The Tzaddik Overcomes the Sitra Achra as if it Never Existed - Words of the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a and Scenes from the Wedding of Yitzchak Stern shlit"a

Yesterday, the night of Monday of Shabbat Shoftim, the eve of the first of Elul 5778, the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a arrived at the wedding of Yitzchak Stern shlit"a, son of the esteemed Rabbi Shmuel Stern shlit"a, head of the Nachlei Netzach institutions. The wedding took place at the Heichal HaNegina halls on 21 Rashbi Street, Modiin. Before officiating the chuppah, Rav Berland shlit"a conducted the Mincha and Maariv prayers with the large congregation, with inspiring calmness and emotional melodies that the Rav customarily includes in every prayer.

Words of the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a delivered on the morning of Shabbat Eikev 5778

"All the sins are the goat. When they went with the tzaddik, the goat would disintegrate, but when they did not go with the tzaddik, the goat would not disintegrate. In the time of Shimon the Tzaddik, the goat would immediately be crushed, and after 40 years, the goat would be caught in thorns, ascend upwards, and escape, and the Sicarii and murderers would consume it. Whoever goes to Shimon the Tzaddik, all sins are immediately atoned for. Every sin gives life to the murderers. The goat is the atom."

Every sin without the tzaddik creates an atom. When a person learns without the tzaddik, prays without the tzaddik, it goes to the klipot, it creates an atom. This Torah creates the atom. Atom is not the nuclear reactor in Dimona. Every mitzvah that a person performs outside of Eretz Yisrael without the tzaddik, it goes to the klipot, it goes to the sitra achra, it has no elevation. A person performs a mitzvah outside of Eretz Yisrael, he gives strength to the klipot. A person needs to learn Torah with the tzaddik. To pray with the tzaddik.

"And at Tav'erah and at Massah and at Kivrot HaTaavah." The Kedushat Levi asks why it is written in the middle "Tav'erah and Massah," "Kivrot HaTaavah." The desire is like a grave! A person buries himself within the desire. It is written "and we continued until Nofach," a person sinks into desires until the nose. There is no allowance for this. The desire itself is forbidden. There is no allowance for desire. The Netivot Shalom, Chesed LeAvraham from Slonim, says that the allowance is more severe than the prohibition. The prohibition is done twice or three times in life, and even after that, he cries, he has bitterness, he regrets, he returns in teshuvah, he will not do it again. But the allowance is done a hundred years nonstop, it becomes permitted to him, he does not stop with it. The allowance is worse than the sin."

"From the wilderness and the Lebanon from the river, the Euphrates River, and until the last sea will be your border" - the border is at the Euphrates River. David said "Who will bring me to the fortified city, who will lead me to Edom" (Psalms 60). In 108 it is written "Who will bring me to the fortified city, who will lead me to Edom," "fortified city" is Rome. David wanted to conquer Rome. Rome was not yet, he wanted to conquer the area of Rome so that it would not exist, so that Rome would not be at all. Hashem said to him, this you cannot do. "When Hashem your God pushes them away from before you." What is "pushes away"? The tzaddik pushes away all the sitra achra!"

"In all three verses in the parsha it is written "Do not fear" "Do not fear" - it is forbidden to have a thought of fear. "The whole earth is full of His glory." When Aharon died, they were so afraid, they fled eight journeys. 1 Moserah. 2 Bnei Yaakan until Kadesh, Kadesh is Hor HaHar, Hor HaHar is on the western side, not the eastern. After Hor HaHar, they moved to the eastern side. Suddenly Aharon died, there were no clouds of glory in the wilderness, the king of Arad came, everyone fled. At Mount Sinai, out of great fear, they tore the earrings from the women. They were in such fear, they tore from the mothers, tore from the sisters, the earrings with half an ear. The Ohr HaChaim in 'Vaetchanan' describes exactly how they were afraid."

The tzaddik does not die. The tzaddik is with you, why are you afraid? Because they were afraid, the clouds of glory departed. Rabbi Natan says in Likutei Halachot 5:17 that if they had believed that Aharon did not die, the clouds of glory would not have departed. Why, when Miriam passed away, did her well disappear? ... A person is afraid, therefore he does not learn, does not rise for prayer, does not pray, flees from the tzaddik. It is forbidden to have a thought of fear."

"It is written about Shmuel "and a razor shall not come upon his head," what is "razor"? Rabbi Yossi says (Nazir 66.) that he had no fear, the simple meaning of "razor" is a haircut, but the drash is fear. Rabbi Nehorai asks, but it is written "and Shaul heard and killed me," we see that he was afraid? The Gemara does not answer, but the answer is that Shmuel did not want Shaul to kill all of Bethlehem. If just for the sake of bread he killed all of Nob, the city of priests, if he anoints David as king, which is rebellion against the kingdom in its simple sense, and is liable for death in its simple sense, certainly he would kill all of Bethlehem."

"For every movement of the tzaddik, they killed a whole city. Everyone was afraid to help David. Anyone who helped David was killed. Anyone who helps the tzaddik is killed. The people of Keilah wanted to hand over King David, he asked the Urim and Thummim if they would hand him over, Hashem said to him: they will hand you over?! They have already handed you over! He fled, because every movement of his was according to the word - according to the Urim and Thummim, every movement of the tzaddik is according to the word, they had no choice, if they helped David they would be killed. King David fled, and then Shaul came, they said he just fled from here. King David had a simple law of rebellion against the kingdom, but because Shmuel anointed him, he was not called a rebel against the kingdom."

The whole matter of the tzaddik, to go with the tzaddik through fire and water, and then the tzaddik arranges everything, straightens all the crookedness, like the ark of Yosef that went before the camp. The tzaddik overcomes the sitra achra as if it never existed!"

These holy words of Rav Berland shlit"a were edited from the Shevivi Or bulletin Holy scenes of the esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a at the wedding of Yitzchak Stern shlit"a [gallery link="file" size="full" ids="13062,13063,13064,13065"] Photos courtesy of Shachar Eliyahu