Transcript of the Lesson of the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, 16th of Elul 5775 – The Journey to Uman for Rosh Hashanah

With the help of Heaven

Lesson on Uman, 16th of Elul 5775 (2015)

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Tonight is the 17th of Elul. It is written in the Etz Chaim (a primary Kabbalistic work by the Arizal), gate 47, that this is the greatest day of the year—the creation of the world. It is associated with the Name of Ban (a Divine Name with the numerical value of 52), for woman was created from the Name of Ban. A woman possesses a mind from the Name of Ban, and the Name of Ban precedes the Name of Mah (a Divine Name with the value of 45). Therefore, already at the age of 12, she is obligated in all the mitzvos (commandments). It is through the daughters of Israel dancing in the vineyards on Yom Kippur that all sins are forgiven. This is why Serach the daughter of Asher entered Gan Eden (Paradise) alive with her body, which is the secret of the verse, "Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy" (Genesis 30:13). For only from this happiness did Leah merit to see how her daughter entered Gan Eden with her body. In two weeks, the greatest day of the year, the greatest day of one's entire life, will arrive. No one shall be missing; everyone must be in Uman without any tricks and without any excuses, for there is nothing greater than this. Rebbe Nachman said that on Rosh Hashanah, he can direct every single person to find their own soul. This is the secret of the Gavia (goblet). The secret of the Gavia and the secret of the Leviathan depend on Rosh Hashanah. The word Gavia is written five times, hinting at the Beis HaMikdash (the Holy Temple). This is the secret of the Gavia, which is 70—the 70 faces of the Torah—multiplied by 15. 15 represents the nullification of pride. When you multiply 70 by 15, it equals 1050. This relates to the verse, "If your sins be as scarlet (kashanim)—they shall be white as snow." Therefore, Joseph says to them, "Do you have a father or a brother?" He is asking, why do you not go to the Tzaddik? To the Father? This is the "Old Father." "If the fourth of the nest is gone, the tent He inhabited is empty; if it is vacant, please let us not perish, for indeed we have an old father" (from the Yom Kippur liturgy). We have an old father! We have an old father! He asks, why are you evading?! Tell me what happened to you?! I am asking you, where is your brother?! Where is your brother?! You do not answer me! Because instead of saying "How shall we justify ourselves," you say "For we are prepared, we are righteous, we are pure, we are holy." Tell the truth! Say, "A brother has disappeared from us," for the Tzaddik can rectify everything! Even bloodshed he can rectify! There is nothing the Tzaddik cannot rectify! So why do you not tell the truth?! Cry out, "We are guilty!" You see everything going out of order. It was so pleasant, so beautiful; they were feasting, drinking, telling jokes, there was such a radiance of countenance... Every kilo of grain cost a thousand dollars; a thousand kilos was a million. Each one received a million dollars in his sack. They were afraid of "false accusations," who knows what will happen now? We will return—ah, you returned after you stole? You have no food, you are going to die of hunger, yet you take the money? Thieves! Criminals! We will hang you all here! Suddenly, instead of hanging them in the market square as was done to the fighters of the Lehi, he says to them, "Wow, Hashem loves you! What faith! I wish I had such faith!" A person suddenly finds a million dollars in his sack and says, "No, this fell from Heaven into your sack." What faith! What a radiance of countenance! What a Tzaddik! Wow, look, look! And they are drinking and feasting. They arrived on Hanukkah. "Father (Av) or Brother"—Av is Aleph-Beis. According to the school of Hillel, Av is eight (referring to the eight days of Hanukkah). On the first day, he began to speak with them regarding the laws: how do you kindle the Hanukkah lights according to Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai? We have an "Old Father" (Av), we follow Beis Hillel (Aleph-Beis). And suddenly, after such illumination, while they are drinking and feasting and discussing Halacha (Jewish law), speaking about the Ketzos HaChoshen and Nesivos HaMishpat (foundational legal texts), suddenly at the break of dawn, they leave early in the morning at sunrise (Netz HaChammah) just as they finished the Vasikin (sunrise prayer) service—Boom! "Where is the goblet?! Where is the goblet?! Thieves! Criminals! We will hang you all in the market now! First thing, I will hang the one who stole it!" What is happening here?! Everything flips in a millisecond! What is going on?! What is happening?! And all the Tzaddik wants is for you to say, "We are guilty!!!" Say it!!! Say it!!! You say, "We don't know what's