Torah Lesson for the Residents of Ahisamak at the Residence of the Gaon and

On Wednesday night, the 24th of Iyar, Parshas Behar-Bechukosai, a Torah lesson (shiur) took place at the home of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, for the residents of Ahisamak and the surrounding area.

The lesson lasted about two hours; before you is a summary of the topics discussed during the lesson:

The book Karneim explains the statement that Job (Iyov) "never existed and was never created"—meaning that he did not bring everything he went through into the world of Asiyah (the world of action) to convert, and thus he underwent seven gilgulim (reincarnations). During the Tekufah (seasonal turning point) of Tammuz, there was the striking of the rock, and it is forbidden to drink water; during the Tekufah of Tishrei, Isaac (Yitzchak) was slaughtered (spiritually at the Akeidah); and during the Tekufah of Teves, Jephthah's daughter was slaughtered. The first group of women in Egypt would run and give birth by the Nile, and the angels would catch the children and move them to the other side, as it says, "He made him suck honey from the rock and oil from the flinty stone." When Moses (Moshe) went to bring water from the rock, all the Erev Rav (mixed multitude) were shouting at him that he simply knew where the geysers were. This was the test: whether to react to the Chillul Hashem (desecration of Hashem's name) or not to react and simply do what Hashem commanded. If he had stood the test, he would have built the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple), and it would never have been destroyed. Before the destruction, people would say, "The Temple of Hashem," meaning they could commit sins and the Temple would atone for them. Hananiah ben Azzur said that in another two years, Hashem would return the Temple vessels that Nebuchadnezzar took from Jeconiah, while Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu) said you should know that you will be in Babylon for another seventy years; there are three methods for calculating those seventy years. Abner (Avner) could move the entire earth and was the mightiest of men, as mentioned in the Gemara: "Be betrothed to me on condition that I am a mighty man"—one does not say she is not betrothed unless he is as mighty as Abner son of Ner or Joab (Yoav) son of Zeruiah, David's men, who were great heroes. The main thing is the study of the Gemara. However, the Baal HaTurim notes that the verse says, "Speak to the sons of Aaron," and not the daughters of Aaron, because the women were not involved in the sin (of the Golden Calf). During the Sin of the Calf, the men cut off the women's earrings along with their ears, and because of their refusal to participate, the women were given Rosh Chodesh (the New Month) as a holiday. Abishai (Avishai) would fly through the air to save David. During every lesson, fire descends; every lesson is like the Idra (holy assembly of the Zohar). Jacob (Yaakov) would fight with 14,600 lions, killing two lions every day. On Shavuos, we read about Ruth, who separated from Orpah with a kiss; this is the meaning of "the children of the one who clung (Ruth) will come and take vengeance on the children of the one who kissed (Orpah)," for that very night Orpah was already with a dog—and that is why Goliath says, "Am I a dog?" and David answers him, "Yes! You are a dog, the son of a dog." Michal said to David, "You disgraced me; your legs were visible!" David replied to her, "Hashem chooses the figure-eights (acrobatic leaps) I performed in the air more than all the nobility of your father, Saul (Shaul)." Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to return to their land; Orpah returned, while Ruth clung to her. David said to Hashem, "I have conquered all the nations; I want to conquer Rome so they do not conquer the Beis HaMikdash." Nero Caesar had already thought of giving up after they had been pouring tar on the heads of those who battered the wall for three years. "The kings of the earth did not believe... that the adversary and the enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem." In the end, he took the Menorah, but it was not the Menorah of King Solomon (Shlomo), for Solomon's Menorah would never go out—just like the daughter of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa who put vinegar instead of oil, and just as the candles of Sarah and Rebecca (Rivka) would not go out. The mothers in Egypt would run to the Nile, and the angels would manage to catch the babies before the Egyptians arrived. Balak sat and wept, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt," for he knew that from him would emerge David, who would annihilate him. "I will command My blessing"—for if a person asks "What shall we eat?" then a special blessing is required. Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Yossi saw three people before them, a couple and one more they met. Rabbi Natan says that we fast Behab (Monday, Thursday, Monday fasts) because we did not rejoice enough during the holiday. "Like the dew of Hermon that descends upon the mountains of Zion"—all the shefa (divine abundance) comes from Jerusalem. Balak son of Tzippor had a bird that would bring him Ketorah (incense); he would stab it seven times in the tongue, and the bird told him, "You will not be able to defeat them." Then he said to Balaam (Bilam), "For it is too mighty mimmeni (from me)"—meaning, from me will emerge David who will annihilate Moab. David said, "Upon Edom I will cast my shoe." There is a Gemara that is difficult to understand: "A person should always sell the beams of his house and buy shoes for his feet," and this is the "Secret of the Shoes." Since the start of the war, 858 soldiers have been killed, besides civilians; recently, Tse'ela Gaz was killed—she was a true tzaddika on her way to the delivery room. They killed her; what did she do?! Today, Yehuda Yosef was killed, a religious young man with an M-16 in one hand and the Gemara in the other; his wife's name was Emunah (faith). The Constantiner (Rabbi Meshulam Igra) asked: "I studied the Chumash and we see that 1,775 is missing from the accounting of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)." A Bas Kol (Heavenly Voice) went forth saying that Moses made vavim (hooks) for the pillars. The Etz Chaim (Tree of Life) says that the vavim are the souls of Israel, for there is no Jew who does not eventually do teshuvah (repentance). Every Jew is like the "hairs" of Adam Kadmon (the highest spiritual realm); the root of his soul is very high. There was the hostage Agam Berger and her mother Meirav Berger; mother and daughter both started keeping Shabbos (the Sabbath) without knowing about each other at all. Now all the children want to put on tefillin (phylacteries) in schools; the principals are going crazy, not understanding what happened. No one can understand what a Jewish soul is; there were people who would eat on Yom Kippur and in the end returned in teshuvah. We were in Shefa-Amr (Shefaram); one of the locals told us that the meaning of the word is "Shufra-Am" (the beauty of the nation)—it was the seat of the Sanhedrin. All the journeys of the Sanhedrin are recorded: from Yavne to Usha, from Usha to Yavne, from Yavne to Shefa-Amr, from Shefa-Amr to Beis She'arim, from Beis She'arim to Tzippori, and from there to Tiberias (Tverya), and from there Mashiach will come. Mashiach will come from Tiberias to Rachel's Tomb, and from Rachel's Tomb to the Cave of the Patriarchs (Me'aras HaMachpelah), and then four shofars will descend from heaven and sound Teruah, Tekiah, Teruah, and then the King Mashiach will come, speedily in our days, Amen!