"The message from the Rebbe of Amshinov was clear: you have Rav Berland shlit"a and you must not leave him for a moment. Do everything according to his guidance, whether it's a big matter or a small one."

An awe-inspiring conversation with the esteemed Rabbi Eliyahu Meirav shlit"a about the wonderful visit of the veteran students and rabbis of the holy community Shuvu Banim to the Rebbe of Amshinov shlit"a. During the conversation, Rabbi Meirav shares wonderful stories from the past and the impact of the severe persecution against Rav Berland and the difficult situation in the world.

"They told me: the Rebbe of Amshinov is waiting for you. Waiting for me? Indeed, my acquaintance with the holy Rebbe of Amshinov began many years ago when I was the head of the Emanuel Council. Unfortunately, we experienced a significant dispute there. There was a severe disagreement with various figures whose names I won't mention now. He assisted us, he strengthened us, and since then the city has been on the right path."

"Since then, I have known him and appreciated that he is a wonderful person, truly something special. I have a warm spot in my heart for this holy and pure Jew who is a distinguished servant of Hashem. I heard from knowledgeable people that he is called the great Rebbe of the generation."

"Therefore, when they called and said that the Rebbe of Amshinov is calling me, I said, what do you mean? He is calling you and some of the elder students of our holy Rav Berland! The Rebbe of Amshinov wants to give you a strengthening talk. It was 12 at night, we traveled to Beit Vagan. With me were Rabbi Tzanani, Rabbi Stern, Rabbi Ofer Erez."

"At exactly 00:30 according to winter time, the Rebbe entered. I noticed that his clocks remained set to winter time - it is known that he is a person beyond time. We stood up in his honor, his humility and modesty are wondrous, he told us: you don't need to stand, and waited for us to sit with him."

"The Rebbe of Amshinov began and said: Your community is going through difficult things. He said: I came to strengthen you. The conversation lasted about two and a half hours. Everyone was amazed at the time he allocated for us, as the Rebbe usually receives only for a few minutes, especially after the catheterization he underwent. There is almost no audience reception with the Rebbe at all, I emphasize so you understand the magnitude of the matter, and if there is, it is for a few minutes. Here he had all the time in the world, and also with the conduct he told us, everything was measured and precise, very precise in his words. With his permission, they filmed and recorded to know what was truly said."

"The message from the Rebbe of Amshinov was clear: you have a Rav. He asked if we could communicate with him. Can you ask him questions? Is it possible? This is your Rav and everything you need to do according to him! Do it in your ways, but this is your Rav so do not move away from him!"

"This is the wonderful guidance we heard from the Rebbe - you do nothing without him, learn from his books, form groups to discuss his words!"

"He asked if our teacher Rav Berland has books in the revealed Torah, we said he has many books. He asked if it is possible to study his books in depth, we answered that we have study from the Rav in Ketzot HaChoshen and more, although it has not yet been published in a book, the Rav mainly wrote necessary conduct for daily life."

"Form groups and study his words, he wanted us to cling to our Rebbe, so that God forbid we do not feel that the Rav is distant and instead the s"m would be the head. I was a Litvak for many years and when I became a Breslover, one of the claims of my Litvak rabbis, whom I respect, was: you are Breslov and you have no head, so the s"m will be the head. I heard this from the holy Rabbi Daniel Frisch, I had the merit to study with him in partnership many years ago, even before I knew of Chassidut. I would wake him up every night and we would study Etz Chaim, when I studied at Ahavat Shalom."

"When the Breslovers began to come to our kollel in the year 5740, I began to get to know Breslov, they took me to a lesson of our teacher Rav Berland and the rest is history - the strong blessing of the Amshinov Rebbe is: you have a Rav, you have a head, continue to cling to his Torah. Study his books, speak of him, ask him every small and large question. And he told us a few more things in general conduct. He brought it down to this world."

In other words, he said: don't pay attention to anything, continue as usual as if nothing happened?

"More than that, on the contrary, the Rebbe of Amshinov said: because you are in such a difficult period where there is opposition against you, and Hashem seeks the pursued, you must strengthen yourselves doubly, to be connected in heart and soul, your Rav is with you all the time - do not forget this."

"He blessed us from time to time with the words: Hashem will bless you and give you good counsel, and rectify you with good counsel, that you hold on, many such words."

"I had some prayers of our teacher Rav Berland, I took them out of my pocket and showed him. I saw him deeply studying the prayers and one prayer in particular, the prayer about the impure devices that our teacher Rav Berland writes: it is revealed and known before You that we are in the worst generation, he read this prayer and I saw him truly shaken and trembling."

The Rebbe of Amshinov said: the generation is indeed bad, but only in this aspect, it is impossible to say we are the worst generation, in terms of trials and what we are going through we are indeed in great danger, but in terms of the greatness of the generation - we are in a generation of redemption, in this he wanted to strengthen us."

"In a generation that we will surely merit to see the face of Mashiach, it has been 47 years since I returned in teshuvah, such a thing has never been, everyone is anxious and I am not speaking only about this illness. The world is in anxiety everywhere, America is truly burning."

