Why does the Hillula (celebration of passing) of Moharnat (our teacher Rabbi Nathan) fall every year in Parshat Vayechi? What is the secret behind calling a Tzaddik's Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) a 'Hillula'? How is it that by not sitting on the chair, one merits to be the person sitting on the chair?

You will find all the answers to these questions in the fiery lesson before you, delivered by our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, during the Hillula of the genius of our strength, Moharnat zy"a (may his merit protect us):

If Hanukkah starts on Shabbat, when there are two Shabbats during Hanukkah, we read the Parshiyos (Torah portions) of Vayeshev and Miketz. It turns out that we begin exactly with the selling of Joseph. The light of Hanukkah begins precisely with the selling of Joseph; therefore, 'Antiochus' is the numerical value (Gematria) of 'Yosef' (Joseph) — 156. This is the klipah (evil husk) created from the selling of Joseph, which is 156. In regular years, only Miketz falls during Hanukkah, while Vayeshev is before Hanukkah. But there are years when it happened as it did when Rabbi Nathan passed away. The tenth of Teves always falls in Parshat Vayechi, "And Jacob lived," because the two words 'Vayechi' (and he lived) and 'Nachman' equal exactly 182, the Gematria of Yaakov (Jacob), to show that the Tzaddik is alive and well...

Rabbi Nathan's Yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) is Vayechi Yaakov. "Our father Jacob did not die" (as the Gemara says in Taanit 5b: Rabbi Yochanan said, "Our father Jacob did not die." He asked him, "Was it for nothing that the eulogizers eulogized, the embalmers embalmed, and the buriers buried?" He replied, "I am deriving this from a verse, as it says: 'And you, do not fear, My servant Jacob, says Hashem, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity.' He is compared to his offspring; just as his offspring are alive, so too is he alive"). On the contrary, he took the letter 'Vav' from Eliyahu (Elijah). The 'Vav' is the Tree of Life, and Jacob took the 'Vav' from Eliyahu.

Was it for nothing that the eulogizers eulogized, the buriers buried, and the embalmers embalmed? Did they embalm him for nothing? The Gemara says: Everything you see is nonsense; in the Torah, the word "died" is not written [regarding Jacob]. Regarding Abraham, it is written in Chayei Sarah: "And these are the years of the life of Abraham which he lived, a hundred years, seventy years, and five years. And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and was gathered to his people." Afterward, at the end of Vayishlach, it is written regarding the passing of Isaac: "And Isaac expired and died and was gathered to his people, old and satisfied of days, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."

However, in Parshat Vayechi it is written (49:33): "And he gathered his feet into the bed, and he expired and was gathered to his people." It does not say "died," only "expired" (vayigva). "Expired" is like a weakness. A seedling expires; expiring is only a state of weakness. He appears as if he died. "And he gathered his feet" — he raised the nitzotzos (holy sparks); he did not leave any spark that he did not rectify (tikkun), even the "feet of the feet," the lowest sparks he rectified. There is no spark that he did not rectify.

In regular years, in a "full" year where Cheshvan and Kislev are full, and even in a regular year where Cheshvan is short and Kislev is full, Rabbi Nathan's Yahrtzeit always falls in Parshat Vayechi Yaakov, to show that he is alive and well. But that Friday when Rabbi Nathan passed away was the eve of Parshat Vayigash. This can happen twice or three times in a cycle, and then Hanukkah ends a week earlier on Friday, and Miketz falls exactly the day after Hanukkah.

The year Rabbi Nathan passed away fell on the eve of Parshat Vayigash. It was 5605 (1844), which was twice in that cycle. It was cycle 295 (Resh-Tzadi-Heh), "Ratza Hashem" (Hashem desired) — that everything rose to favor (ratzon) and Likutey Tefillot (Collected Prayers) were connected and printed then beforehand, and Rabbi Nathan merited to compose his books. This cycle ended exactly in 5605. When Rabbi Nathan passed away, the cycle ended. Vayigash occurred twice in the cycle, in 5588 and 5605.

In any case, his passing was in Parshat Vayigash, when the cry "I am Joseph" occurs. That is the revelation of the Tzaddik, the revelation of "I am Joseph." "And no man was with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers." Suddenly the Tzaddik reveals himself to someone; he reveals himself to him even though he was worthy of being cast away and thrown to another land entirely, someone who didn't even know such a thing existed in the world.

