V'shamru Bnei Yisrael • How the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Last Friday night, while the entire State of Israel was under an unprecedented missile attack from Iran, sirens were heard throughout the country, defense systems were activated, and the entire Jewish people were in a state of tension and worry.

In the Shuvu Banim community in Jerusalem, a wondrous and majestic phenomenon was recorded: Our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) stood in his permanent place, the holy balcony above the synagogue courtyard, together with hundreds of his followers, and prayed the Maariv (evening) prayer of Shabbat eve with melody and pleasantness, out of steadfast emunah (faith), completely unfazed by the attack, with not even a hint of fear in the air.

The Rav shlit"a continued his prayer with strength and joy, increasing in song and dance, as is his holy custom every single Shabbat. Specifically at the peak of the moments of tension, while the sirens were heard in Jerusalem and missiles began to pass through the city's skies, the Rav shlit"a took up the song "V'shamru Bnei Yisrael es HaShabbat" (And the Children of Israel shall keep the Shabbat), singing at length with a loud voice and a burning heart, together with the holy congregation standing below in the courtyard, uniting with him in melody and devekus (attachment to the Divine).

Only after ten minutes of singing and dancing with a flaming fire, when the missile attack on the Holy Land and Jerusalem in particular ended, did the Rav shlit"a finish the song and continue his prayer as usual. The feeling among all the Anash (members of our community) during those minutes of song and dance was that the Rav shlit"a was building a strong spiritual shield over the Holy City.

Even at a later hour, when an additional secondary attack was heard, a similar reaction was recorded from the Rav shlit"a – as he continued the Zemiros (Shabbat songs), singing "Oz VeHadar Levusha" (Strength and majesty are her clothing), dancing and raising his hands in holy movements, working a yeshuah (salvation) with mercy for the entire Jewish people. It was evident to all that throughout the entire course of Shabbat, even during the repeated attacks, everything proceeded as usual in the Rav shlit"a's home, without any change or hesitation. On the contrary—the light, the song, and the prayer intensified out of a clear knowledge that everything is through Divine Providence, and one who acts out of emunah (faith) brings about a real change in the decrees, in the aspect of "the tzaddik decrees and Hashem fulfills."

There is no doubt that specifically through the song and dance, through the devekus (attachment to the Divine) and the holy movements, the Rav shlit"a acted so that no severe damage would occur in Jerusalem or the Land of Israel in general. And indeed, despite the many hundreds of missiles fired by Iran, almost no significant hits were recorded.

This awesome occasion on this Shabbat eve is added to a long list of sublime and exalted moments in which the miraculous leadership of the Rav shlit"a is evident. Like a pillar of fire going before the camp, he works salvations in the midst of the land at all times, and especially in fateful hours such as these, he carries the entirety of Israel on his shoulders and acts to sweeten the harsh judgments through dancing and clapping of hands.