"I remember once our teacher Rav Berland said: why is it written, cursed is Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers, because they have such terrible strengths that they need someone to be over them, otherwise they will simply destroy the world. The world is in terrible turmoil, also the whole issue of Uman."

"Uman, our life house, the holy Rebbe's tomb that for 32 years I have had the merit to be there on Rosh Hashanah. During the war when the twins were destroyed I was stuck in America, I had such miracles, Rav Berland simply accompanied me, with advice, with speech, with guidance. What happened there after the twins collapsed, there was no way to leave, the world was completely closed. By miraculous miracles, with what the Rav taught and accompanied us - I arrived just on the night of Remember the Covenant. Now in 5781 will we not be? God forbid such a thing, the world is closed, what will you do now?"

"Do people still have the heart and mind to continue the dispute? Parshat Korach, they said to Korach: you are a tzaddik so why does the manna fall far from the entrance of your tent? Because I do not dispute enough for the manna to fall close to me!"

We heard this answer several times recently

"How did our understanding hide so much? Korach who was wise, and the people of Israel who were wise said - and he says, I do not dispute enough - things are happening here that make the hair stand on end, Uman that God forbid it will be closed? It is the complete destruction of the world!"

"Our Rebbe said: as long as they give me a place to pass I pass, but when they completely close..., that they will close the holy gathering in Uman? Whoever does not see this I have no words to describe him."

"I have no grasp of the greatness of Rav Berland, but they took an old, sick Jew, barely functioning and made an uproar over the whole world - for this we must tear the heavens. Are we not brothers? What happened here? Just like that."

"The Rebbe of Amshinov who intervened is not a simple reed, he is one of the true greats of Israel. And Rabbi Badani! I had the merit to hear teachings from him decades ago, even then he was an important person in the eyes of all the greats of Israel."

"I have a part in him coming to Uman, his student Rabbi Eliyahu Medina, the rabbi of the Jewish Quarter, is a good friend of mine. I told him that at least once in his life he must be in Uman, he asked Rabbi Badani who told him he would also come with him - who orchestrated this if not our teacher Rav Berland. Rabbi Medina told me it was an amazing journey and they sat for hours on the holy tomb and merited."

"Rabbi Badani, the elder of the tzaddikim and Sephardic rabbis came and strengthened us with wonderful words. Israel is not orphaned, we have been with Rav Berland for decades, all his veteran students. We do not understand heavenly calculations, I have no hatred in my heart for any individual who opposes or for anyone else, they were my friends. I know that this is what Hashem wants, it is hidden."

"The Gemara says about Mashiach ben Yosef, Samson the mighty - all that he was judged for saying 'she is right in my eyes', you said 'right in my eyes' you failed, say I do not know, I do not understand - but from the truth and emunah that we merited Baruch Hashem we will never move."

"When the truth of our holy Rebbe became clear, there was a great noise in the world, they thought that was it, this baal teshuvah (Rabbi Meirav speaking about his closeness to Breslov) became Breslov, so everyone will become Breslov, of course, it did not happen like that. I remember what words I received from true tzaddikim, some already know today and recognize the truth."

"To come close to Breslov 40 years ago was unthinkable, and within Breslov to find the opinion of our Rebbe, after all, one must always search for the tzaddik. Search for the divine inspiration of our Rebbe, all the inspiration of our Rebbe which is endless, that our Rebbe told R' Aharon his student: I wish that ten thousand years after the resurrection you will understand the Torah I am saying now in the body."

"Baruch Hashem we found one Jew, our teacher Rav Berland, with whom the Torah of our Rebbe is clear and bright. Our Rebbe wants us to be kosher Jews, not to move from the Torah, from the Gemara, and from the Shulchan Aruch, to merit to rise at midnight every night, to engage in Hitbodedut, and to be true people of kindness with fear of Heaven."

"And it is the most bizarre thing in the world that Rav Berland who taught us this is found where he is!"

"The wonder that one can pray with Rav Berland Mincha and Maariv on a phone line, thousands of people pray with him, it is the largest minyan in the world. There are a few words of Torah after the prayer, Baruch Hashem."

"How can one be so cruel? Whoever it may be, where is the Jewish compassion? Rav Berland barely has a body, I do not know how he survives this. If we went through one billionth of what he goes through, we would fall apart into pieces."

"At least we merit to say the 7 Tikkun HaKlalis every day, even for this there are obstacles. This is the minimum we can give to our teacher and Rebbe to whom we owe our entire lives spiritually and materially. To cry out for mercy and to complete what is needed, the whole world is in upheaval and anxiety. No one knows where the world is going right now, the wisest people are all confused, not only because of the illness, but from all the power dynamics in the world - it is clear that something serious is happening and no one knows what and how."

"Only prayer and cry can save, and this is what Rav Berland taught us, what keeps us after decades still with vitality, simcha, desire, and strength. Who else in the world goes out to the field at our age? What a wonder this is."