During these days, the 6th, 7th, and 8th of the month of Tammuz, Breslov Chassidim remember the holy days in memory of the thirty thousand Jews of Uman who were martyred with endless cruelty by the oppressor Gonta, yemach shemo (may his name be erased). They were buried in the cemetery where our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, chose to have his eternal resting place, to be hidden alongside these martyrs, Hy"d (may Hashem avenge their blood). Before you is a letter of awesome majesty published here for the first time from our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), written about eight years ago while he was in the terrible prison pit in Johannesburg:

B"SD (With the Help of Heaven) 6th, 7th, 8th of Tammuz

The awesome days of the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Tammuz—the holy and awesome days of the Martyrs of Uman in the year 5528 (1768), four years before the soul of our holy and awesome Rebbe Nachman descended to the world, which was meant to be a year of Geulah (Redemption). As Moharnat (Rabbi Nosson) explains in Hilchos Chovel b'Chaveiro 3, during these three days, approximately thirty thousand souls were killed for the sanctification of His Blessed Name through the most unusual deaths in the world, the likes of which have never been seen since the beginning of time. Whenever there is meant to be a revelation of the awesome Shechinah (Divine Presence) and Geulah (Redemption) for the People of Israel—at which time the "ruach chayim d'le'eila" (breath of life from above) descends and it is an eis ratzon (time of favor) for the revelation of the Shechinah's glory—suddenly the opposite occurs, in the aspect of "You take away their breath, they perish" (Psalms 104:29). For the Tosafos in Bava Metzia 114b reveals to us the revelation of Elijah the Prophet, of blessed memory, to that widow, about whom it is said, "I have commanded a widow woman" (I Kings 17:9). The holy Zohar asks in Pekudei 186b: When did Hashem command her? Rather, before the soul descends to the world, Hashem commands it regarding all the paths and tracks it must pass through, whom to visit and whom to support. Therefore, it is written "tat" (give) but we read it as "titen" (you shall give). The holy Zohar says that in the merit of her giving Elijah the Prophet her last half-spoon of flour, Hashem gave rain upon the face of the earth, and through this, everyone cried out, "Hashem is God, Hashem is God!" And Nadab and Abihu received their tikkun (rectification), for they were destined for this—to bring down fire from heaven—except that they were consumed a moment before the time of their revelation. They said, "When will these two elders die?" which even Dathan and Abiram did not say; they only said, "Why do you lift yourselves up?" but they never dreamed, G-d forbid, of the death of Moses and Aaron, especially since Moses and Aaron were the father and uncle of Nadab and Abihu. The work Asara Maamaros explains in the essay "Chakor Din" that what Nadab and Abihu said—"When will these two elders die?"—refers to the verse at the end of Parshas Mishpatim (24:1): "And to Moses He said, 'Come up to Hashem, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and prostrate yourselves from afar, and Moses alone shall approach Hashem.'" After a Bas Kol (Heavenly Voice) went out saying, "Elders of Israel, thus far; Nadab and Abihu, thus far," and Nadab and Abihu saw that Aaron was going with Moses, they were certain that Aaron would ascend with Moses to the heavens [Megaleh Amukos 99]. "And who is he that shall ascend to the heavens and descend?" For except for Elijah the Prophet, no one merits to descend from heaven. If so, Nadab and Abihu understood that Moses and Aaron were now ascending to heaven and presumably would not descend again. For Moses merited three times to descend after forty days, and regarding Elijah the Prophet, it is said in the Zohar on Ki Tisa 190 that Hashem said to him, "What are you doing here (poh), Elijah?" The Zohar in Parshas Naso expounds: "What are you doing here (poh)"—do not read it as 'poh' (here) but as 'peh' (mouth). If you want the 'mouth' of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, you must go to all the Bris Milah (circumcision) ceremonies and be in the aspect of an infant: "Like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me" (Psalms 131:2). For it is impossible to receive the Divine light, which doubles itself every single second, unless a person merits at every new moment and every new second to be in the aspect of a newborn infant again. This is as Rebbe Nachman explains in Torah 219 on the phrase "He fulfilled (bitza) His word"—that He tore (baza) His purple garment (porfira), about