Shiur for the “Shuvu Banim Dimona” Community at the Home of the Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

The Shuvu Banim Dimona community merited to enter for a shiur in the inner sanctum ○ The community’s activity in the southern city ○ A summary of the shiur at the home of The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a

The residents of Dimona—those who pray at the “Shuvu Banim Dimona” synagogue, led by R’ Shachar ben Zakriya (may he live long)—merited to enter for a special shiur in the inner sanctum, on behalf of the “Shuvu Banim Dimona” community.

The community was established more than fifteen years ago, and there is a “Shuvu Banim” synagogue there. The founding of the synagogue four years ago in Dimona is a wondrous story in its own right—a story of Divine Providence, woven together with the Tzaddik’s far-reaching vision already twelve years earlier. The synagogue is located on a spacious property, and it has ongoing activity throughout the week: Torah classes and prayers with melodies and vitality. The peak of the minyan is on Friday night, when some sixty to eighty worshippers (may they be blessed) come to the place for Kabbalas Shabbos and the evening prayer, with joyful melodies.

In addition to the regular classes delivered there, from time to time leading students of The Rav Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a come—such as the chassidic rabbanim Rabbi Meir Malka, Rabbi Moshe Tzena’ani, Rabbi Ofer Erez, Rabbi Yosef Gal, Rabbi Meir Sa’adeh, and many others—to give Torah classes. The gabbai, the chassidic R’ Shachar ben Zakriya, notes that the prominent students of The Rav who came to the place expressed to them their amazement at this holy location, where a special awakening can be felt. The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a came there twice and delivered strengthening, stirring Torah classes for more than two hours each time.

For the special shiur for the “Shuvu Banim Dimona” community, about forty students of The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a entered. In the shiur, The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a spoke about matters of the weekly Torah portion—how the blessing and the curse were given on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival. After that, he spoke about techeiles and the differences among its various types. At the end of the shiur, The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a gave chizuk regarding shalom bayis.

Below is a short excerpt from the shiur, in which The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a read a brief passage from the Zohar about how a person must honor his wife and speak to her with beautiful, strengthening words:

A man needs to say to his wife: “This one shall be called woman” (Bereishis 2:23)—you are the one and only woman in the world; there is no other woman besides you. Not to say, “You’re the worst—you’re worse than my mother, worse than my sister.” No! “This one shall be called woman”—that is you! You are the one and only woman! There is no one like you! “None can be found like her…” The Zohar says such words. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught his students that in every generation—again and again in every generation—this must be renewed. A man gets angry at his wife because he has a problem in the kollel, he has no money… but his wife must not be broken! He must only lift her up! There is no one like you! There is no one like you in the world! None, none! You are the one and only woman in the world! All the women in the world are like monkeys next to you! What are they בכלל… All the women are nothing next to you! You are the most perfect woman—“This one shall be called woman”—you are perfection. “And not another”—only you are the perfect one. And to tell her: “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all” (Mishlei 31:29)—to tell her this verse every time.

[caption id="attachment_52265" align="alignright" width="1024"] The Rav Rabbi Berland shlit"a in a shiur for the “Shuvu Banim Dimona” community[/caption]