"This Month Shall Be for You the Head of Months"

If a Person is Awake During the Molad, a Fire Will Burn Within Him All Year ⋅ Rosh Chodesh Nissan "This Month Shall Be for You the Head of Months; It is the First for You of the Months of the Year" - Holy Words for Parshat Pekudei and the Month of Nissan from Our Teacher, the Holy and Righteous Gaon, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

"Moses descended on the day following Yom Kippur and began to assemble the people, until the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was erected on the 1st of Nissan. Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice. This continued for all six months, from the 11th of Tishrei until the 1st of Nissan when the Mishkan was established. 'And He called to him, and He spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.' Previously, Moses would speak and God would speak together with him, but now Hashem said: 'If you wish to hear My voice, come to the Tent of Meeting, and from there you shall speak.'"

"From the 11th of Tishrei until exactly six months later minus eleven days—approximately five months and three weeks—it was 'Moses would speak and God would answer him with a voice.' Rashi explains that regarding every mitzvah Moses spoke immediately after the Giving of the Torah, a Bat Kol (Heavenly Voice) would immediately follow him, explaining the mitzvah and stating all its possibilities and forms: the forty-nine ways it is pure, the forty-nine ways it is impure, and all the interpretations found in the Gemara, the Rishonim (early commentators), the Acharonim (later commentators), and the Mishnayot. Everything that would ever be said, the Bat Kol would articulate. This was all above time and above space, and everyone would hear every mitzvah that Moses spoke, and the voice would travel from one end of the world to the other."

"The Noam Elimelech (Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk [who passed away on the 21st of Adar] in his book) did not write [any new insights] on Parshat Vayakhel. Just as Moses' name is erased from Parshat Tetzaveh (because he said 'erase me now'), so too regarding Vayakhel—since it is the date of his [the Noam Elimelech's] histalkus (passing away)—there is no 'Vayakhel.' There is Ki Tisa, there is Pekudei, but where can 'Vayakhel' be found? Vayakhel is found in Devarim (Deuteronomy)! 'And Moses gathered (Vayakhel) all the congregation of the Children of Israel.' This is found in 'And Moses spoke these words to all the congregation of the Children of Israel'—'These are the words.' So the innovation that should have been in Vayakhel is hinted at in 'These are the words that Moses spoke to all the congregation of the Children of Israel.'"

"The Noam Elimelech says there is a Heichal (spiritual chamber) called 'All the Children of Israel,' and this is the Heichal of Adam Kadmon (Primal Man). Adam Kadmon is the root of all souls, which is the secret of the 'Vav HaAmudim' (the hooks of the pillars), which is the secret of the 370 lights (*Shin-Ayin nehorin*). These are the 370 lights that shone for Adam HaRishon. It is written in *Sha'ar HaKavanot* that Adam HaRishon possessed the 370 lights. The 370 myriads of lights [and the lights that Eve has] are 150 myriads (*Kuf-Nun*), and this is hinted at in the secret of 'Even the bird has found a home, and the swallow a nest (*ken*) for herself' (Psalms 84). For who merited to return all the 370 myriads of lights and all the 150 (*Kuf-Nun*) myriads of lights? King David merited to return them. Therefore, King David says in Psalm 84, 'Even the bird has found a home, and the swallow a nest (*ken*) for herself.' The gematria (numerical value) of *Tzipor* (bird) and *Ken* (nest) is 520. The phrase 'Ten Sachar Tov' (Give good reward) is also 520. When we say 'Ten Sachar Tov' in prayer, we must intend to return the 370 myriads and the 150 myriads that were taken from Adam and Eve."