happening! Truly we don't know! You, the Tzaddik, explain to us! Explain what is going on here!" And Joseph would say, "Behold, see, I strike the goblet—your brother is alive." He says to them, "Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah..." and he strikes for Reuven, then for Shimon, for Levi, for Yehudah. He tells them all their names. He says, "Behold, I see that your brother is alive! Why are you deceiving me?! Why are you deceiving me?! What is with you?! Do teshuvah (repentance)!!! Cry out, 'We are guilty!!' just as you cried at the beginning, 'We are guilty!!'" You come to Rosh Hashanah—say, "We are guilty!!" And then the Tzaddik will rectify you!! And then the Tzaddik will raise the soul to its root!! This is the secret of the Leviathan. Immediately after this, we merit the Sukkah of the Leviathan. In another 30 days, we already enter the Sukkah of the Leviathan, which shines from one end of the world to the other. The Sukkah shines from one end of the world to the other! The Sukkah made of the Leviathan's skin stands in Jerusalem and shines from one end of the world to the other! So this is the secret of the Leviathan. "And a man went from the house of Levi and took a daughter of Levi" (Exodus 2:1)—this refers to Rosh Hashanah. "Man" is Hashem, says the Zohar, and "Daughter of Levi" is Knesset Yisrael (the Assembly of Israel). And now we go to the Tzaddik, because on Rosh Hashanah in Uman, he connects us with the roots of the souls back to Adam HaRishon (the first man). He performs rectifications for us now for all the parents, and the grandfathers, and the grandmothers, for everyone throughout 5,775 years—rectifications for all, for all the souls, until we reach 5,776. And after that, next year will already be 5,777. And with the two thousand years that the Torah preceded the creation of the world, that is 7,777. Now we are preparing for the coming Rosh Hashanah which is 5,777, and the Torah preceded it by 2,000 years; 5,777 plus two thousand is 7,777—this is already the Tikkun (rectification) of the world! It's finished! The Tikkun of the worlds! The moment we reach Rebbe Nachman, he connects us with all the roots! Even if it is only through the selling of Joseph—Joseph could have atoned for them if they had only cried out, "We are guilty!" Instead, Judah approached him. He had two hairs that were so powerful they pierced through his steel armor. He gave a shout and Pharaoh fell from his throne, all the pregnant women miscarried, and all the warriors' heads spun backward. After that, Reuven gave another roar and all of Egypt was almost swallowed by the earth. He said, "We will divide the streets; within 5 minutes, each one will take one." He kicked a marble pillar and the entire pillar shattered into tiny fragments. Judah saw that this was not simple. Then Joseph gave a cry, "I am Joseph!" This is Rosh Hashanah, when the Tzaddik cries out, "I am Joseph," and then "they could not answer him, for they were terrified before him." The Midrash Rabbah says their souls fled! Here is Joseph before you!! You say, "We don't have... he disappeared from us... we don't know what happened to him..." Here is Joseph!!! Here is the Tzaddik right before your eyes!!! So in another two weeks, everyone without exception, without any excuses, everyone in Uman! And then we will see the Geulah (Redemption), and then we will see the Leviathan and the secret of the Gavia, which is the secret of "If your sins be as scarlet—they shall be white as snow." With the letter 'Vav', the verse equals exactly 1047, and with the "Old Father" (Av), another "Av" (3) makes it 1050. This is the secret of the Gavia, 70 multiplied by 15. Then we merit to enter the Sukkah of the Leviathan's skin, as mentioned in the Zohar, Beshalach 174. Then we will see on the night after Yom Kippur the Beis HaMikdash of fire descending from Heaven. Then everyone will immediately be in Jerusalem on the 15th (of Tishrei) and will see the King Mashiach, how the entire platform is surrounded by flames of fire, and how Noah's dove comes with the crown, "You set a crown of fine gold upon his head." For the dove comes with the soul of Mashiach. The Zohar says on page 165a that whenever the dove arrived, it arrived with the soul of Mashiach. This is the "olive leaf plucked in its mouth." In Psalms 52, it is written, "But I am like a fresh olive tree in the house of G-d," for the dove was in the palace of Mashiach. She is the Shechinah (Divine Presence), and she is Leah who brings the soul of Mashiach. Therefore, Leah will go out toward her son, Mashiach ben David, and she will ascend the platform and receive her son. So all these lights—we must merit them already this year. By the 15th, the rectifications are already finished. We travel in two weeks, and therefore no one shall be missing. Then we will merit to see the Beis HaMikdash of fire descending from Heaven and the complete Geulah speedily in our days, Amen.