Rabbi Nachman Horowitz with Inspiring Words Regarding the Greatness of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

"In the year 5750 (1989), Rabbi Yitzchak Weitzhandler (a veteran student of Rabbi Berland shlit"a) traveled to Uman with Rabbi Berland shlit"a. In that era (of the Iron Curtain), there was no possibility to reach Uman without a visa. There were between 60 to 70 people on the trip who arrived without visas. Rabbi Yitzchak relates that Rabbi Berland danced there for 12 hours straight. Kiev, a communist regime, and Rabbi Berland is a flame of fire, walking back and forth and singing, 'You brought us this far, bring us to Uman'. There, in fact, Rabbi Berland shlit"a composed this famous song." Thus opens the lesson of Rabbi Nachman Horowitz shlit"a, one of the veteran students of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a and the grandson of the Holy Seraph, one of the greats of Breslov of the previous generation – Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz zt"l.

"The next scene was no less amazing. Inside the airport of communist Kiev, all 70 men lit the seven Chanukah candles. About 500 candles burning within the airport, and no one opened their mouth [in protest]. All the while, Rabbi Berland shlit"a did not stop singing."

"After the visas still hadn't arrived, they housed them in a hotel inside the airport. Everyone went to sleep, and only Rabbi Berland, who had not yet lit the Chanukah candles, lit them in the hotel while singing the holiday songs with shouts and spiritual awakening. As soon as he finished, Rabbi Berland turned to R' Yitzchak and told him they should flee together to Uman. They obtained a taxi whose driver agreed to drive them, and to their surprise, the driver was Jewish. The entire way, Rabbi Berland shlit"a tried to remind the driver of words from his parents' home, until suddenly the taxi driver shouted, 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your dwelling places, O Israel' (Numbers 24:5-8), verses recited before the Morning Prayer (Shacharis). Rabbi Berland has related this several times in his classes."

"Rabbi Berland shlit"a and Yitzchak Weitzhandler arrived in Uman, and there Rabbi Berland screamed the Tikkun HaKlali all night with all his strength. The temperature was 20 degrees below zero. People do not know what kind of fire Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a is; fortunate is he who holds on with him."

"It is brought in the holy books that nowadays, when there is no Temple (Beis HaMikdash), one brings the Bikkurim (first fruits) to a Torah scholar (Talmid Chacham). [caption id="attachment_7173" align="alignnone" width="458"] Rabbi Kivak shlit"a - raising up Bikkurim to Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a[/caption]

Someone told me that Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak shlit"a still transfers his Bikkurim to Rabbi Berland shlit"a today."

"There is another amazing story about one of Rabbi Berland's trips to Uman in the year 5748 (1987). There used to be a communist party in Israel called Rakah (today Hadash), most of whose members were Arabs. Because of the party's ties with the Communist regime, they received 600 entry visas to Russia. Rabbi Berland shlit"a managed to enter Uman through them, and thus, in effect, the way to Uman was breached. The story in short is that Rabbi Berland shlit"a managed to convince the mayor of Taba to add another 20 people to the trip, and so, with Israeli passports, they arrived in Uman."

"There is a famous picture from that trip where one sees Rabbi Berland shlit"a breaking the ice in order to immerse [in the mikveh]; of course, only Rabbi Berland shlit"a dared to immerse. Is there such a stormy wind against Rabbi Berland shlit"a for nothing? After all, the Evil Inclination tries with all its might to conceal the greatness of Rabbi Berland. In all these trips to Uman, Rabbi Berland opened the way to Uman for everyone, that is clear."

[caption id="attachment_7174" align="alignnone" width="700"] Rabbi Berland shlit"a breaking the ice[/caption]

"It is forbidden to listen to or enter into any controversy (machlokes). Once, Rabbi Berland shlit"a said to one of those close to him that regarding the matter of the Tzaddik, one needs to be 'electrified.' If you heard some talk and confusion entered your heart, then you didn't grasp it; you need to start anew. One needs to grasp the light of the Tzaddik, his service of Hashem, and always start anew."

"On one of the days of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, as was his custom, stood in prayer all day and all night. After hours of standing in prayer, one of the Breslov Chassidim from the shul (synagogue) approached him and asked him to tell him a chiddush (novel Torah insight). Rabbi Berland answered him, 'A person must rise from level to level every day; if in the meantime you fall ten levels, that is not your concern'."

"On that same trip, Rabbi Berland shlit"a took with him all the Breslov greats of that generation. Rabbi Berland also turned to Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter shlit"a and told him that he would arrange a passport for him with which he could join the trip. Rabbi Berland traveled three times to Rabbi Shechter's home; there are 8 tapes of them speaking together – one sees how much the Evil Inclination can conceal."

[caption id="attachment_7175" align="alignnone" width="377"] Rabbi Berland shlit"a turned to Rabbi Shechter three times in order to join him on the trip to Uman[/caption]

"Recently, they printed words spoken by Rabbi Shimon Bergstein zt"l in the year 5739 (March 1979). We are speaking of a very important Jew who was the head of the Breslov Yeshiva; these are his words: 'I entered the Yeshiva of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a and saw him learning for 10 hours straight, in depth, Torah 10 in Likutey Moharan together with Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Cheshin. Afterwards, Rabbi Cheshin approached me and said, "Listen, you can see on Rabbi Eliezer Berland that he is truly a genuine Torah scholar (Talmid Chacham), expert in the entire Torah. You can see on his face that it is shining and holy. One needs to learn from him what toil in Torah is – this is a true Breslover." Thus Rabbi Cheshin told me'."

[caption id="attachment_7176" align="alignnone" width="503"] Rabbi Shimon Bergstein zt"l with inspiring words regarding the greatness of Rabbi Berland shlit"a[/caption]

"Rabbi Bergstein zt"l further related how the story of the drawing close of Rabbi Berland shlit"a to Breslov Chassidus influenced him greatly, and that following this, he began to practice Hisbodedus regularly every Purim night. 'Rabbi Berland shlit"a has many merits in our Yeshiva, for he supports the Yeshiva very, very much and helps us with donations and budgets. May Hashem protect him, that in this merit he should merit to see much nachas (spiritual pleasure) from all his offspring.' Up to here are the words of Rabbi Shimon Bergstein zt"l regarding Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a."