"These Are the Sufferings of Mashiach"

A difficult talk delivered by the Gaon Rabbi Shimon Badani shlit"a, Head of the Torah VeChaim Kollel in Bnei Brak and member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, against the harsh persecution being endured by the holy Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. The persecution has crossed every threshold of logic and baseless hatred, staining all institutions of Judaism in the eyes of outside observers.

"Korach, who was a clever man, what did he see to lead to this folly, what was his madness in arguing with Moshe Rabbeinu?"

As background to these words, we must first tell a little about the events that led to the pointed talk of Rabbi Badani before a large audience of G-d-fearing people. As is known, Rabbi Badani enjoys a beautiful friendship with the holy Rav Berland shlit"a and has even met with him several times. During the time that Rav Berland was persecuted and forced into exile abroad, Rabbi Badani arrived at the Shuvu Banim Yeshiva, exerting himself in his advanced age to climb all the stairs of the Yeshiva in the Old City in order to strengthen and support the students of the holy community of Breslov Shuvu Banim.

These actions greatly bothered the evildoers, and they came early and late to the holy dwelling of Rabbi Badani with the goal of dissuading him from supporting Rav Berland and his community. Rabbi Badani stood firm despite all the attempts at extortion and propaganda tactics.

These are his holy words:

"I want to begin with a lesson in mussar (ethics) to explain what is happening here. The Mishnah says: 'Jealousy, lust, and the pursuit of honor remove a person from the world' - this is lost; a person who is caught by these traits, the intent of honor is at the forefront."

"And they bring examples: like Korach. Rashi asks – Korach, who was a clever man, what did he see to lead to this folly, what was his madness in arguing with Moshe Rabbeinu? Rather, Rashi says – his eye misled him, for he saw through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) that his children would be in a high position, so he said to himself: 'I also deserve this,' and therefore he went out to argue."

"What kind of excuse is that? A clever person doing such foolish things? And he was also a master of Ruach HaKodesh, what is this logic? It is even more difficult. If he was both a man of intellect and a man of Ruach HaKodesh, how did he do such foolish things to argue with Moshe? The masters of mussar say – a simple foundation – this person was caught in the afflictions of honor, so there is no intellect and nothing, he is a madman. He loses his composure and therefore he fell."

"This is an example that shows how much revenge causes a person to fall; a wise man, a master of Ruach HaKodesh – none of this helps at all."

"Another example: Yeravam ben Nevat fought with King Shlomo and fled. Later, King Shlomo did not find favor in the eyes of Hashem, and He took 10 tribes and gave them to Yeravam. One tribe remained for Shlomo in Jerusalem; that is what Hashem did. When Yeravam came to the land, the prophet told him that he was chosen to be king over Israel, and he was happy to the heavens. He was a great Torah scholar, almost a master of Ruach HaKodesh. It is written: 'And all the great men of the world were against him and against Yeshaya like the grasses of the field' – they were so great, both of them together."

"And that same Yeravam went and set up two golden calves, so that the people of Israel would not go up to Jerusalem, and instead would bow down to the golden calves. Hashem asked him: 'How could you do such a thing, a great Torah scholar, almost a master of Ruach HaKodesh?' Hashem caught him and said to him, 'Do teshuvah (repentance) and I, you, and the son of Yishai will stroll in the Garden of Eden.' Yeravam asks Him – 'Who is at the head? I or David?'"

"How can such a thing be? A Torah scholar above all the sages of Israel? This is the most difficult thing in the world, to make golden calves and prevent the people of Israel from going to Jerusalem! The Gemara says that he feared that Israel would go up to Jerusalem and remain there and not return to his kingdom, but the Gemara says more than this. There is a law that in the courtyard of the Holy Temple it is forbidden to sit – only the kings of Yehuda; it is forbidden for any other king to sit there. Yeravam made a calculation: 'If I come to Jerusalem and enter the courtyard, everyone will see Rechavam, King of Yehuda, sitting, and I, the greatest Torah scholar, standing – how will I bear this shame?'"

"Master of the Universe! Let him stand there for a minute, 5 minutes, and leave, what is so difficult? No. He is not willing, not even for a minute to stand there. What killed him? Honor! How can it be that I will stand for 3 minutes and Rechavam will sit? He is the King of Yehuda and I am the King of Israel."

"But that is the law, and even though he is from the tribe of Yehuda and ruled only over 1 tribe and Yeravam over 10, only the King of Yehuda can sit. How did such a great person go so crazy? In the Mishnah it is written that he is the worst in Gehenom – honor kills a person! Kills a person! Kills a person! Kills him!"

