The Secret of the Holy Kibbutz in Uman for Rosh Hashanah

A wonderful lesson from our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), regarding the greatness of traveling to the Holy Kibbutz (gathering) of Rosh Hashanah, to the "Holy Lantern," Rebbe Nachman in Uman. For the benefit of the readers, we have attached the transcript along with the holy voice of the Rav shlit"a in the video.

"The night of the 17th of Elul—it is written in the Etz Chaim (Tree of Life), section 47, that this is the greatest day of the year, the creation of the world, associated with the Name BAN (a Divine Name representing the feminine aspect). For woman was created from the Name BAN; a woman possesses a mind from the Name BAN. The Name BAN precedes the Name MAH (representing the masculine aspect), which is why already at the age of 12, she is obligated in all the commandments."

"Because through the daughters of Israel dancing in the vineyards on Yom Kippur, all sins are forgiven. Therefore, Serach bat Asher entered Gan Eden (Paradise) with her physical body, which is the secret of the verse, 'In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy' (Genesis 30:13). For only from this did Leah merit to see how her daughter entered Gan Eden with her body."

"Because in two weeks, the greatest day of the year—the greatest day of one's entire life—will arrive. No one should be absent; everyone must be in Uman without any tricks or excuses. For there is nothing greater than this. The Rebbe said that on Rosh Hashanah, he can direct everyone to find their own soul."

"And therefore, this is the secret of the Gavia (goblet). The secret of the Gavia and the secret of the Leviathan depend on Rosh Hashanah. The word Gavia is written five times, hinting at the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple). For the secret of the Gavia is 70—the 70 faces of the Torah—multiplied by 15, which represents the nullification of pride. 15 is the nullification of pride. When you multiply 70 by 15, it equals 1050. This relates to the verse, 'If your sins be as scarlet (kashanim)—they shall be as white as snow' (Isaiah 1:18)."

"Therefore, he says to them, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' He is asking, why don't you go to the Tzaddik? To the father? This is the 'Old Father.' 'We have an old father... if the nest is empty, the tent is inhabited... if it is empty, please let us not perish, for we have an old father' (from the Yom Kippur liturgy). We have an old father! We have an old father! He says, why are you evading?! Tell me what happened to you?! I am asking you, where is your brother?! Where is your brother?! You don't answer me! Because instead of saying 'How shall we justify ourselves?', you say 'For we are prepared, we are righteous, we are pure, we are holy.' Tell the truth! Say, 'We have lost a brother,' because the Tzaddik can rectify everything! Even bloodshed he can rectify! There is nothing the Tzaddik cannot rectify! So why don't you tell the truth?! Cry out, 'We are guilty!'"

"You see everything going out of order. It was so pleasant, so beautiful—they were drinking, telling jokes, there was such a shining countenance... Every kilo cost a thousand dollars; a thousand kilos is a million. Each one receives a million dollars in his sack. They are afraid of 'false accusations'—who knows what will happen now? We'll return... 'Ah, you returned after stealing? You have no food, you're going to die of hunger, and you take the money? Thieves! Criminals! We'll hang you all here!' Suddenly, instead of hanging them in the market square as they did to the Lehi wounded, he suddenly says to them, 'Wow, Hashem loves you! What faith! If only I had such faith!' A person suddenly finds a million dollars in his sack, and he says, 'No, this fell from Heaven into your sack.' What faith! What a shining countenance! What a Tzaddik!"

"Wow, look, look! And they are drinking and getting drunk. They arrived on Chanukah. 'Father or brother'—'Father' (Av) is 1 and 2. According to the school of Hillel, Av is eight; on the first day, eight. And he began to speak with them about the laws: 'How do you light the Chanukah candles according to Beis Hillel or Beis Shammai?' We have an 'Old Father' (Av Zaken), we follow Beis Hillel, 1 and 2 (Aleph-Beis). And suddenly, after such illumination, while they are drinking and getting drunk and discussing the law—discussing the Ketzos HaChoshen and Nesivos HaMishpat (foundational legal texts)—suddenly, at the break of dawn, they leave early in the morning at sunrise, just after finishing the Vasikin (sunrise) prayer—Boom! 'Where is the goblet?! Where is the goblet?! Thieves! Criminals! We will hang you all in the market now! First of all, the one who stole, I will hang him!' What is happening here?! Everything flips in a millisecond! What is going on?! What is happening?!"