which it is said, "Hashem reigns, He is clothed in majesty; Hashem is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength." For the garments of Hashem's glory, which are renewed with greater intensity and greater strength every moment and second, cannot be attained except through the concept of "If a man hides in secret places, will I not see him?" (Jeremiah 23:24). Only when a person turns into a complete "nothing" (lo), only then "I shall see him" (er'enu) = "When shall I come and see the face of God?" Only then can he see the majesty of Hashem in His garments of glory. For in the place of His greatness, there you find His humility. The more Hashem becomes great and exalted every moment and second, the more a person needs to nullify his existence (bittul) every moment and second. This is the secret of all the terrible killings in every generation; for in every generation, Hashem is revealed more and more with greater intensity and strength, and for this, a person must nullify himself more and more to the Or Ein Sof (Infinite Light). For the light of Hashem, may He be blessed, doubles itself every moment and second, and so it will be until the end of all generations. At the Resurrection of the Dead, there will be true bittul (nullification), for anyone who possesses pride, his dust will not be stirred for the Resurrection. At the Resurrection, they will reach true bittul, which is the secret of the Red Heifer (Parah Adumah), and the passing of the Tzaddikim provides atonement like the Red Heifer. And this we read before the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Tammuz, regarding which it is said, "And he shall slaughter it before him." Midrash Rabbah says, "And Elazar shall take"—this refers to Nebuchadnezzar, who filled the role of the High Priest to burn the "Heifer," which is the entire People of Israel, in the aspect of "They have given the dead bodies of Your servants as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your Chassidim (pious ones) to the beasts of the earth" (Psalms 79:2). Therefore, the highest level is that of the frog (in Perek Shira) which says, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you shall heap coals of fire upon his head." And the flesh of Rabbi Akiva was sold in the meat market; the Ari z"l says this was the flesh of demons, but Rabbi Akiva himself, who then merited the secret of the Tefillin of the Head [Megaleh Amukos 72, 173], "And his eye saw every precious thing." For things that were not revealed to Moses were revealed to Rabbi Akiva. For Moses only merited the aspect of "And you shall see My back"—the knot of the Tefillin—while Rabbi Akiva merited the secret of the letter Shin of the Tefillin. This was achieved by being included in the "thorn" of the letter Dalet of the word "Echad" (One). This is what Moses wanted from the Spies (Meraglim) when they went to scout (latur) the land: "I gave my heart to scout (latur) with wisdom" [Sfas Emes], that they should ascend from Binah (Understanding) to Chochmah (Wisdom) in the secret of "to scout (latur) the land" [the initials of which spell Leah]. But they went "from the street of the entrance of Hamath" [the initials of which spell Rachel] and remained in the aspect of Rachel. Therefore, it was decreed on that night that all the destructions until the end of all generations would occur, for we do not merit to reach the aspect of Leah, the aspect of "And Leah's eyes were tender"—the secret of weeping, which is the secret of tikkun (rectification) [for the phrase "In Your name they shall rejoice all day" has the initials of 'bechiya' (weeping)]. For through weeping every night at Chatzos (midnight), a person can reach the secret of bittul (nullification) and tikkun, so that every single day he reaches a completely new bittul that never existed before. Through this, we can receive the new Divine light of every single day, which is in the aspect of a "double portion." This is what Elisha asked of Elijah the Prophet—to merit every day a new bittul of a double portion... until we can receive the new Divine light of every day which is a double portion. Then we will no longer need the tikkun of destructions, but rather we will merit every day the aspect of the Resurrection of the Dead, having vessels of humility and lowliness to see Hashem face to face. We will not need the aspect of "tearing His purple garment," but will merit the eternal light of forever and ever, which is the light of our holy and awesome Rebbe—the light of bittul. For this reason, a person must occasionally leave the Land of Israel and go abroad (to Uman) to receive the new light of bittul [Arvit Prayer 4], and through this, there will be no more destructions, G-d forbid.