"One more example, forgive me for being long-winded, but it is hard to understand this. The Gemara says that in the Second Temple there were 300 High Priests. How can that be? The First Holy Temple was for 400 years and there were 10 High Priests in it, each one for 40 years. Regarding the Second Temple, the Gemara says that there were several High Priests who served for a few years, and then in the remaining three hundred years, every year another High Priest died! Every year, he died. He entered, he died. He entered, he died. Died. Died. Died. Died. Why? Rashi says: Because they bought the Priesthood with money, even though they taught them all the laws of the High Priest, but he bought the Priesthood with money."

"What, are all these 300 High Priests crazy? If there was one, one could say a mistake, Corona, Corona. But after one, and the second, and the third, the fifth, another one, each one died! Another one, another one, another one, up to 300 priests."

"No one does such a thing, buying the Angel of Death with money! Who does such a thing? Only a complete madman. Why? Why? The Gemara says – honor! The Mishnah says: 'And great honor they would give to the High Priest upon his exiting in peace from the Holy of Holies.' Indeed, he exited from there by a miracle, he stood to die in the Holy of Holies, but the main thing is that he merited honor! 'Shall I lose this honor? I am willing to die for the honor.'"

"All this I am saying to understand this point, that a person does crazy things for honor."

"I saw regarding the trial, and I wanted to speak about this, that in Breslov many rose up to fight this matter – to fight that there should be a trial for the Rav – what happened?? I asked once, who was the most respected in Breslov, they answered me: 'Don't ask, Rav Berland is the head – and they are going crazy!'"

"What is this? Gentlemen, this is what happened here! All these poor people made a calculation; Rav Berland is not a Breslover, I mean from the time he was a young man. Both I and he were in Hadera, there were no Chassidim there, only a few. He and his wife were counselors in Bnei Akiva, they left the place and became Charedi in Bnei Brak. In Bnei Brak they became Charedi, his wife had a job at Ohr HaChaim and he sat and learned."

"In Bnei Brak, Rav Berland opened Shuvu Banim, there he advanced and learned the teachings of Breslov. He is one of the few who knew the teachings of Breslov; who knew then? What was then? Rav Berland began to organize a Yeshiva, to organize a Kollel, to organize Talmud Torahs, to establish Baalei Teshuvah – and those Baalei Teshuvah..."

"Rav Berland brought hundreds of thousands back in teshuvah, who made Breslov?"

"This is good, this is wonderful, but the honor that he receives – it drove everyone crazy, 'How is it that this person was nothing, and now became like this?'"

"That is how the movement against him arose – to our sorrow."

"I, on the contrary, loved Rav Berland, I said: 'This person holds Torah.' I saw that he learned Ketzot HaChoshen with young men, he is a Torah scholar full of Torah, he brings people close, Master of the Universe, Rav Berland brought hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands, back in teshuvah. Everyone respected him, both in Meron and in Uman."

"I was in Uman, because Rebbe Nachman said whoever comes to him and says the Tikkun HaKlali and gives a coin to charity..., I traveled to Uman. I was in a group and they asked me to speak. What should I speak about, mussar from Novardok? They learn Chassidut there, I opened Likutey Moharan, I connected the things together. I said a little from Novardok, a little from our Rebbe, they were so happy."

"It is hard for them, how Rav Berland in every place walks at the head like a King of Kings. They began to murmur: 'What was he, he is not a Breslover at all, he doesn't belong to us' – from here came the jealousy and the desire to cause him all the troubles – and Hashem should have mercy."

"And now they saw that they succeeded in bringing him down from the head – I believe that he will emerge from the judgment, because it is not possible that a person who brought tens of thousands close will be touched."

"Who brought hundreds of thousands close to Torah?"

"Rav Berland travels in the land from house to house and brings people close to return them in teshuvah, he was sick, he left the hospital and went to bring people back in teshuvah – he sacrificed his soul to bring Jews to our Father in Heaven. Why did this thing happen to him? If I had known this, I would have told him: 'My dear, don't let them honor you, you are killing them with jealousy.' They say: 'I am a veteran Breslover and I have nothing, and you are like a stranger and everyone runs after you' – an Angel of Hashem."

"I don't want to talk about what the Beit Din (Rabbinical Court) did, they are handling it, I hope they succeed – I was constantly shouting – 'What are you talking about regarding Rav Berland, telling stories about him and causing him suffering, take him to a Din Torah (Torah trial).' One day three avreichim (married Torah students) from Breslov entered, still young, they tell me they established a Beit Din, I was surprised – 'Is this how you establish a Beit Din, what did you do?' 'We brought witnesses and they confessed to us.'"