And this is why we read in the Torah that the Tzaddik wants to bestow wealth. The Tzaddik is alive; we don't go to the Yahrtzeit of dead people, G-d forbid, we go to the Yahrtzeit of living people! This is called a 'Hillula' (celebration); we dance, sing, and rejoice — this is the Hillula of a Tzaddik. One only needs to dance and rejoice. When coming to the Yahrtzeit of a Tzaddik, we know he is alive and well. Therefore, it usually falls in "Vayechi Yaakov." But the actual year of passing was in "I am Joseph, and his brothers could not answer him because they were startled before him." When the revelation happens in the future, people will know what they lost... they lost such teachings... they lost such segulos (spiritual remedies)... they lost such advice...

The Tzaddik says: 'I want to give you decorated courtyards,' so says the Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman). He wants to give us decorated courtyards, gardens with beautiful courtyards, so that everyone will have a villa with a beautiful yard and a beautiful garden. This is what the Tzaddik wants to give us. But he knows that we would water the garden every day or sit there in a lounge chair with an umbrella all day, so he waits for us to have more intellect (sechel). Perhaps at an older age, when we have more da'as (knowledge/consciousness), we will sit there with a Gemara (Talmud)...

The Tzaddik wants to give to us; the Tzaddik is the true lover, but the person doesn't see it. The Rebbe says: 'I want bitachon (trust in Hashem) from you.' The Rebbe says: 'That you should be like the Baal Shem Tov, like the Noam Elimelech, who truly threw away money. Only I know that you are not capable of this; you won't pay back the gemachs (interest-free loans), and you will eventually fall because of it.'

As it is written in Kochvei Or (Breslov history book) that one person, named Chaim Gersman, wanted to leave his shop. Rabbi Nathan said to him: Do not leave the shop in the middle, because a person is not always in 'mochin de-gadlus' (expanded consciousness). A person is now in a state of enthusiasm, ready to learn day and night. But when the time comes that the mind (moach) is blocked, the heart is blocked, and it's impossible even to pray, then the person thinks: 'If I at least had a shop, I would go to the shop, sit there for 8 hours, and pass the time in the shop. This way, I can't pray, I can't learn. I'm just wandering around like a loafer; I have no money, I have no food — I become bald from both sides (lose everything).'

A person is burning, wanting to leave everything and go learn Torah. But this is only the light from above; you didn't work for it. You need to work a lot so that the mind opens, a lot of work. Now they are giving you a great fire from above; this is so you continue further, not so you close the shop in the middle. But if they tell you: close the shop, be happy! If they tell you: Sir, leave the office, be happy! Did they close your shop? Be happy! If they tell you to learn, be happy!

You will sit by the Gemara for an hour or two; now look a bit at the Aggadah (homiletic stories), at the stories. If you don't have a chavrusa (study partner), then learn a bit of Ein Yaakov, a bit of Zohar — the main thing is to sit for 8 hours by the book. What makes you jump? You aren't a sixteen-year-old boy who jumps all day!

Moharnat says that when a person is told to close the shop, usually everything gets blocked; you have a blockage in the mind, a blockage in the heart, in both you have a blockage... Occasionally, they opened the blockage for you. The Tzaddik suddenly opened the blockage for you for a moment, let the blood flow for a few moments. Now he says: Work on your own, open the blockage with prayer, bang your head against the wall. Go up to the mountains and scream! Take the Gemara with Likutey Tefillot. You don't have a chavrusa? Say Likutey Tefillot, but in the meantime, don't move from the chair!

The Rebbe says: Who is a man? The one who sits on the chair! If you can't sit on the chair, it's a big problem... "He said in these words: 'When one sits on the chair, then he is a man.' 'Az men zit un di shtil der iz a mentsch' (Yiddish: When one sits on the chair, he is a human being), and the words are very hidden." The Rebbe wants a person to sit on the chair, not to run, not to jump. He has vitality (chayus); he runs, he performs actions. But really, who needs your actions? When Mashiach (the Messiah) comes, everything closes. Mashiach arrives — there is no buying or selling, nothing!

(From Moharnat's Yahrtzeit 5757, Tape No. 51).