The Holy Words of the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

The holy words of our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), from the week of Parshat Pinchas 5779 (2019).

"In the name of the Megaleh Amukot (a classic Kabbalistic work by Rabbi Nathan Nata Spira): There are four elements—fire, wind, water, and earth—corresponding to the angels Nuriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael. When he wrote his book in the year 5393 (1633), nearly 400 years ago, he lived in the field; he would sleep in the field."

"One must learn from the opponents how they practice mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice); they don't sleep or eat, they just stick to their goal, staying awake all night just to 'photograph' the Rav. We must learn from them, as it is written, 'From my enemies, You make me wise.'"

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"One must study Siman 386 [in Choshen Mishpat], all the laws of grama (indirect causation) and garmi (direct-indirect damage). If a person leans a ladder against a dovecote and a mongoose climbs the ladder and kills the pigeons—Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky says that if the mongoose was already on the ladder when he leaned it, it is garmi (direct liability), but if it wasn't on the ladder and only arrived and climbed up after he placed it, it is grama (indirect cause)."

"The mongoose is dedicated to its mission; a person must also be dedicated to his mission."

"We learn this in the Torah portion from Pinchas. Everyone said about him that Cozbi bat Zur had come to strengthen herself and convert, and that he [Pinchas] was interfering and distancing baalei teshuvah (returnees to the faith). Then, twelve miracles were performed for him: when he lifted both of them on the spear, they weighed 150 kilograms, and the doorframe lifted up [to allow him to exit]."

"One must kill all the Midianite women, but not the Moabite women. Why? The Zohar says: 'Because they did not meet you with bread and water'—the Moabite women did not want to go and cause [the Israelites] to stumble, so they were forced and threatened with swords to go and cause them to stumble."

"Because people leave the Land [of Israel], all these troubles occur and there are no shidduchim (marriage matches), for a wife knows everything about a person; it is impossible to hide anything from one's wife."

• After the prayer, everyone goes to [the tomb of] 'Shimon HaTzaddik,' who elevates all the prayers. Every day one should go, even for just five minutes.

"Study Tractate Arachin, regarding one who says, 'My weight is upon me' [as a vow], meaning he must bring his weight in gold to the Holy Temple."

"Now everyone is going to Atika or to Shimon HaTzaddik, and whoever didn't sleep all night should sleep for two hours."

Hashem is the G-d.

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These words are for the elevation of the soul of Rabbi Shmuel ben Sarah zt"l (of blessed memory).

Holy sights from the journeys of the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, throughout the country, to bring the People of Israel closer.

Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a at a home gathering in Modi'in Illit

Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a at a home gathering in Ashdod

Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a at a home gathering in Rehovot

Photography courtesy of Shahar Eliyahu