A powerful lesson from our teacher, the holy tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, 3 Shevat 5782

“So who are the ones going? For Pharaoh was the astrologer, the greatest sage in the world; he could see from one end of the world to the other, and he said, ‘See, for evil is before your faces.’”

“And that no one will enter the Land: ‘No one will enter! I swear to you on my honor—Moshe will not enter, no one will enter! Who will enter? Who are the ones going!’”

“Mi = 50 and umi = 56; ha-holchim = 116—exactly 216. Ben Nun and Calev = 216. I only see that these two will enter— because these two truly had self-nullification to the tzaddik, and only one who truly has self-nullification to the tzaddik can enter Eretz Yisrael.”

And after the evening prayer, our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a continued and said:

“So there are 8 hours to sleep. Whoever can fly to Uman and return—that is best. Within two hours you arrive in Uman; at 00:00 to be there until 3:00; at 5:00 back here.”

“At 5:00 everyone must get up and go with sacks of scorpions—this time it is very serious! We are going like Rechavam, ‘the Ascent of Akrabbim’; this is the southern border: ‘And the border of the Emori was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from the rock and upward’ (Judges 1:36).

“It is written in Parshat Mas’ei that the border of Israel is Akrabbim: ‘And the border shall turn for you from the south to the Ascent of Akrabbim’ (Numbers 34:4). After that it is already outside the Land. Kadesh Barnea is outside the Land; Hor HaHar is Kadesh Barnea. Essentially, in the western section: Atzmonah, Chashmonah, Atzmon, Tzalmon.”

“And everyone must be here at 5:00 in the morning, without exception—let no man be absent.”