Pearls of the Haftarah

"Regarding Rosh Chodesh Nissan, 'This month shall be for you the head of months; it is the first for you of the months of the year,' a fire began to descend from above. 'See like this and sanctify'—Hashem showed Moses the moon at the moment of the Molad (new moon). This is the most important moment. 'And Hashem spoke to Moses and Aaron... saying: This month shall be for you...' He showed him the moment of the Molad, 'See like this and sanctify'; He showed him the moon in its renewal, and then He spoke with him. Therefore, tomorrow at ten past three, anyone who merits to be awake will have a fire enter them from above—a mighty fire from above, a fire that will burn within him all year, 24 hours a day. He will merit a fire for his entire life. Anyone who merits to be awake during the Molad (this year it is this coming Tuesday at six in the evening, 43 minutes and 9 parts), a flame will pulse within him all the days of the year. For all 24 hours, for all 86,400 seconds, a fiery flame will burn within him."

"Because in a day there are 86,400 seconds. Multiply 24 by 3,600 seconds, and it comes out to eight-six-four-zero-zero. 8 is the letter *Chet*, 6 is *Vav*, 4 is *Dalet*. This spells exactly *DOCH* (Report). A person must give a *Doch* (an acronym for *Din VeCheshbon* - judgment and accounting) every day. He needs to give a hundred reports daily—that is 80 and 8, or 70 and 4 with two zeros—a hundred reports. He must give an accounting for every second regarding what was done with him. If he is awake tomorrow during the Molad, then precisely at that time, a completely new fire will descend that will burn within him the entire year. It will burn within him day and night. He will transform all the fire of the *Sitra Achra* (the Other Side/Impurity) into holy fire, a fire of flame, a fire of prayer, a fire of Torah, a fire for Ahavas Yisrael (love of fellow Jews). Instead of stealing from another, stabbing another, or making fun of another, he will receive a mighty love for the other. He will receive endless love for the other, love for every single Jew, to fulfill the will of every single Jew."

"And with that same fire with which he caused damage until today—from the day of his birth until today, he was only damaging, because he did not know what to do with this fire—such a fire descends! What does one do with such fire? Now he will know to love every Jew with a soulful love, to help, to assist, to search—to search for food for another, money for another, to sell for another, to help another day and night in order to gather a few pennies for another. Everything, everything will turn into a fire, a flame for Hashem Yitbarach."

"The Ruzhiner said: The Tzemach Tzedek sent one of his students to observe the Ruzhiner. He saw that people were bringing things to him; one came with a request for an approbation (*haskamah*) on a book of stories about Tzaddikim, and another came with a request for an approbation on Torah novellae (*Chiddushim*). First, he wrote the approbation for the stories of Tzaddikim, and afterwards, he wrote the approbation for the Torah novellae. At that moment, it was impossible to ask why. Two days later, there was a Rosh Chodesh seudah (festive meal) there, I believe, so he asked him: 'Rebbe, what is the reason for giving an approbation to stories of Tzaddikim first and afterwards to Torah novellae?' He replied, 'I conduct myself like the Holy One, Blessed be He.' It is written, 'Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah should not have begun except with "This month shall be for you the head of months"'—it should have started with the commandments first. He set aside the commandment of Sanctifying the Moon and began with 'The power of His works He told to His people.'"

"He began with Bereishis (Genesis), stories of the creation of the world, Adam HaRishon, from Noah, from Abraham, Isaac, from Yaakov, from the Tribes, until Yitro—it is all stories. [He should have started by explaining] the mitzvos, and put the stories in Mishneh Torah (at the end, in the Book of Deuteronomy), letting us know that there was Abraham, Isaac, and Yaakov, and that Hashem created the world in 6 days, and there was Adam HaRishon and Noah, all in two words [at the end of the Torah]. Rather, 'Pleasant is the conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs more than the Torah of the sons.' And not only the servants of the Patriarchs, but the servants of the servants of the Patriarchs. [As it is written regarding Eliezer,] 'And he gave water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him'—to make known that even [Abraham Avinu] washed the feet of his servants, the servants of his servants. Therefore, 'Pleasant is the conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs'—the stories about the miraculous shortening of the way (*Kefitzat HaDerech*) and how Eliezer found Rebecca."