To Read and Weep. The Merit of Those Killed for Kiddush Hashem from the Words of the Holy Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

The Zohar says, the neshamah (soul) that is killed for Kiddush Hashem, truly should enter directly into Gan Eden! But it does not enter Gan Eden, it sits at the gates of Gan Eden, it sits at the entrance of Gan Eden, and it says - I will not enter Gan Eden until Hashem redeems my blood! I will not enter until Hashem destroys these murderers and uproots them from the world!

And this is the secret that was revealed to Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshat "Goel HaDam," and therefore Moshe understood that the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael is needed so that the souls can enter Gan Eden and through this it will be possible to impart knowledge to the world, abundance to the world. The first thing is to avenge the vengeance on those who cut their lives short, the first thing is to avenge the vengeance from those who caused it. It is written that the sun cries and weeps every morning and it sings "El Nekamot Hashem, El Nekamot Hofi'a" and every morning it is not willing to shine until the vengeance of the people of Israel is avenged! It does not want to shine! Until it is forced to shine by being shot with arrows and spears as it is written "Sun and moon stood still in their habitation, at the light of Your arrows they went, at the shining of Your glittering spear" (Habakkuk 3).

The sun wants to remain in the firmament "Zebul" it does not want to descend to illuminate the world! The sun and also the moon do not want to descend to the world until they are shot with arrows and lightning, they say every day - we will not go out until the vengeance of the people of Israel is avenged, until the vengeance of the spilled blood is avenged.

"Rejoice, O nations, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people" what is "Rejoice, O nations, with His people"? What is "Praise Hashem, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples, for His lovingkindness has prevailed over us"? Why do the nations need to praise and extol Hashem? But the whole world knows that the Torah of Israel is a Torah of truth! The God of Israel is a true God! And when they see that there are troubles for the people of Israel, then everyone falls from emunah (faith)! All the nations fall from emunah! They say what... the Jews are a quiet people! They do not harm anyone! They do not do evil to anyone! Why does this happen to them? The whole world is watching and waiting – will Hashem avenge the blood of His people Israel! Or will He not avenge! After all, they have a true God! When will He avenge? Why does He not avenge? And when they hear that He avenges, when they see that He avenges the blood of His servants that was spilled! Then "Rejoice, O nations, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants" they praise Hashem! All the nations return to their emunah! Everyone begins to believe that Hashem is the God! Hashem needs to avenge the vengeance of Israel also for the nations! Because even towards the nations there is a Chillul Hashem! Because when the nations see Jews being killed! Jews being tormented! They think that the God of the Jews is weak, God forbid, when Jews are slaughtered then the nations lose their emunah! And through the vengeance, their emunah is restored!

When Hashem avenges vengeance on the murderers it is only for the nations! It is not for us! We are not concerned with the Nazis, with the terrorists, with all of them, they are no more than snakes! Scorpions! Just as the snake lives and the scorpion lives and it does not concern us, so they do not concern us, rather all the vengeance that Hashem avenges, it is for the nations to restore their emunah.

The holy Ari says that there is a special angel in heaven that receives all those who are killed for Kiddush Hashem! Because those who are killed for Kiddush Hashem are truly the greatest tzaddikim of the generation! And if we were meritorious, they would remain alive, return in teshuvah (repentance), and illuminate the generation. When a person from Israel is killed for Kiddush Hashem by the nations of the world, it must be known that this is not a regular neshamah! Rather, it is a special neshamah, that when it descends to the world it descends on the condition that if the people of Israel do not do teshuvah then it will be ready to die for Kiddush Hashem! And before it descends to the world, it is stipulated with it! That when the moment comes and the sins of the generation increase then you will give yourself for Kiddush Hashem! And on this basis, you descend to the world! It must be known that when a Jew is killed for Kiddush Hashem by the nations of the world then even if he is not a tzaddik and it does not matter if he is religious or not religious even one who does not keep Shabbat even one who does not know that there is even a Torah, immediately he enters Gan Eden! Immediately he ascends all the levels in the world, in one second he reaches the highest levels, which take hundreds of years, several reincarnations to reach.

Because all the soldiers who go with the intention to protect the people of Israel and enter into the fire and they do not know if they will return alive and their main concern is only the people of Israel! Only to protect the people of Israel! So in the merit of this intention, in the merit of this self-sacrifice, the moment they are killed for Kiddush Hashem, at that moment they are elevated all the levels and are brought into all the palaces. A person must make an accounting with himself! He must according to halacha make an accounting! A person hears voices! Cries! Screams! Roars of madmen! Killings! Murders! He has a mitzvah from the Torah to cry out! To warn! To make prayers and actions to sweeten the decrees! One of the ways of teshuvah is, as soon as trouble comes upon the community, one must cry out and warn as it is said "when the enemy oppresses you, and you sound an alarm with the trumpets" (Numbers 10:9) and this is an absolute obligation!

The Rambam says in Hilchot Ta'anit chapter 3 this is an absolute obligation! It is not just! There is no such thing as suddenly by chance! How many have gone mad! How many have become crazy! There is no chance! From heaven they send some crazies who do not care if they are killed, if they are slaughtered, and they only want to be recorded in the history books that they killed a million people, two million people.

Therefore, one must awaken! Awaken!

One must be moved by everything that happens! One must know these are our sins! There are sins here! And there are transgressions here! And if they sit at home and say this is a coincidence.. this is the way of the world... what.. there are always wars! There will be miracles it will pass! The Rambam says this is a trait of cruelty!! If there are such killings! Such murders! Such voices! Such roars! It means there are terrible transgressions! Many transgressions! And it has almost filled the measure! A person must know if there are such troubles then I am to blame! I have filled the measure! And one must do teshuvah and pray that no Jew will be harmed and no Jew will have sorrow.

Because the Ari says in Likutei Torah on the verse "The days of visitation have come, the days of recompense have come" (Hosea 9:7) that there are many transgressions, that have already filled the measure, then the days of visitation come, the days of recompense come. And when the days of recompense come then Hashem sends some crazies some madmen who do not care if they succeed, who do not care about anything! They only want to be recorded in the history books that they murdered and killed.

Therefore, the Rambam says if a person does not do teshuvah in such a situation, if people do not awaken from this trouble, then it is a way of cruelty! And it can add other troubles, God forbid! A person must know that he must sweeten these terrible decrees! He cannot sit quietly and say there will be miracles! Surely there will be miracles!! There is no doubt about this!! But he must have a part in these miracles, he must have a part in this sweetening, he must pray with intention, learn, cry, and say Tehillim, do Hitbodedut more intensely! With a more broken heart! And feel all the fears that people have, feel all the sorrow and all the suffering that people have and do teshuvah.

Fortunate are we that we have merited these holy words.