The Greatness of the 16 Holy Soldiers Who Were Killed Sanctifying Hashem’s Name

Holy words spoken by The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, after the death of 16 martyrs of the kingdom in the holy war in Gaza — 27 Tishrei 5784

Each person should say: “Yisgadal v’yiskadash shmei rabbah… y’hei shmei rabbah mevorach l’alam u’l’almei almaya,” with all his strength—so that it will be heard all the way to Uman, and all the craftsmen should make it heard all the way to Uman.

In the merit of the girls guarding modesty—burning all the short dresses—we have already been able to hold out for five days.

Still, there were 16 who were killed—corresponding to the two Tablets of the Covenant, whose gematria is “Bereishis.” “Bereishis” is the two stone Tablets; each letter is 6 by 6 (the measurements of the Tablets were six by six handbreadths). All of this we learned in Torah 38: the Ten Commandments are 16. The number 16 is the most important number in all generations—and that is why it was precisely 16.

If the girls will burn all the dresses, all the tight shirts with the writings—no soldier will be killed. Just as it was in the war with Midian: “A thousand from each tribe, a thousand from each tribe” (Bamidbar 31:4)—not a single soldier was killed. In the war with Midian there were millions, like the sand of the sea, and only 12,000 from Israel went out against them—so no soldier needs to be killed.

This depends only on the modesty of the girls, and on the boys breaking all their “Xiaomis,” because on all the Xiaomis one sees obscene pictures—terrible immorality. Seven compartments of Gehinnom will not atone for every picture a person saw on some Xiaomi. Neither seven compartments of Gehinnom will help, nor even at the Resurrection of the Dead. They will never leave Gehinnom—not even at the Resurrection of the Dead.

Anyone who still has a Xiaomi should break it immediately now, within five minutes—take a hammer and smash it. Because it is a Torah prohibition; it is the Satan himself. The moment they break all the Xiaomis and the girls go in long dresses down to the ankle—the complete Geulah will come, and Moshiach ben David will come speedily in our days.

Amen