"And all the Tzaddik wants is for you to say, 'We are guilty!!!' Say it!!! Say it!!! You say, 'We don't know what's happening! Truly we don't know! You, the Tzaddik, explain to us! Explain what is happening here!' And Joseph would say, 'Look, I strike the goblet and your brother is alive.' He says to them, 'Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda...' and he strikes for Reuven, then Shimon, then Levi, Yehuda... he tells them all their names. He says, 'Look, I see that your brother is alive! Why are you tricking me?! Why are you tricking me?! What is with you?! Do teshuvah (repentance)!!! Cry out, 'We are guilty!!' Just as you cried out at the beginning, 'We are guilty!!'"

"You come to Rosh Hashanah—say, 'We are guilty!!' And then the Tzaddik will rectify you!! Then the Tzaddik will raise the soul to its root!! This is the secret of the Leviathan. Immediately after that, we merit the Sukkah of the Leviathan. In another 30 days, we already enter the Sukkah of the Leviathan, which shines from one end of the world to the other. The Sukkah shines from one end of the world to the other; the Sukkah made of the skin of the Leviathan stands in Jerusalem and shines from one end of the world to the other!"

"So this is the secret of the Leviathan: 'And a man went from the house of Levi and took a daughter of Levi' (Exodus 2:1). This refers to Rosh Hashanah. 'Man' refers to Hashem, says the Zohar, and 'daughter of Levi' is the Assembly of Israel. And now we go to the Tzaddik, because on Rosh Hashanah in Uman, he connects us with the roots of the souls back to Adam HaRishon (the first man). He performs rectifications for us now for all the parents, and the grandfathers, and the grandmothers—for everyone throughout 5,775 years. Rectifications for all, all the souls, until we reach 5,776, and after that, next year will already be 5,777. And another two thousand years that the Torah preceded the creation of the world—that is 7,777. Now we are preparing for the next Rosh Hashanah which is 5,777, and the Torah preceded by 2,000 years; 5,777 plus two thousand is 7,777—that is already the Tikkun (rectification) of the world! It's finished! The Tikkun of the worlds! The moment we reach our Rebbe, who connects us with all the roots! Even if it is only through the selling of Joseph—Joseph could have forgiven them if they had only cried out, 'We are guilty!'"

"Instead, Judah approached him. He had two hairs that pierced through his steel armor. He gave a shout and Pharaoh fell from his throne, and all the pregnant women miscarried, and all the warriors' heads spun backward. After that, Reuven gave another roar and almost all of Egypt was swallowed into the ground. He said, 'We will divide the streets; within 5 minutes, each one of us...' He kicked a marble pillar and the entire pillar shattered into tiny fragments. Judah saw it wasn't simple. And then he [Joseph] gave a cry: 'I am Joseph!' This is the Rosh Hashanah where the Tzaddik cries out, 'I am Joseph,' and then 'they could not answer him, for they were terrified before him' (Genesis 45:3). The Midrash Rabbah says their souls fled!"

"Here is Joseph before you!! You say, 'We don't have... he is lost to us... we don't know what happened to him...' Here is Joseph!!! Here is the Tzaddik right before your eyes!!! So in two weeks, everyone without exception, without any excuses—everyone in Uman! And then we will see the Geulah (Redemption), and then we will see the Leviathan and the secret of the goblet, which is the secret of 'If your sins be as scarlet—they shall be as white as snow.' With the letter Vav, it is exactly 1047, and with Av Zaken (Old Father), another Av (3) makes 1050—this is the secret of the Gavia (goblet), 70 multiplied by 15."

"And then we merit to enter the Sukkah of the skin of the Leviathan (Zohar, Beshalach 174). Then we will see, on the night after Yom Kippur, the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) of fire descending from Heaven. Then everyone will immediately be in Jerusalem on the 15th [of Tishrei], and they will see the King Mashiach (Messiah), how the entire platform is surrounded by flames of fire, and how the dove of Noah comes with the crown: 'You set a crown of fine gold upon his head' (Psalms 21:4). For the dove comes with the soul of Mashiach. The Zohar says (165a) that everything the dove brought, it brought with the soul of Mashiach. This is 'an olive leaf plucked in her mouth' (Genesis 8:11). In Psalms 52, it is written, 'But I am like a fresh olive tree in the house of G-d,' for the dove was in the palace of Mashiach. She is the Shechinah (Divine Presence), and she is Leah who brings the soul of Mashiach. Therefore, Leah will go out toward her son, Mashiach ben David, and she will ascend the platform and receive her son. So all these lights—we must merit them already this year. By the 15th, the rectifications are already finished. We are traveling in two weeks, and therefore no one should be absent. Then we will merit to see the Beis HaMikdash of fire descending from Heaven and the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen."