The True Tzaddik is Alive and Exists. Parshat Shlach Lecha - The Righteous Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

All of Israel heard the prophecy of Eldad and Medad "Moshe will die and Yehoshua will lead," all of Israel heard a terrible prophecy, the prophecy spread throughout the camp, Eldad and Medad said – "Know that Moshe is going to die, the moment we reach the border of the Holy Land, Moshe will die for us!" and Yehoshua will be the leader and he will bring the people into the land." The entire nation was in panic, they were seized with dread, the whole nation cried and said if we enter the land then Moshe will die!

Reb Noson explains that the dispute between the spies and Yehoshua bin Nun was that the spies claimed – "We love Moshe Rabbeinu, we want Moshe Rabbeinu, we will not leave him, we are for Moshe, we want him to live and not die, we do not want to enter the land for one reason only, and that is so Moshe will continue to live and continue to lead us, we do not care to remain in the desert as long as Moshe lives." The holy Arizal says in Shaar HaPesukim Parshat Shlach Lecha – that this was the terrible dispute between the spies and Yehoshua, the spies said to Yehoshua bin Nun "You heard a prophecy that Moshe will die and Yehoshua will lead, therefore you want to enter Eretz Yisrael so that your teacher will die, you are simply a murderer, you simply want your teacher to die, you want to inherit your teacher, you want to be the leader" whereas Yehoshua argued "Moshe is alive! Moshe is alive and exists, there is no such thing as Moshe dying, Moshe cannot die, Yehoshua bin Nun explained to the spies that Moshe Rabbeinu is eternal." The tzaddikim are forever alive and exist, there is no such thing as Moshe Rabbeinu dying, there is no such thing as Rashbi dying, there is no such thing as the Arizal dying, there is no such thing as the Baal Shem Tov dying, the tzaddikim never die, Moshe Rabbeinu is alive and exists, he descends and is impregnated in all the tzaddikim of the generations, Moshe can be impregnated in anyone, the more a person is pure and holy, the more he can merit the revelations of Moshe, that the soul of Moshe will be impregnated in him. The spies claimed "We love Moshe, we will not give up on Moshe, Yehoshua wants to be a leader... fine, let him go himself, let him take the people of Israel with him, we will not leave Moshe alone, we are loyal to Moshe." So what was the mistake of the spies here? Reb Noson explains that the spies disgraced Moshe Rabbeinu with the greatest disgrace in the world, not only did they not listen to his voice when he told them to enter the land, but our Rabbi says they also did not believe in the eternity of Moshe Rabbeinu, they did not believe that Moshe Rabbeinu is eternal and that his words and conduct are alive and exist forever and ever, and he can be impregnated at any moment in anyone. By wanting Moshe Rabbeinu alive, wanting the body of Moshe Rabbeinu to be with them, they materialized him, they materialized the matter of Moshe, they turned Moshe Rabbeinu into a body.

Reb Noson explains that what the spies claimed, that they want to stay with Moshe, in this they revealed the opposite, that they are waiting for Moshe's death, for Moshe's departure, they revealed that they want to get rid of Moshe, to get rid of Moshe's difficult conduct. Moshe would serve Hashem with all his might, Moshe would rise at midnight, pray at dawn, do Hitbodedut, learn Torah day and night, etc., and they said – "We will stay with Moshe Rabbeinu in the desert for another ten years, another 20 years, in the end, we will get rid of him, and then we can get up at 10, at 12, have a good time, there is no choice, we will suffer a little more, we have already fallen into Moshe Rabbeinu's trap, what can we do?" And indeed they knew that Yehoshua bin Nun would continue Moshe Rabbeinu's path, Moshe Rabbeinu's conduct, they did not want Yehoshua bin Nun, they wanted Moshe, they wanted to stay with Moshe just to wait for his death. Reb Noson says what did Caleb ben Yefuneh do? Where was he in this dispute? Caleb was silent, Caleb did not know who was right, whether Yehoshua was right or the spies were right. The spies claim they want Moshe Rabbeinu to live and do not want to enter the land and say Yehoshua bin Nun is a murderer! Yehoshua bin Nun wants to enter the land and is waiting for Moshe's death, Caleb says to Yehoshua bin Nun – "Yehoshua, what are these rumors? Look at what they are saying here, 10 righteous old men to the land, thick peyot, look at what they are saying about you? How are you not afraid to enter the land, for Moshe Rabbeinu will die?" Yehoshua says to Caleb – "I know that Moshe is eternal! Moshe is not dependent on the body, I do not see Moshe's body, I see his neshamah, his neshamah is eternal, it is everywhere, it can be impregnated in you, it can be impregnated in the leaders, in Eldad ben Kisalon, in Gaddi ben Susi, in whoever Moshe's neshamah will be impregnated, then I will listen to his voice, if there is a death, I know that immediately Moshe's neshamah will be impregnated in someone because Moshe is alive and exists!" And Caleb did not know who was right, Yehoshua or the spies, he stood between the hammer and the anvil, how would he know who was right? How could he clarify such a thing? So what did Caleb do? He traveled to Hebron and reached the graves of the holy forefathers, and there the truth was revealed to him, how was it revealed to him? The moment he prostrated on the graves of the forefathers, he saw that the forefathers are alive and exist! He saw that Avraham is alive!, that Yitzchak is alive!, that Yaakov is alive!, it was revealed to him that what Yehoshua says is true, a tzaddik never passes away, he never dies, Rashbi is alive, the Arizal is alive, the Baal Shem Tov is alive, it was revealed to him that Avraham Avinu, 400 years after his passing, speaks to him and tells him Yehoshua is right, Moshe will live forever, Yitzchak tells him Moshe will live forever, Yaakov tells him Moshe will live forever. Reb Noson says this is what was revealed to Caleb at the graves of the forefathers – that the tzaddikim are not a body, it is not what is seen with the eyes, the tzaddik is an eternal neshamah, forever and ever. Prayer at the Graves of Tzaddikim Master of the World, please accept all the awesome prayers that we say at the holy and awesome graves of the holy forefathers, the prophets, the Tannaim, and the holy Amoraim, upon whom alone we have placed our stakes, and upon whom alone we have relied, who alone have the ability to elevate our prayers before the Throne of Glory, and only they can advocate for us before Your Throne of Glory. Please, Merciful and Gracious One, hear the voice of our cries, our supplications, our groans, and our screams, and save us in the merit of these tzaddikim in the blink of an eye, and may we merit to see in the blink of an eye the coming of Yinon, and the building of our Holy Temple in the blink of an eye, Amen, forever and ever.

Courtesy of the bulletin 'Tzama Nafshi'.