The Reasons for the Coronavirus - "Whoever Disparages a Torah Scholar"

"What happens (when people speak about Rav Berland)? The coronavirus disease, dear Jews, there is a very harsh decree, may it not come upon the people of Israel, Heaven forbid."

About a week ago, the words of the Kabbalist, Rabbi Menashe Amon shlit"a, were published regarding the severity of the danger of speaking against Rav Berland shlit"a. The words were harsh and sharp, leaving no room for doubt regarding the Torah's view on the prohibition of speaking lashon hara (evil speech) about the tzaddik, Rav Berland. Given the intensity of his words, it was somewhat difficult to distinguish between the statements of Rabbi Amon, as he defines the coronavirus as a disease for which there is no cure, and that the talk about the great tzaddik Rav Berland shlit"a may be the cause of it. These are his very clear words.

"What happens (when people speak about Rav Berland)? The coronavirus disease, dear Jews, there is a very harsh decree, may it not come upon the people of Israel, Heaven forbid - whoever disgraces a Torah scholar has no remedy for his affliction."

"Dear Jews, it is not simple; the people of Israel are suffering greatly. It is forbidden to speak about any Jew in the people of Israel, and all the more so it is forbidden to speak about rabbis and Torah scholars, and certainly about tzaddikim. Anyone who disgraces a righteous and holy Torah scholar has no remedy for his affliction - he will go to all the doctors and will not find a cure. I do not need to tell you; you see what is happening in the world."

"Dear Jews, there is a great injustice that people do not know; we do not see into the distance, we do not have the spiritual eyes to understand, there is a rabbi and there is a tzaddik, there are 36 tzaddikim - and there is the head of the 36 tzaddikim."

"Do you know what a holy Jew Rabbi Eliezer Berland is? This is the Holy of Holies!"

"Rabbi Eliezer Berland received (from Heaven) a task that is unbearable; he received the task to atone for all of Israel, for each and every one of us."

"This tzaddik receives disgrace, receives shame in order to sweeten the judgments so that harsh things do not arrive here - neither plagues nor diseases."

"Gentlemen, he is atoning for us; the tzaddik Rav Berland is sitting in prison, and we do not care - my teachers and masters, this is the disgrace of a Torah scholar; do you know how difficult that is?"

"We hear about such a tzaddik who is atoning for us, receiving the harshest disgraces, and we sit idly by? And we still believe the media people? And we stumble and write about him that he is a thief and a fraud, Heaven forbid; we do not know who we are talking about - this is the Holy of Holies."

"Heaven forbid, whoever would entertain such a thought, that he touched young women, this is an angel of Hashem Tzevaot - he is greater than an angel."

"He is sitting in prison for giving a person a Mentos? If they truly knew with clear knowledge and took his Mentos with faith, they would be healed. For 16 hours he stands and prays for me, for you, and for them so that there will be no judgments and no plagues! What happens (when people speak about Rav Berland)? The coronavirus disease. What we see happening among the nations of the world is so that we will examine our deeds. A righteous Torah scholar whom people disgrace and we do not protest? Woe to us and woe to our souls. - Gentlemen, this is not simple."