The Greatness of Dancing and the Merit of the Women Who Did Not Sin at All — The Daily Lesson from the Holy Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Below is the lesson delivered by The Rav, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, last night — Tuesday night, the eve of the 14th of Tammuz, Pinchas, after Ma’ariv.

Now, Tractate Yevamos ends [with a teaching]—Yevamos speaks about a certain person who “opened the heads” of a thousand people. And afterward he sat in prison for a thousand years. You don’t learn Yevamos; you don’t learn what is written in Yevamos. Do you remember that one who “opened the head” of a thousand people? With a branch of a fig tree. Then he said to him [Rabbi Tarfon], “You are a lion.” He said, “They call me a lion. They truly call me a lion—‘He crouched, he lay like a lion, and like a lioness—who will rouse him?’” (Bamidbar 24:9) Every Jew is a lion! “He crouched, he lay like a lion, and like a lioness—who will rouse him?” Each person must know that he is a lion. And therefore, [in truth] it is written, “There was no man” (ibid. 26:64)—what does Rashi say? Do you have Rashi in Chumash Bamidbar? What does Rashi say on “There was no man”? That all the men died, except for the women—no woman died. No woman died; only men died. We made a calculation: each year, 15,800 died. Divide 600,000 by… (five for fifty…)—that is thirty-eight years. That comes out to 15,888. Each person would dig a grave—each person would dig a grave. Whoever was sixty years old would dig a grave. In the morning—on Tishah B’Av morning—he was already in Gan Eden, strolling in Gan Eden; they only needed to cover his grave. Each person dug a grave for himself. Every year: 15,888—except for the final year. That is why there is Tu B’Av. On Tu B’Av they dance all night—they don’t stop dancing for even one second. Like Serach bas Asher—she only danced. The entire avodah of a person is only the dancing. A person exists in the world for dancing; that is why a person comes into the world. Each person must know that dancing—it's written in the laws of Apotropos, halachah 3, that all the learning of Gemara is only for the sake of dancing, for the sake of the niggunim: “From the sound of the rejoicing, the roof split” (Pesachim 85b). Now they will say Hallel for another two weeks; then it needs to be “the roof should split.” Tomorrow is already the yahrtzeit of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh. Everyone will be there, without exception, and from there we travel straight to Uman. A person must know, first of all, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh—and to learn the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh every single week. Every week one is obligated to learn the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh—each person with the parashah. “There was no man”—because all the people are counted, to show that each person is an important number. Even thirty is written as thirty; sixty-four thousand five hundred and thirty.

The lesson begins at 48:18

So why, regarding the Golden Calf, is it not written how many died? It says “three thousand” (Shemos 32:28)—should it be written precisely? Rather, in truth, by the Calf not a single person sinned! It was only Yulyus and Yambus. The Zohar says only two died—only Yulyus and Yambus, the children of Bilam—they became the leaders [of the Calf]. And this is the greatness of Am Yisrael: as soon as Moshe came down, they burned the Calf. They burned it—“grind well, grind well, thoroughly grind”—and it went down into the stream, and they gave everyone to drink. Each person had to drink from the water, and the lips turned to gold. Whoever only thought—only thought to serve the Calf—his lips turned to gold, and he was strangled by his lips. Today they call this “aspind.” Today there is an illness where the lips swell, and then people die from it. That was the illness of the Calf then. There were three types: one was a plague; one—lips swelled; and one—this was the three thousand. But in truth, “On the day I make My account, I will bring them to account” (Shemos 32:34)—the entire Holocaust is because of the Calf. But women did not sin with the Calf—no woman sinned with the Calf. They did not give their earrings. They did like this [covered their ears with their hands]—so they tore their ears. Therefore it is forbidden to do laundry on Rosh Chodesh, because the women did like this [as above], so now it is impossible to do laundry—under no circumstances! For boys it is permitted; for girls it is forbidden. Rosh Chodesh is a festival of women; they need to say Tehillim all day. They were not involved with the Spies; therefore no woman died. Of all the sixty myriads, sixty myriads of men died—but not women. No woman died; no woman was harmed. All the women entered—everyone who left Egypt entered Eretz Yisrael. Every woman merited to enter Eretz Yisrael! Because they were not involved in any sin. Not only that— even the wife of On ben Peles bought him Tokaji wine, Hungarian wine. Everyone should make sure to buy Hungarian wine; we are obligated to buy Hungarian wine tonight, and to drink a little of it. Hungarian wine is very important. She gave him to drink; he slept for twenty-four hours. He said, “What will be with tefillin?” She said to him, “You are exempt from tefillin. If you argue with the Tzaddik, you are exempt from tefillin! Just sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep.” He woke up—everyone had already been swallowed into the ground.