Rare. The Invasion of Lebanon. An Original Recording Never Heard Before! The

Chilling Testimony - After many prayers and efforts, a rare recording of the invasion of Lebanon has reached us, with the help of Hashem. Although much has been spoken about that legendary journey, as far as we know, no original recording has yet been published of one of the group of travelers telling it firsthand. The story is unique and stunning in its intensity, and is told by Rav Baruch Sharvit himself. Rav Baruch, one of the first students of the great tzaddik Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and the one who was himself the driver of the invasion of Lebanon - the story of the inconceivable journey.

Rav Baruch's voice sounds hesitant at the beginning of the conversation. Those who know him understand that this is a tzaddik who flees from the spotlight and camera flashes. His work is pure, internal, and characterized by a desire to bring satisfaction to his Creator, without all the 'foila-shtick' (tricks) surrounding us that we have become accustomed to in our extroverted world. Although Rav Baruch is deeply involved in drawing the distant closer and transmitting the holy path he absorbed from our teacher, the great tzaddik Rav Berland shlit"a, his work is different, quiet, and very, very unique - simply put, do not let Rav Baruch speak in front of a large crowd. However, after many pleas and requests, he finally relented and agreed to return to those days.

"The month of Av, the year is 5746 (August 1986), and Yehuda Katz, my father's brother, one of the members of the Yeshiva, disappeared in Lebanon following the infamous 'Sultan Yacoub' battle." After a short introduction, Rav Baruch begins the story. "The heart of our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a, was broken. For half a year, he tried to comfort the family, but nothing - she refused to be comforted. After both the Rav shlit"a and the Baba Sali said that Katz was alive, Rav Berland shlit"a arose and said, 'He is alive, and we will go to bring him back.'"

"Ten students were chosen for the unconventional rescue mission, among them Rav Zevulun Dahbash, Rav Moshe Revach, Rav Aziziian, Rav David Cohen, myself, and my son, who was then only 13 years old. The Rav shlit"a set a date for the trip, with the defined goal being an invasion into the depths of Syria and the rescue of the captive soldier Yehuda Katz. The Rav shlit"a presented it as a simple matter, but we wondered, how is it even possible to do such a thing? It was a time of melody... there were trials, and whoever passed them merited receiving a wonderful light in their soul."

"Through Yosef Katz, Yehuda's father, we received an entry permit for reciting Tehillim. Unlike us, the Rav shlit"a had no fears or questions regarding how we would pass. In my old Peugeot van, we set out and arrived at Rosh Pinah in the north, and with a military escort, we crossed the border. It was a miracle, as it was a week after the war and there was still great chaos all around. Another miracle was that we managed to get my children across the border."

"In a military camp inside Lebanon, we were delayed due to fears of mines and ammunition scattered around as evidence of the war that had just ended. The military forces tried to prevent us from continuing, but the Rav shlit"a, with his wonderful Divine Providence, was constantly looking for a place to pass. After he realized that the only way to pass was the main road used by the Lebanese, which was strictly blocked to Israelis, then, in a miraculous way, it was orchestrated from Heaven that all the vehicles around us could not continue further, so they did not delay us. It is impossible to convey in words the intensity of the journey together with the Rav shlit"a in such a place."

"We entered to refuel the vehicle, and Lebanese people approached us, stunned to see Israelis—not soldiers—next to them. They hugged us and asked about life in Israel. By the decision of the Rav shlit"a, we set our sights on the city of Tyre, to the tomb of Zevulun ben Yaakov. We arrived in Tyre, and to our sorrow, we did not find the holy tomb despite all our efforts. The Rav shlit"a, seeing that we could not find it, got out of the car and entered one of the mosques. Suddenly he comes out, and we are stunned to see him hugging and accompanied by two Arabs who are explaining to him how to get to Zevulun. The Rav shlit"a traveled with them alone in a Mercedes while we followed in our vehicles. We prayed Mincha and prostrated ourselves on the holy tomb, but the intensity of the event caused some of the friends to fear to the point of illness and vomiting. There was a general feeling of self-sacrifice; we knew that in Syria there is no fooling around—from their prison, one comes out either crazy or dead. But the Rav declared, 'No terrorist will tell our Rebbe what to do.'"

"I felt that the fear of the friends was awakening judgments, and indeed, the Rav shlit"a decided to return those who were afraid to Israel and return with the remaining ones to Syria. In the city of Tiberias, at the tomb of the Tanna Rabbi Meir, the Rav shlit"a decided to continue the chilling journey alone. 'I don't need anyone, I will arrange the business myself,' the Rav shlit"a threw at us. But some friends who realized their mistake ran toward him and begged to continue the rescue mission together. Finally, the Rav shlit"a sent my son, along with one of the friends, back to Jerusalem."

"The truth is that I was also afraid, but when we immersed in the Kinneret, a thought of spiritual elevation entered my head, and suddenly I understood that this world is not the ultimate purpose, until I actually received joy to enter back into Lebanon. At the border, we danced for three hours while waiting for permission to enter the military camp, where we spent a difficult night crowded inside the vehicle. At three in the morning, we saw the Rav shlit"a praying, wrapped in a tallit and tefillin inside the synagogue shack, walking back and forth. We waited there until the afternoon hours, when all the while the Rav shlit"a was walking back and forth in prayer. Suddenly he turned to us and said, 'Get in the car and we are continuing to Syria.' We were happy, we jumped, and indeed we passed the checkpoint inside, even though I was without a passport."

"We are driving, and in front of us is a checkpoint of armed Lebanese Phalangists; we passed them. Afterward, another checkpoint. The Rav shlit"a told me not to stop for inspection. The Lebanese man approached to speak to me, but I stepped on the gas and continued. So it was with the following checkpoints, with the Rav shlit"a commanding to stop only at Israeli checkpoints. On the way, we saw a UN base and decided to try to cross the border there. The soldier asked me for a passport; I hesitated because I remembered that I hadn't found it earlier, but again a miracle - I put my hand in my pocket and found it. We rose above all legality; Israelis with an Israeli passport and a vehicle with a yellow license plate entering Lebanon. A move beyond nature."

"On the way, we stopped to immerse in a spring when shots began to be heard all around us. We continued driving as the looks toward us slowly became more and more hostile. We had a flat tire, and every few kilometers the radiator would overheat, but it didn't bother the Rav shlit"a, and he told us, 'We will bring Yehuda and continue to Uman.' Throughout the entire journey, the Rav shlit"a did not move from the book Likutey Halachot, even now when we arrived right next to the Syrian checkpoint. The fear seeped into us again until it reached its peak; even the shells fired around us contributed to the terrible tension. We arrived at the Syrian border, and suddenly two young soldiers screamed at us, 'Stop!' I had an order from the Rav shlit"a, so I pressed the gas harder, but the Rav shlit"a signaled me to stop. We sat at the checkpoint and ate grapes with the soldiers, while fifty meters in front of us was the Syrian checkpoint. We were sorry that with all the self-sacrifice we went through, we did not finally enter Syria. It is impossible to convey in words the holy fire we had; perhaps it was a test of the Binding of Isaac. Although we were inside Syrian territory when we passed the first checkpoint, here we were stopped by the command of the Rav shlit"a." Who knows what the Rav saw?!