at 11:37 and 12 chalakim.

Please Hashem, the month of Iyar is an acronym for "My enemies shall return, they shall be ashamed in a moment." Within it falls Lag BaOmer, the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is truly the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, who descended a second time to this world in order to rectify the world. He spent thirteen years in sand and dust, until his entire body and the body of his son, Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon, were completely purified, and not a drop of physicality remained in him.

For it is brought in the book Karnayim in the commentary 'Dan Yadin', that Yaakov was meant to live 210 years, the number of "Redu Shamma" (Go down there), but since he said "Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life," they took away 63 years, leaving 147, the count of 147, which with the 'kolel' equals the gematria of 'Nachman'. For in truth, the soul of Rebbe Nachman is the one that leads all the worlds, the lower world and the upper world, the lower chariot and the upper chariot, the direct light and the returning light, which is the secret of the Counting of the Omer, as the month of Iyar begins with Gevurah (strength) within Tiferet (beauty), and ends on the 29th of Iyar, the 44th day of the Omer, Gevurah within Malchut (kingship). The main point is Gevurah within Tiferet, which is the secret of the sweetening of the severities that is accomplished in the month of Iyar through "My enemies shall return, they shall be ashamed in a moment," for then the Manna began to descend on the 15th of Iyar, "bread from heaven." For in the entire month of Iyar, everything one eats is "bread from heaven," in the secret of the light of Abba (the Father) that shines into Binah (Understanding), and everything one eats in the month of Iyar is from the light of Abba, in the secret of "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband," for the month of Nisan corresponds to the supernal forehead, and Iyar is the secret of the inner Da'at (knowledge). For "A brutish man does not know, and a fool does not understand this; when the wicked spring up like grass and all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is to be destroyed forever." For the month of Iyar is in the secret of the crown, "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband." And above this crown is the crown of Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man), as it is said, "And Mordechai went out in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold," the secret of the crown of Adam Kadmon, in the secret of "And the children of Israel went out with a high hand (b'yad ramah)," Ramah is the secret of Adam Kadmon = 245. And this is the secret of what was said regarding Devorah, "And she sat between the Ramah [= 245 = Adam Kadmon] and Beit El," for Devorah the Prophetess merited the secret of Adam Kadmon, for they would always see sparks of fire literally emerging from her eyes during her prophecy, and from Devorah, flames of fire would emerge from her mouth, just as when the Rebbe spoke words of Torah with Rav, flames of fire emerged from the mouths of both of them with every single word they uttered [Chullin 137b].

For "Redu Shamma" that Yaakov said, he hinted that he could have lived 210 years, for 'Ekyeh' is in the secret of Keter (Crown), for the ten names of Ekyeh begin in all ten sefirot of the Keter. And therefore it is said, "Blessed of children is Asher, and he dips his foot in oil," for oil is the secret of Chochmah (Wisdom), the name Havayah with a patah, which shines until the feet, in the secret of "Gad, a troop shall troop upon him, but he shall troop at their heel." And this is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said, that his yahrtzeit is always on the 18th of Iyar, to Rabbi Elazar [Chukat] 'Rise and stand in your standing,' and therefore he was together with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the suffering of the cave for 13 years.

And this is what Elihu said, "Lo, all these things God works twice, three times with a man," in the secret of "And the night said, a man is conceived," for the mother of Iyov (Job) was the soul of a man, and therefore Iyov went through all the terrible sufferings. And this is what is said, "And from there to the well," it is the well that Moshe said, "Shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" This is the secret of the intention of 'Retzeh v'hachalitzeinu' (Be pleased and deliver us), the secret of chalitzah (removing the shoe), that one removes the shoes from the angel Metat, in the secret of 'Chanoch was a shoemaker,' in the secret of 'Retzeh v'hachalitzeinu,' that after one removes the shoes from the angel Metat, one is immediately obligated to sew him new shoes, and this was the secret of the service of Chanoch for 365 years, and therefore in the Zohar, Chukat 81. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that his yahrtzeit is on the 18th of Iyar to Rabbi Elazar 'Rise and stand in your standing,' for Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai did not need to reach the mitzvah of chalitzah, for he himself was impregnated by the angel Metat, and therefore 'Rise and stand in your standing,' and therefore he merited to be buried together with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose yahrtzeit falls on the 18th of Iyar. And now the year 5778 - 778 is the year of the Geulah, in gematria, the coming of 415 the Mashiach 363 = 778.