The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, opened his lesson—delivered in his holy residence—with a moving song together with the assembled listeners.

The Rav shlit"a sang a song taken from the Mishnah (Rosh Hashanah 3:8):

“And it was, when Moshe would raise his hand, Israel would prevail…” (Shemos 17:11).

Do Moshe’s hands wage war—or break war?

Rather, this teaches you: As long as Israel would look upward and subjugate their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they would prevail; but if not, they would fall.

Similarly, you say (Bamidbar 21:8): “Make for yourself a serpent and place it upon a pole; and it shall be that anyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, will live.”

Does a snake kill—or does a snake give life?

Rather, when Israel would look upward and subjugate their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they would be healed; but if not, they would waste away.