The Kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo Elmelich - On the Release

"First of all, we must say: 'Blessed is He who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time,' that the Rav is able to be released and come to a private home with private conditions. And most importantly—that the Rav will finally be able to study to his heart's content, with the tens and hundreds of books that Rav Berland is accustomed to, for those who have known the Rav's conduct from of old. I have merited to be in the Rav's home many times, and you too, Yaakov (manager of the Breslov hotline), you surely know the Rav's conduct."

The Mekubal Rabbi Shlomo Elmaliach shlit"a opens his conversation with the Breslov hotline (*9148).

Rav Berland sacrificed his soul so that he would be permitted to wear tallit and tefillin in Johannesburg

"The study conduct of our teacher, Rav Berland, is beyond human comprehension. When we would go up to the Rav's house, he would have a massive 5-meter table; the Rav would open more and more books until, when you arrived, you would see a table laden with every book in the world. The Rav's method of study is inconceivable; in a few hours, he opens hundreds of books. What pained the Rav most throughout this entire ordeal was that he had no books in the prison.

"It is very similar to a story told to me by the gabbai, Natan Besanson—a shocking and chilling story. The Rav was in the Johannesburg prison, in a basement nine stories underground. There was a terrible cold there. There are pictures and documentation that until sunset, he would have his tefillin and tallit on. When he came to the prison, the prison commander told him to take off the tefillin: 'You don't go down there with tefillin, because with the straps, one can commit suicide.'

"The commander took the tefillin and confiscated them. The Rav begged Natan Besanson to get the tefillin back for him. Besanson spoke with the prison commander and told him, 'We are Jews and we must have the tefillin.' The commander replied: 'I am willing to give the tefillin on the condition that I do not bring him food—either food or tefillin.' Like the story of Rabbi Akiva in prison.

"Besanson returned and asked the Rav what he preferred. The Rav preferred the tefillin. Listen well: for four days and four nights, the Rav did not eat; he lived only on water that they allowed him. Do you remember that Rabbi Grossman flew urgently to Johannesburg? He received a report that Rav Berland was literally at the point of life's end, on the verge of starvation.

"Rabbi Grossman traveled to Johannesburg to the prison, and when he arrived at the basement nine stories underground, he saw that Rav Berland was a block of ice; all the blood had stopped flowing in his body. He was on the verge of death for the sake of putting on tefillin. I cannot detail what a war there was this past year, both in this detention and in the previous one, to get the Rav even one page from a book so that he could study there in prison."

Everything that happens to me is according to Hashem

"We heard from a prisoner who was with the Rav in the Tzalmon prison during this detention; that same prisoner merited to sit with the Rav for several weeks in the same room. I will not recount his words about the greatness of the Rav and the nobility of his soul, how he behaves during these days that he is in prison—what nobility, with what consciousness, with what joy, and how he brings joy to everyone. All the prisoners and guards are subservient to him and love him. The Rav only radiates and gives, and gives them endless love, that is what he says."

"What I loved most from his story was that he asked the Rav: 'I heard they are going to transfer you to the Ramla prison, what do you say?' The Rav answered him: 'At the commandment of Hashem they would travel, and at the commandment of Hashem they would encamp.' My whole matter is, 'At the commandment of Hashem they would travel, and at the commandment of Hashem they would encamp.' When Hashem determines that I need to encamp, I encamp; when Hashem determines that I need to leave, I leave.'

"Regarding this statement, I say: That is it, the Rav has already finished all the tikkun (rectification) that he needed to undergo there in prison, all the suffering he needed to endure there. The Rav's release is 'at the commandment of Hashem they would travel'; it is not courts and not judges, 'it is all at the commandment of Hashem.' And now it is the order of the hour to help the Rav so that it will be, 'at the commandment of Hashem they would travel.'

"This is just one point. When the Rav is released now from prison, despite the very difficult restrictive conditions, although we will not yet merit to pray and hear classes, we must look at the Rav and not at ourselves. The greatest gain in the release is that the Rav will be able to study to his heart's content, and they will be able to bring him books to his heart's content. The Rav will be able to study day and night without stopping; that is only one aspect of the release."

The Rav's conditions this past year were very difficult

"A second aspect: it is possible now to bring the Rav healthy and proper nutrition for his age. I am forbidden to speak; if I could, you would understand what is involved. In general, I will say that all the deterioration this past year was because of the terrible food he ate there. A prisoner in Tzalmon told me that the prison food is disgusting. The Rav, at such an age, must maintain proper and healthy nutrition, and the Rav needs to go out for recovery. The Rav has endured a very, very difficult year; he went through several hospitals, several surgeries. The Rav has endured hardships; one could write a pamphlet titled 'Days of Hardship' about it, literally.

