The Ten Days of Repentance: A Story About the Spark That Awakened and Saved from the Pit of Destruction / The Month of Elul

A young man who was at a spiritual low point was saved in the merit of a pamphlet containing the Torah teachings of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, which was pulled from the trash and awakened within him a moving process of teshuvah (repentance).

The Ten Days of Repentance: A Story About the Spark That Awakened and Saved from the Pit of Destruction

A dear avreich (Torah scholar) from our community was spending time in one of the study halls in the holy city of Jerusalem. He placed the pamphlet "Hilchasa KeNachmani," which contains the Torah teachings of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, on the table. Suddenly, a young man approached him, pointed at the pamphlet, and said with great emotion: "This pamphlet saved me from the pit of destruction!"

The Jewish Spark Awakens

The young man began to unfold his moving story. He shared that he had been in a very low spiritual state, to the point where he possessed an unfiltered smartphone. One day, while sitting in the synagogue deeply engrossed in his device, he noticed the pamphlet of the Rav shlit"a resting on the table.

Suddenly, a man entered the synagogue, took the pamphlet, and threw it into the trash can in a degrading manner. This sight shocked the young man. The holy spark that burns in the heart of every Jew awakened within him, and he could not bear the thought of someone taking words of Torah and throwing them into the garbage. He turned to the man and asked in pain, "Why are you doing this? These are words of Torah!" The man shouted back at him that it is forbidden to read this pamphlet, but his words did not put the young man's mind at ease.

Tears of Purity

The young man was unable to remain calm. He approached the trash can, pulled the pamphlet out of the garbage, and began to look through it. He saw that it contained holy words from Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, and he began to read them eagerly.

"Suddenly, I felt a wonderful sensation of purity, almost as if my mind and heart were being cleansed," the young man recounted. The holy spark continued to burn, and slowly but surely, he embarked on a path of teshuvah (repentance). From that day on, he began searching for these pamphlets regularly, delighting in reading them and reciting the holy words with tremendous weeping.

On one occasion, while tearfully reading the words of the Rav shlit"a, the forbidden device slipped from his hand. In that moment of awakening, he made a courageous decision, completely smashed the device, and transformed into an entirely different person. Fortunate is the lot of one who merits to draw close to the light of the tzaddik, whose words penetrate even the darkest places and return hearts to their Father in Heaven.

The Month of Elul: An Amazing Story of Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) - Amitai, When Are You Going to Selichos?

This week, a Jew arrived at the study hall of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a and shared with those present wondrous stories he had experienced firsthand with the tzaddik. One of the special stories took place several years ago, during the month of Elul, the days of mercy and Selichos (penitential prayers).

Weakness During the Days of Mercy and Selichos

That Jew, whose name is Amitai, shared that during those days he was experiencing a minor crisis. He was in a state of spiritual weakness and felt he had no strength to overcome his exhaustion. Despite the immense importance of these days, he simply did not have the energy to get up and go recite Selichos.

Exactly in those moments of hesitation and weakness, his phone suddenly rang. On the line was the gabbai (attendant) of Morinu HaRav shlit"a, who passed the receiver to the Rav himself.

"When are you going to Selichos?"

To Amitai's absolute astonishment, he heard the voice of the tzaddik addressing him directly by his name: "Amitai, when are you going to Selichos?"

Amitai was left speechless, astounded by this awesome revelation of Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration). How did the Rav shlit"a know exactly what he was going through in those very moments? Furthermore, how did the Rav know his name and his personal phone number?

Many stories of this kind are known, where Morinu HaRav shlit"a called people through wondrous Divine Providence, sometimes even people who themselves did not know their own phone numbers. This story illustrates once again how the eyes of the tzaddik are open to each and every individual, awakening us to draw closer to Hashem, may He be blessed.

Rosh Hashanah: A Wondrous Story About the Kibbutz in Johannesburg

This wondrous story took place in the year 5775 (2014-2015), a period when Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a was in exile in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. In those days, a terrible sorrow prevailed among his students, as the holiday of Rosh Hashanah was approaching. It is known that all the yearnings and longings of the tzaddik are to be with our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy"a, during the days of Rosh Hashanah. However, now, as he was being persecuted from country to country, he was unable to participate in the holy and awesome Kibbutz (gathering) in Uman.

Where is the Holy Rebbe?

Many of the tzaddik's followers yearned deeply to be in Uman for Rosh Hashanah, but the terrible situation in which the Rav shlit"a was in exile aroused a fierce dilemma within them. Many students wanted to travel to the Rav shlit"a in Johannesburg instead of flying to Ukraine. "Certainly, the holy Rebbe will be with his student who has mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) for him in a way that has never been heard of before," they said to one another. They had no doubt that the holy Rebbe would be present even in this small gathering, where his great student was staying.

The Decree of the Tzaddik and the Immense Wonder

Those students hurried to call the Rav shlit"a and firmly informed him that they wanted to come to him for the holiday. However, Morinu HaRav shlit"a, who wanted with all his heart for everyone to travel to Uman to fulfill the Rebbe's command, responded in a surprising manner. He told them dismissively that only two or three people would manage to reach him.

And wonder of wonders, that is exactly what happened. Hashem, blessed be He, orchestrated all the circumstances in the world, and out of all those who tried to travel, only three of the tzaddik's followers ultimately managed to reach Johannesburg. This story illustrates how the word of the tzaddik determines reality, and how great his dedication was to ensuring that his students would never give up on traveling to Uman.

From Issue 85 — Parashas Nitzavim

From the series "Tzaddik Moshel Yiras Elokim" (A Tzaddik Rules Through the Fear of God) — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" Newsletters