The Tzaddik's Mentos - Avrimi Witman Simply Explains How a Candy Can Heal

We felt an urgent need to share this short conversation by the one who brings merit to the masses, Avrimi Witman, who explains in simple words the storm over nothing regarding our teacher, the holy Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

"People do not understand what is going on here. If I go to a store and buy regular Mentos candies, it certainly will not help or heal you; it is not medicine. However, the moment Rav Berland shlit"a places his hands on the Mentos and sanctifies it, and declares that it is medicine—the Mentos immediately becomes medicine."

To the loyal followers of Rav Berland, his students, or the tens of thousands who have seen salvations from his blessings, these things may seem self-evident, to the point where they might ask, why does this even need to be explained? But precisely for this reason, a few simple words are necessary for those who were not raised on the stories of the tzaddikim of all generations. Those who suddenly remembered to wonder about the actions of the tzaddikim, as if this were some registered patent of one tzaddik or another.

"Since time immemorial, tzaddikim have distributed as medicine things that were not originally manufactured as medicine. For example, the Baba Sali would distribute water and arak as medicine. I read a story about people who came to the Baba Sali, and they were forbidden from having even a drop of alcohol because their livers were finished. The Baba Sali poured them a huge glass of arak and commanded him to drink it all. That person replied, 'I am not even allowed to smell alcohol.'"

"The Baba Sali said, 'Drink it all, and if not, you will not have salvation.' And so it was; they drank all the arak and were immediately healed."

"Tzaddikim have distributed various things for healing and salvation. There were those who distributed the willow branches of Hoshanah Rabbah, there were tzaddikim who distributed bread, there were those who distributed matzot that remained from Pesach. Rabbi David Abuhatzeira distributes dates—this is not something that Rav Berland invented."

"People do not understand; those who speak in the media do not understand Chassidut, they do not understand anything about their lives."

If we were to summarize the words of Avrimi Witman, we would bring the words of Rebbe Nachman (Likutey Moharan 21:9): "For we are called an 'am segulah' (treasured people), like a 'segulah' (remedy) that is made for healing; even though nature does not dictate that this should be for healing, nevertheless, this thing is a 'segulah' for healing, and this is above nature, which human intellect cannot understand..."

Rebbe Nachman explains that through the great faith of the tzaddik, he has the ability to draw down a healing 'segulah' even to things that are not customarily used for healing. And there is much more to speak of on this subject.