“There Are People Who Long Ago Already Lost Their World—All of Them Will Be Brought to Judgment” — HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Shkenazi shlit"a on the Destructive Tactics of Those Who Persecute the Holy Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

The satanic campaign of destruction being waged against the holy Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a continues. After the persecutors of the Tzaddik tried many times in the past to coax truthful people into saying falsehoods, these wicked men have now escalated to an even lower level. Not long ago we published the words of the righteous Slonim Rebbe, who warned these terrible persecutors to stop their actions. That call joins many others. Now it is the turn of Rabbi Yaakov Shkenazi shlit"a, one of the great Sephardic sages of the generation, to sound the alarm about the wickedness of these people.

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HaGaon Rabbi Yaakov Shkenazi, a halachic decisor for the Sephardic Eidah HaChareidis and the Rav of the Beis Yisrael neighborhood in Jerusalem, the Holy City, delivers these words after evil people used—and distorted—his words in order to persecute and slander the honor of Torah and those who learn it. “I am very pained by what I saw and heard: that in a very, very wicked way they recorded what I said, while I was speaking innocently, trying to speak to the heart of that person (N.S.), who sounded to me like a miserable fellow, presenting himself as someone being persecuted. And I tried to appease him in all kinds of ways.” The picture that emerges from the words of Rabbi Shkenazi shlit"a is shocking—nauseating and terrifying. We are dealing here with a satanic group that recoils from nothing in order to defame the true Tzaddik—even at the cost of losing their own souls and uprooting themselves from the Tree of Life.

“Heaven forbid that I said such things—they twisted my words. I have known the holy Gaon HaTzaddik Rabbi Berland shlit"a for many years. Every time I think of him, I am amazed by the breadth of his Torah knowledge and the depth of his teachings. I went in to him twice, and each time he held me there for two hours. On one question, he kept me for two hours in his room, opening sefarim without pause. The wonder is that he would open the sefer to exactly the place that was needed, as if he had prepared it in advance—despite the fact that he did not know at all what I was about to ask him. Therefore, it is impossible to believe such things about a holy man of Hashem. Especially since his students are refined souls who followed his path—he truly brought them out, ‘the precious from the worthless,’ and established a community in splendor. I know them.”

“If I had known he was speaking about Rabbi Berland’s community, I certainly would not have said even the smallest thing. How did those wicked slanderers end up with such headlines?” Rabbi Yaakov Shkenazi shlit"a now turns to explain the disgraceful methods of operation used by those who persecute the Rav shlit"a. “He (N.S.) told me they beat him. I said to him: What do you want—should they beat me? From those words they made headlines: ‘They are spillers of blood’—Heaven forbid. I never said such things. Rabbi Berland shlit"a’s students are good and G-d-fearing; they sit and engage in Torah; they have great knowledge in Torah.”

“I am a public figure and a busy person; the later problems make one forget the earlier ones. At that moment, when they asked me whether I had signed together with other rabbis on a petition and a letter of support for Rabbi Berland shlit"a, I answered no—I forgot that it indeed happened. Now that the letter is in front of me, I remember, and I did sign it, alongside Rabbi Shalom Arush shlit"a. And it is true, firm, and correct: the Rambam rules that anyone who disgraces Torah scholars has no share in the World to Come, and Jerusalem was destroyed only because they disgraced Torah scholars there. Therefore, whoever speaks against the Rav enters the category of one who disgraces Torah scholars—woe to him, and woe to his soul.”

“There are people who long ago already lost their world and have nothing to lose, so they slander and speak. Why did they turn to secular courts? Why does the Rav shlit"a need to sit in prison?! All of them will be brought to judgment—especially since we are standing before Rosh Hashanah. And I want to ask forgiveness, pardon, and atonement from all the students of Rabbi Berland shlit"a. And as I clarify: it never happened; the words were taken out of their true context, and I hope they will say openly that they forgive me.”

“This wicked agenda of bringing down rabbis by recording them is forbidden according to the Torah. And about that person (N.S.) who recorded me without asking permission, it is written: ‘Do not plot evil against your fellow while he sits securely with you.’ I spoke with him innocently, with the goal of making peace, and in wickedness he distorted the words. Also, the one who published it on the internet published it in an incorrect and inaccurate way, to say the least. And with Hashem’s help, we will merit to see the coming of the righteous Redeemer, that the Rav will leave prison and continue to lead his community as in days of old and years long past.”

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