Story: When Rabbi Berland shlit"a Rebuked the Student Over a Portion of Falafel

A student who arrived hungry to a class bought a portion of falafel to eat in the beis midrash (study hall). To his surprise, Rabbi Berland greeted him with a smiling remark that conveyed a precise message.

One of the students of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a shared a special incident that happened to him, illustrating the spiritual vision of the tzaddik. One day, right before the start of the Rav's Torah class, the student felt a great hunger. Even though he was rushing to make it to the class on time, he decided to make a short stop along the way.

Hungry Before the Class

The student did not want to miss a single moment of the Rav's words of Torah. Therefore, he thought to himself that he would buy a quick portion of falafel on the way, and he could eat it peacefully once he arrived at the beis midrash. And so he did; he bought the falafel and hurried into the main hall of the beis midrash to wait for the class to begin.

Rebuke Through Joy

The student stood in his place, preparing to eat the meal he had bought. At that exact moment, Morinu HaRav Berland shlit"a entered the beis midrash. To the student's immense surprise, the Rav turned to him immediately and said with a smile, "The main thing is to eat falafel!"

This sentence perfectly reflected the unique way of the tzaddik. Rabbi Berland shlit"a often delivers words of rebuke and spiritual guidance in a pleasant manner, out of joy and lightheartedness. In this way, he manages to penetrate hearts, convey the exact message, and awaken a person without offending them at all, but rather out of love and genuine closeness.

From Issue 82 — Parashas Pekudei

From the series "Tzaddik Moshel Yiras Elokim" (A Tzaddik Rules Through the Fear of G-d) — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" Newsletters