The Righteous Kabbalist Rabbi Y.M. Salmenovitz

The Mekubal and Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Salmanovitz issues a stern statement in response to the harsh persecution that is only intensifying. An entire community, the holy congregation of Shuvu Banim, has been under siege for more than seven years—a persecution that only grows stronger day by day. As Rabbi Salmanovitz himself testifies, "Many rabbis and tzaddikim stand behind the leader, the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, but many of them are delicate and afraid to come out publicly against the persecutors."

At the opening of his remarks, Rabbi Salmanovitz laments having waited to respond, "I wanted to do so for the sake of our dear loved ones, the tzaddikim, the people of Shuvu Banim, and all the thousands of admirers of Rav Berland in Israel and throughout the world."

"Who am I? It is truly a shame and a disgrace for me to stand here and speak; it is very difficult for me. I know who I am and what I am, and I should not be thought of at all—how can I even speak? But I wanted to speak as soon as we heard they had started doing things again; I wanted to speak before this."

"However, I always say that such things should be dismissed; there is no need to speak. But I was wrong—I should have spoken a little earlier, so they would know that it does not move us even by a hair's breadth."

Rabbi Salmanovitz proceeds to explain why the entire persecution is actually a vessel containing only air, devoid of any real substance, and that everything is mere vanity.

"But, did rabbis and great men sign? It is true they are tzaddikim; they possess the power of Torah. We believe in all the rabbis, in all the Chassidim, in all the tzaddikim. Whoever is a kosher rabbi, we believe in him. It is just that, throughout all generations, great rabbis have also risen up against the holy tzaddikim of the highest order, so we know this is one of the ways of Divine Providence."

"One of the hidden things is that great rabbis also go against the holy tzaddikim of the highest order. This is not a contradiction at all; it has been known in every generation. There is nothing new under the sun. Let us say the intention was for the sake of Heaven—if, Heaven forbid, rabbis sign, what will happen?"

"They will say that Rabbi Eliezer ben Atia is this and that, and consequently, everyone will leave him; no one will approach him. But if, small as I am in my own eyes, I can offer a guarantee, we have a promise. What is the promise? Why am I speaking so emotionally? The promise is—the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) cries out: 'As they afflicted him, so he shall multiply and so he shall spread.' Just as they have been persecuting Shuvu Banim for 7-9 years, in this persecution, not the previous ones."

"The previous persecutions, thank Hashem, have already passed. This persecution has been going on for about seven years. They have put all their thoughts into action, and from now on, what will be? We are finished; Rabbi Eliezer ben Atia will sit in prison and everyone will go home."

"I can bring you the best news in the world: as much as Shuvu Banim has strengthened since the controversy, it will now strengthen a hundredfold, a thousandfold, until our righteous Mashiach ben David comes very soon. For it is written (Obadiah 1:4), 'Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars.' I do not want to finish the verse because we have mercy on everyone; we pray for and love everyone. This has nothing to do with hatred, not like the hundreds of people who, since the controversy, cannot speak to others because of the great hatred."

"It is frightening to look; it does not suit Breslov at all, nor Jews. But with us, thank Hashem, there is no such thing; everyone is beloved and there is no hatred for anyone. Consequently, I can announce that from now on, you will have no employment, because you have already done everything. The employment office in the new government that has been formed will help the poor people who have spoken and occupied themselves with the holy work for years, and now there will be real fear—because when a person exhausts all his desire, he feels very miserable."

"And we, in the name of Hashem, will remind you: as they afflicted him, so he shall multiply and so he shall spread. It does not suit me to speak this way because I am a very merciful person, thank Hashem; that is the only trait I have. But since there are tens of thousands of people in the whole world who might think, Heaven forbid—no—no one has won. The Eternity of Israel will not lie."

"Thank Hashem, Rav Berland has students and students of students, yeshivas, yeshivas of yeshivas, and yeshivas of yeshivas. He has, thank Hashem, a quintet. Yeshivas of yeshivas of yeshivas—I do not want to mention names; some of them are afraid to be mentioned and some are not afraid, but Rav Berland has, thank Hashem, thousands and tens of thousands of students, G-d-fearing and whole people, holy tzaddikim and mekubalim; all are beloved, all are clear."

"It will not move anything, what you have done. All of Judaism today is hanging by a thread; the whole world is hanging by a thread. If you had done this 40 years ago, perhaps it would have had an impact; today, the world is falling apart anyway."

"Everyone listens to the rabbis, but because they know what is written about the footsteps of Mashiach, it does not matter—because there are more with us than with the persecutors. There are hundreds of rabbis who love Rav Berland, only they are afraid. But, with the help of Hashem, nothing will change. Shuvu Banim—as they afflicted him, so he shall multiply and so he shall spread."

"I call out to all of Shuvu Banim, since I am truly nothing—do not be broken. I am a zero of zeros, and it is very unseemly that I am speaking; it pains me greatly that I have to speak, but: 'In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.' Hashem chose me, and many other people are speaking."

"It is not appropriate that I should hurt someone, and here I am hurting many people on the other side. It is very unpleasant for me that I have to speak, and Hashem knows how much I will cry over the fact that I have to hurt one side, just as I cried over what I have said until now. One cannot describe my sorrow; thank Hashem, He gave me this good trait. Thank Hashem, my home behaves according to this, and it cancels out many years of life for me, and I have suffered all my life from the open house, and every moment of mine is only for this."

"I want there to be no sorrow for anyone in the world. Nevertheless, since there is sorrow here for many people, I am also sure that those who hear me from the other side know that I am not doing this out of malice and I do not want to cause them sorrow—I am only speaking out of pain, and I pray for them much more than they think."

