The Rebbe of Savran Reveals When Mashiach Will Come

On the date of the 13th of Tammuz, 5773, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Hager, the Rebbe of Savran, zt"l, passed away to the next world. The Rebbe was a great friend of the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and even considered himself his student.

Before his passing, the Rebbe of Savran conveyed a chilling message, these are his holy words as relayed by the daughter of the Rebbe of Savran, zt"l.

"My wife is a very good friend of the daughter of the Rebbe of Savran, and by chance, my wife arrived at her home right after her father's funeral," begins Rabbi Yechiel Ilser with his testimony from the home of the Rebbe, zt"l. "The Rebbe passed away on Friday in a very special setting - before his passing, his family and students came to him, and they sang Shabbat songs together."

"His daughter, my wife's good friend, had the merit to enter him privately moments before his neshamah (soul) departed. By chance, my wife arrived at her after the Rebbe's passing. My wife saw the daughter illuminated; she didn't know her father had passed. She asked her: 'What, did you immerse in the River Dinur? Look how you appear!'

"The Rebbe's daughter asked my wife: How do you know to describe it like that? My father just passed away, and we just returned from the funeral."

"Then she continued to tell my wife excitedly: I entered my father privately before his passing, and he told her in these words - Know that the day will come when the Beit Din will oppose Rav Berland, and on that day when the Beit Din goes against Rav Berland, know that Mashiach has arrived!!"

"My father continued and warned me after the chilling revelation with these words: But you, my daughter, stay with Rav Berland."

One must study a bit of history to understand how chilling the message the Rebbe of Savran conveyed to his daughter is

In the year 5595 - 24 years after the passing of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov - the holy Rabbi Moshe Tzvi of Savran, zt"l, initiated a fierce opposition against the Breslov chassidim, led by the great student Moharanat of Breslov, which led to severe persecutions of Rabbi Natan and even his imprisonment by the authorities.

The opposition of the Rebbe of Savran to Breslov

After the passing of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the leadership of Breslov chassidut passed to his student Rabbi Natan. Rabbi Natan's main occupation was printing and disseminating the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, as delivered during his lifetime, both in writing and orally. During Rabbi Natan's time, the Breslov chassidim suffered severe persecutions, especially from the holy Rabbi Moshe Tzvi of Savran, zt"l. He forbade eating from the slaughter of Breslov chassidim, marrying them, or taking teachers from among them. The printing of Breslov books in Tsarist Russia was banned due to informants, Moharanat, zt"l, was imprisoned for about a month, the Breslov chassidim's Beit Midrash in Uman was closed, and Rabbi Natan had to hide his identity during some of his travels. During this period, the number of visible Breslov chassidim dwindled significantly, standing at only a few individuals, mainly in Uman, Breslov, Tcherin, and Tolchin.

Initially, there was a good relationship between Rabbi Natan of Breslov and the holy Rabbi of Savran, a relationship that began during the time they both spent in the court of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev. However, following a campaign of incitement and slander by one of the students, the holy Rabbi of Savran - who was a Rebbe to thousands of chassidim and one of the prominent Rebbes of that time - began to lead a harsh campaign against Breslov chassidut, which was then very small and became even more persecuted and maligned than it had been until those days.

What happened as a result of that dispute is recorded in painful ink in the annals of Breslov chassidut and is etched in the souls of the chassidim to this day. This dispute was one of the most difficult in the history of the chassidic movement and the Jewish historian Prof. Raphael Mahler even determined that "the persecutions of the Breslovers by the Savran chassidim surpassed in cruelty all the persecutions of the chassidim by the opponents in the previous century".

Rabbi Natan and the Breslov chassidim then suffered from terrible excommunications and humiliations, damage to property and livelihood, threats of murder, insults, and denunciations directed at the Russian authorities with various accusations. One of the severe accusations that incited the authorities was a fabrication about Rabbi Natan being a "false prophet" whose activities were contrary to the interests of the Russian Tsar and considered treason against his reign.

Only five people remained Breslov chassidim

Rabbi Avraham ben Rabbi Nachman, who led the Breslov chassidim after the passing of his father Rabbi Nachman of Tolchin - the close student of Moharanat, recounts in his book 'Days of Suffering' that the events were so severe that "only five people in Breslov stood the test and remained in their service to Hashem as before, but most of them from the gathering in Breslov could not be returned to their service even after Hashem helped Moharanat and gave him relief from all his enemies around."

So, the question only strengthens, how did the Rebbe of Savran, a direct descendant of the Rebbe Rabbi Moshe Tzvi of Savran, zt"l, come to have a deep friendship with Rav Berland shlit"a?

The Connection of the Rebbe of Savran with the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

About two years after the Six-Day War, Rabbi Hager met Berland shlit"a on a bus heading to the Kotel. He was impressed by him, and on the way back, he spoke with him and even invited him to his home. Throughout the day, they studied the Book of Samuel in depth, with his daughter, who later became the mother of R' Moshe Bernstein, recounting that she remembers Rav Berland's Maariv prayer with immense enthusiasm.

Since then, a close relationship began between Rabbi Hager of Savran and Rav Berland, for many years they studied every Thursday night throughout the night until they went out for Hitbodedut. Rabbi Hager greatly loved Rav Berland and appreciated his greatness in Torah, and their connection was maintained even after Rav Berland established the Shuvu Banim yeshiva.

"I can testify that Rabbi Berl Hager was truly nullified to Rav Berland shlit"a," testified the esteemed Rabbi Yehoshua Dov Rubinstein shlit"a. Until once Rabbi Hager expressed: "Everyone from Shuvu Banim, the yeshiva of Rav Berland, is like a Rebbe in another place."

R' Moshe, the grandson of the Rebbe of Savran, recounts: "When the terrible dispute against Rav Berland shlit"a began, the disputants came to my grandfather. They tried to speak against Rav Berland shlit"a, but my grandfather was very angry with them and even wanted to bring them to a Torah court, but he no longer had the strength because he was very ill."

"With the last of his strength, my grandfather the Rebbe cried out to them: "Rabbi Eliezer Berland is holy of holies! Rabbi Eliezer Berland is holy of holies!"