The Hillulah of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l • Lines to His Greatness and an Essay on

Today, the 21st of Av, the hillulah of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l is held at the Ponevezh Cemetery in Bnei Brak. Below are a few lines portraying the towering figure of this great bringer of merit to the public, along with an essay by Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a that speaks of his greatness:

Rabbi Meir Shlomo was born in the year 5717 (1957) to his parents in Petach Tikvah, where he grew up and studied. Already in high school, people could see that he was destined for greatness. He continued his studies in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Electronics in Haifa, specializing primarily in the field of electromagnetic fields. Later he enlisted in the army. After his release, he drew close to Breslov Chassidus and to the light of Rebbe Nachman, the holy one. In time, he began attending classes from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender and from the great ones of Anash. Naturally, he connected—almost automatically—to The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and from him he drew most of his wisdom, awe of Heaven, and Torah. He went on to study at Yeshivat HaNegev, where he became close to the Baba Sali, who showed him special affection.

After his marriage he moved to Bnei Brak, where he began his path as a maggid shiur in the Breslov kollel headed by Rabbi Natan Tzvi Kenig zt"l. Within a short time, his name spread far beyond the walls of the beis midrash, and many came to hear his captivating shiurim. At the same time, he began going out to the “people in the fields,” drawing thousands close and bringing them back to the source of their souls. He established the “Breslov Migdaliel” yeshivah for the Religious-Zionist public, and also the “Breslov Birkat Avraham” yeshivah for young men in Pardes Katz in Bnei Brak. His many shiurim were distributed through media and on discs, and were circulated throughout the country; thousands drew close to Judaism in his merit.

With the beginning of the controversy against Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, he spoke sharply against the opponents and said that through the humiliations The Rav shlit"a endures, he is saving the Jewish people from a Holocaust. Rabbi Meir Shlomo participated in all the gatherings that were organized for the success of The Rav shlit"a.

In his later years he became ill with a serious illness. In the month of Adar 5777 (2017), he traveled together to New York with his family to be near his wife, the rebbetzin Esther Shlomo a"h, but on the 11th of Nissan she returned her soul to her Creator. After his wife’s passing, he became bedridden and was hospitalized abroad. After a very difficult series of treatments, he returned to Eretz Yisrael shortly before Tisha B’Av and was hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem. After Tisha B’Av his condition deteriorated, and on Sunday, the 21st of Av, he returned his pure soul to its Maker, with his family and close ones surrounding his bed.

Thousands accompanied him on his final journey, which departed from his beis midrash. Rabbi Berland, who was under house arrest in those days, eulogized him by phone and wept over his passing. During the hesped, Rabbi Berland expressed himself with an awe-inspiring statement: "Through his death he atones for the Jewish people; he sweetens all harsh decrees. Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov went out to greet him; all the tzaddikim of all generations went out to greet him. If only my death could be in your place..." He was buried in the Ponevezh Cemetery in Bnei Brak, alongside Rabbi Yehuda Zev Leibowitz zt"l.

After his passing, his sons and students established the “HaMaY”R LaAretz” institute, which is devoted to disseminating the shiurim and writings he left behind. May his soul be bound in the bond of life.

Below is an essay by Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a that speaks of the greatness of Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l:

The Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Meir Shlomo

Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l—the gaon and tzaddik—was on the level of Moshiach ben David, as it is written: “And a shoot shall come forth from the trunk of Yishai = 764, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit,” and he merited the tzeila d’meheimnusa = 764—the “shadow of Emunah.” For in his days, the complete Geulah was meant to come: “For in this year the righteous redeemer will come and redeem us” = 764. And in his merit we will merit the revelation of “David son of Yishai, Your Moshiach” = 764, and the revelation of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai = 764.

For Rabbi Meir Shlomo zt"l merited that all the tzaddikim from all generations became “impregnated” within him (ibbur)—among them Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the holy Arizal, the Baal Shem Tov, and Rebbe Nachman, the holy and awesome one. And therefore he merited what no other tzaddik in his generation merited. And almost—had he still been alive—he would have brought the entire generation back in teshuvah. May his memory be blessed.