"I asked: 'What about Rav Berland, was he at the Beit Din?' 'No!' 'How can you judge someone not in his presence? How is it possible? This is against the Halacha!' They said, 'No, he is known as a Gavra Alima (a violent and dangerous person who, according to Halacha, may be judged in absentia because he might kill the litigants).' I said, 'What Gavra Alima?? He can barely walk, Gavra Alima? He was sick in the hospital! This is a Gavra Alima, what will he do, hit the police? Who decided he is a Gavra Alima?' [They said] 'We!' [I said to them] 'You decided he is the Angel of Death, you are the witnesses, you are the judges, you are the litigants, you are the court, and you are the ones who rule that he is a Gavra Alima, you are doing everything!'"

"And this is a verdict?"

"So I told them to go to the Eda Charedit. I don't want to speak against the Beit Din, but I don't understand why they don't worry about the Yeshiva, I wrote this, and we are handling it."

"You remember that the last time the Rav was abroad and I came to strengthen the Yeshiva. [I said] 'Be careful, do not weaken, on the contrary, you love your Rav, so learn better – in the merit of this he will emerge.'"

"I tell them: 'If you destroy a Rosh Yeshiva, worry about the Yeshiva first.' I asked them what will be with the Yeshiva, what will be with the Kollels?"

"[They said] 'Let them crumble, what do we care!' They don't care, nothing interests them."

"Hundreds of thousands of Baalei Teshuvah, who will lead them? 'Let them crumble, let them go back!' Therefore I was in favor of a Beit Din of the Eda Charedit, because the elders have more experience in life to know how to judge and rectify a trial, but they did it and I could not oppose it."

"To cancel a judgment, okay, they are talking about it, I only say – why didn't they worry about the Yeshiva?? Why didn't they worry about the Baalei Teshuvah? There are thousands, what will be with them? Will they go to waste? This pained me, this thing, and about this I spoke with the rabbis of Breslov – 'Do not despair, worry about the Yeshiva, about the Kollels, worry about the Baalei Teshuvah – do not let this fall.'"

"These are looking for honor – they don't care if there is destruction."

"The main thing is that they achieve their goal, I don't know why the Beit Din didn't notice this, I thought he would speak with them."

"With my consent, I asked why they didn't worry about the students – before the judgment one must worry about Torah, therefore now to this entire holy community, Hashem will help, I don't want to speak against the Beit Din."

"The Beit Din, what it did – Hashem knows how to lead things better."

"You need to worry about the community, and I spoke that all your Talmud Torahs will be accepted into our system, the Maayan HaChinuch HaCharedi network – I hope that Hashem will help just as He helped Rav Berland and you."

"The Rambam says – Israel is not redeemed except through teshuvah. Do not worry, the Torah has already promised that Israel returns in teshuvah and is immediately redeemed – who will bring the Geulah (Redemption)? All the Baalei Teshuvah! This is what the Rambam says, and the Torah has already promised that the people of Israel will do teshuvah."

"Hashem appointed Rav Berland to bring people close to teshuvah – now the Satan has come, to our sorrow, I hope you will find the way [to continue]."

"In the meantime, do not neglect, do as much as possible – make visits to all the places that Rav Berland would visit and strengthen in teshuvah."

"Strengthen the Yeshiva, and Hashem will help, the main thing is to strengthen, because the Torah is our life, this is our Geulah. I always say: Why does the Rambam write that the Torah has already promised? Say that Hashem promised, rather to hint that this promise will be only through Torah study, therefore one must strengthen the Torah among the young, the adults, and the old. Anyone who has a mouth to speak should go to bring people close, I hope with the help of Hashem that the bad feeling will pass – and the people will return to the one who brings them close truly with all his heart."

"Rav Berland had the power to turn wild men into human beings. I have a grandson like that who was a wild man, thefts, trials, what will the police do? Take a child to prison?"

"Until he met Rav Berland – and he became a human being, truly a tzaddik?"

"Hashem should have mercy on the people of Israel and cancel everything so that Rav Berland can continue in this – in order to save the people of Israel, Rav Berland especially has the power to do this."

"The Torah promised that through Torah study the Baalei Teshuvah will come and the Geulah will come, Amen. Soon, soon, Hashem will help, I hope that the suffering of Rav Berland will stop and that he will be healthy."

"This suffering will not go in vain – the Gemara says that Mashiach is a man of suffering."

"[Mashiach] atones with the heart, he atones with the feet, this is suffering, Rav Berland suffers a lot in the feet, yes, the feet."

"And the Geulah will come soon, Amen and Amen."