"I want them to receive such a light of knowledge this very moment, that they will know it is all nonsense. That there are many more delicious things to do in the world. That is what Rabbi Moshe Binenstock says, that in Breslov years ago, there were such holy servants of Hashem. Today, there are people waiting for prey, waiting for the other to fall. Woe, how can it be? How can it be that in the footsteps of Mashiach, people are waiting for the other, poor thing, to have something happen? How can it be that a Jew is waiting for something to happen to another? It does not suit an animal."

"In the footsteps of Mashiach, it is written: 'The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid... they shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain.' As we approach the days of Mashiach, the mercy must grow. Thank Hashem, in Shuvu Banim, as much as their line works, it is full of mercy, that they should return in teshuvah (repentance). The Rav is in prison, and thank Hashem, they hear his voice. Certainly, one must pray every moment that he comes out—Rav Berland, with his greatness, overcomes everything. May Hashem give him strength until our righteous Mashiach, and may everyone merit until our righteous Mashiach, and may everyone have everything better than me."

"I am truly happy with everyone's joy, but I am amazed—how can a person want Rabbi Leizer Berland to be wicked? How can a person enjoy if it is revealed that R' Eliezer is wicked? All the 'tzaddikim' are happy that the other is not okay. If I saw that they were pained by this, I would kiss their heads, even if they were spitting on me."

"Everyone who distances themselves from me in the street, I am happy, because I do not need anyone to be with me. But I would kiss all those on the head who are so worried about the sins of the entire Jewish people. Around Bnei Brak and in Bnei Brak itself, you are worried about the sins of the entire Jewish people—ah, 'What zealots, thank Hashem you are such good people, such good people that if someone comes to you, you take care of him and have mercy on him.'—ah ah, if I could see how you fight and wait for Rabbi Eliezer to be a tzaddik."

"And all of Shuvu Banim, do not do and do not permit grave sins. I did not see the note, and Heaven forbid, I do not want to see the note. As I heard about it, I understood that the work of all the years has borne fruit. I 'wish' everyone to produce fruits of fruits, even to the non-Jews."

"Everyone says that I am good, therefore I defend Rav Berland. Let them praise me always, Bigthan and Teresh and the Rav, but thank Hashem, from this trait I have not lost—Rav Berland is Holy of Holies and nothing anyone does will help."

"Everyone knows, those who understand understand. I spoke today with great, great, great rabbis—everyone knows that Rav Berland is Holy of Holies. Whatever they say, it is all exactly [what is described in the books...], Rav Berland is exactly [what is described in the books...]. I cannot elaborate; Rav Berland is exactly—whoever knows, knows; whoever does not want to know, only wants it to turn out differently, it is truly a mercy. Because the world is not ownerless. May it be the will that from now on, that we have reached the essence—to the dust."

"From now on, we will merit to rise like the stars and we will not be like the non-Jews, 'Though you set your nest among the stars,' who cause us all the troubles in the world: Corona, G5, and Corona and troubles. Money and honor and all the troubles in the world, only mercy and kindness, prayer and fields and forests."

"Thank Hashem, Shuvu Banim, thousands upon thousands, just today I met with some, what humility and lowliness. Not reviling anyone, everyone has their own merit, without the evil eye. I do not want to mention the students of Rav Berland who have students of students, without the evil eye—all of Breslov together cannot reach them, without the evil eye, pure Torah scholars, holy tzaddikim."

"I will walk in the street and receive from both sides, 'Rabbi Yaakov Moshe, how beautifully you spoke.' I do not need the honor, thank Hashem, I only want our righteous Mashiach. Will this bring me humiliation? Thank Hashem, from Rav Berland I learned that humiliation is a good thing. So I do not care about humiliation; let them say about me what they will. I am only bringing good news—as they afflicted him, so he shall multiply and so he shall spread; no one will leave Shuvu Banim."

"With the help of Hashem, this is only a segulah (remedy) for Rav Berland, that his whole life is only humiliation and suffering. This is his whole point, this is why he came to the world, this is how they bring our righteous Mashiach—this is how the tzaddikim are; they take all the influences that need to reach them, distribute them to Israel, and for themselves, they take suffering. This is the conduct of all the great tzaddikim throughout all the generations; they are not afraid of anything."

"We do not disparage the rabbis; they are holy tzaddikim. Do not think about what they did with them; they incited them. What they did a year ago exploded; now they did something new. To you too, the Ruach HaKodesh cries out, 'So you shall multiply and so you shall spread.' Only they say, this will remain and this will remain, everyone is good, just restrain yourselves a little. Something like what is happening in the controversy will not happen, because Rav Berland prays, and all of Shuvu Banim pray that nothing will happen to anyone."

"All the tzaddikim who disagree did what they did; do not be afraid, just return in teshuvah. There is teshuvah, just know that with the help of Hashem, Shuvu Banim continues—in the whole world and in every city in Israel there is Shuvu Banim, and no one will break away from Rav Berland."

"Because they know that there are rabbis—I do not want to mention their names because they are delicate—and they are all with Rav Berland. And they know that the rabbis who are not with Rav Berland are surrounded by them, day and night. No one will leave Rav Berland and no one will break away; there will be no such thing. From the controversy over Rav Berland, many new people have drawn close."

"It is a pity about this whole story. I do not give anyone the crown that they distanced the Mashiach. If you want to bring people back in teshuvah, you have enough to bring back in teshuvah—there is no need to bring us back in teshuvah; we, thank Hashem, take care to return in teshuvah."