"Moharnat writes in Hilchot Yayin Nesech 4, that since the tzaddik is a dwelling for the Shechinah (Divine Presence), and he is the throne for the Shechinah, therefore, at the time that the tzaddik is in prison, the Shechinah is also with him in prison, as it is written: 'A king is bound in the rafters.' And the holiness of the Kingdom is bound with him in the rafters of the mind. Hashem is with him in prison, the Shechinah is in prison—whoever redeems the tzaddik from prison, redeems the Shechinah from its exile."

"He redeems Hashem from exile, because the Rav does not sit alone in prison, as it is written about Joseph the Tzaddik, 'And Hashem was with him.' Hashem and His court are with him in prison. Because, 'In all their distress, He is distressed.' The tzaddik had to take upon himself this terrible exile; therefore, this is not a time to be silent. Every minute that we delay, the Rav remains in prison; the Shechinah and Hashem are with him in prison.

"Anyone who merits to redeem the tzaddik—this is not a simple redemption; this is a redemption of Hashem and the Shechinah from exile, this is a redemption of the people of Israel from exile, this is a very high spiritual redemption. We sat with the committee of the heads of the Yeshiva and received updates. Everyone who merits now to participate in the redemption of the souls of the tzaddik, of Hashem, and of the Shechinah, merits, with Hashem's help, that Hashem will redeem him from all troubles, and he will merit all salvations."

The redemption of the tzaddik is so great that precisely because of this they decreed

"I told the rabbis, every matter of holiness has obstacles, and in the story of the Rav, we see that they made an agreement with him that he is forbidden to perform redemptions and bless people. Did you hear? They asked for astronomical sums of 1.2 million when he was under the conditions of not blessing and not performing redemptions—from here we learn the magnitude of the virtue of the redemptions and blessings of the tzaddik. From the decree they issued against him not to do it, understand how important it is."

"Admittedly, now the money is not transferred directly to the tzaddik; seemingly a person does not receive blessings from the tzaddik, but the Rav knows. We know that the Rav is an expansion, it is not physicality; anyone who gives to the Rav has lost nothing."

"The community rabbinical committee decided that every family that loves Rav Berland should mobilize now urgently to donate and solicit donations. A headquarters is being set up under the Rav's house. Here under the Rav's house, they will be able to transfer the redemptions. There will be telephone activity here, and we ask everyone to join and solicit."

"Also on the information hotline, there is an option to donate at extension 1, 0, and it is also possible to transfer to the community rabbinical committee. In the meantime, there is a response and awareness; there is an open heart for everyone. There is tremendous excitement from the public, and we are before the days of Purim, a suitable time for transferring the half-shekel—we, the community rabbinical committee, have determined that the half-shekel this year will be 2000 shekels for a redemption for the Rav."

"The redemption goes to the Rav. Anyone who gives a redemption is blessed and will merit all salvations; just as he redeems the Rav, so Hashem will redeem him when he needs it. Every day that people delay, it costs the soul of the Rav who is in prison—we are begging, until we have reached this time, to take the Rav out of prison. Look at the last picture of how the Rav looks; I really cried, he looks really—Hashem have mercy—only to cry, it remains only to cry, how they are abusing the Rav."

To take the Shechinah out of exile

"How they set release conditions, you will not believe, harder than prison, but what can be done, we must take the Shechinah out of exile. Anyone who merits now to redeem the tzaddik, so I am not talking about two thousand, five thousand is nothing... 10 thousand shekels now, everyone call, no less. The more people mobilize to bring larger sums."

"In this way, one also brings closer the Geulah (Redemption), the salvation... Gentlemen, I am begging you, crying with bitter tears, I heard very difficult things from the Rabbinical Committee. We are crying and begging for Rav Berland, now pick up the phones to the hotline, we must release the Rav, we must win the war here."

"To take the Rav out, all that you delay... I am all moved and shocked, we have endured so many hardships, such difficult times, such a difficult year we have passed—now this is the end, and Chazal said that a mitzvah is only called by the name of the one who finishes it. Whoever merits now to finish, to bring now 10 thousand in redemption, this mitzvah is called by his name, by the name of the one who finishes it."

"Let us finish and give them the redemption money, and the Rav will be released from prison and will be able to be in a warm home. Know that the exit of the tzaddik from prison is also our exit from prison. Our Rebbe says in the Torah, 'I am Hashem your God'... the tzaddik redeems us."

"Gentlemen, there is no 'polish tick' (trickery) here, all the money goes net to the redemption of the tzaddik. There are donation centers... the redemption money goes solely to the places I mentioned."

"Except for these centers, do not donate to any other center. Donate only to the community rabbinical committee, the headquarters under the Rav's house, and the information hotline of Ben Nissan."

Donations for the court deposit are transferred through the 'Chochmat Adam Tair Panav' association, click here

To transfer your donation by phone, please call now:

*9148 extension 10

Bank transfer:

Chochmat Adam Tair Panav Association

Mizrahi Bank

Branch 403

Account 161694

Hashem is with you!