The Daily Strengthening from The Rav, the holy Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a — “The Holocaust Was the Preparation for Eretz Yisrael”

Monday, 18 Menachem Av 5782 — “The destruction of Ukraine is because of the tortures they inflicted there on Jews—They will not reach Uman,” these are his holy words:

R’ Yeshaya of Kerestir (Rabbi Yeshaya Steiner, known as R’ Yeshaya’le of Kerestir; 5612/1852 – 3 Iyar 5685/1925. He founded the Kerestir chassidus and served as Rebbe in the town of Kerestur near Miskolc, Hungary.) promised, 30 years before the Holocaust, at 3:00 in the morning—on Motzaei Shabbos during Melaveh Malkah. He said: “Now I will reveal a secret to you—within 30 years there will be a Holocaust the likes of which has not existed since the creation of the world, and not a single Jew will remain alive.”

There will be infernal tortures. In Miropol there were the most tortures inflicted on Jews. Then (the Russians) destroyed it to its foundations after 80 years—this was in 1942, and now 2022—they destroyed it to its foundations, the entire city. All the tortures they did there to Jews—everything was done by the Ukrainians. Now He is uprooting their cities.

They will not reach Uman.

But the Gemara relates (Daf 49 amud b) that the question is: Who can fight and stand up against the “Holocaust” of Avraham Avinu?

Rabbi Yechiel Meir of Ostrovtza fasted for 40 years. He said that a Holocaust was going to come, and therefore one must fast.

Rabbi Avraham Elimelech of Karlin (Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Perlov of Karlin; 4 Elul 5651 – 14 Cheshvan 5703 / Sept. 7, 1891 – Oct. 25, 1942. The eighth Rebbe in the Karlin dynasty, who led from 5681/1921 until he was murdered in the Holocaust in 5703/1942.) said that if people had fasted on Rosh Hashanah the way Mordechai fasted on Pesach—they would have annulled the Holocaust.

Rabbi Elimelech of Karlin came to Meron on 1 Av and stayed here until the eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul. He went to all the gravesites of the Tzaddikim, and he cried out such cries in Meron that they heard it almost all the way to Tzefas. He would cry out cries that could be heard across several streets—his prayers were all with shouting, with jumping, with dancing.

Rabbi Avraham Elimelech was the Rebbe of Karlin for all of Europe. He had some thousand yeshivos—every city had a yeshivah of his. People came from all corners of the world. He gave such cries when he arrived in Meron—such cries that the shamash ran to him with boiling milk.

The Rebbe of Karlin felt that the prayer had not been answered—and this was the tikkun of 6,000 years, because they could not enter Gan Eden immediately. The Holocaust was the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur)—literally Nehar Dinur. One must pass through it before entering Gan Eden; it is less painful than Nehar Dinur.

Many Tzaddikim knew that a Holocaust was coming. The Rebbe taught in the cheder of a certain boy who was already 16; he was the son-in-law of the Rebbe of Kerestir, and he too knew of this prophecy (about the Holocaust)—that he said: “Within 30 years there will be a Holocaust the likes of which has not existed since the creation of the world—and whoever serves me in Uman, his grandson will be saved.”

“You will already be old men—just wait and you will see the Germans enter.” He said to his chief attendant: “Your grandson will be saved; I will watch over him.” Thirty years before the Holocaust began, he told them: “Know that within 30 years there will be a Holocaust the likes of which has not existed since the creation of the world.” Before the Jews would go up to the Land—this was the preparation for Eretz Yisrael: the Holocaust.

It was such a Holocaust that all the nations agreed that Eretz Yisrael must be given to the Jews—because it is impossible that they should go through another Holocaust like that. The entire Holocaust happened because they did not have Eretz Yisrael. So before Hashem would bring Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael, the Holy Land, the Jews would have to pass through terrible, awesome suffering—the most terrible suffering that ever existed since the world was created—and all of Europe would be filled with Jewish blood.

R’ Naftali of Ropshitz said (Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropshitz; 6 Sivan 5520/1760 – 11 Iyar 5587/1827. A Rebbe in Galicia and founder of the Ropshitz chassidus.): The Geulah will come when they will walk in blood up to their knees—and then they will be able to come, to return to Eretz Yisrael.

And now, in Eretz Yisrael, we are already under the Erev Rav. But with Hashem’s help—Hashem will help that there should not be another Holocaust. Just as he said to his chassid: “There will be terrible, awesome suffering the likes of which has not existed since the creation of the world, and the whole world will be stained with Jewish blood. I will no longer be in this world, but you will see how it begins when the Nazis enter—your grandson will be saved; I will stand at your grandson’s side.”

“I owe you, because you were the closest to me of everyone, and I will protect the grandson for you.”

The grandson relates that he lay in the snow after the German shot him. The story was that he was crossing from Tzukai to Kerestir—there is a ferry. The Germans controlled it, and Jews were forbidden to board the ferry. A certain lawyer came and said: “They are accompanying me.”

“I don’t believe you. Where are the documents?”

“There are no documents—I left them at home!”

For all six hours the lawyer argued, but they knew he was lying to them. So they waited for the children to get off the ferry. One child lived in Kerestir and the other lived in Tzukai. The German waited until the grandson got off the ferry and then sniped him. He shot him in the shoulder and he fell onto the snow, writhing in his blood. He lay like that for two days, until the priest himself rang the town bells and called everyone, saying they must go to the survivors of the Gestapo—they must save this child. Because the Germans did not even allow anyone to approach the child. He bled for two days; his arm almost became paralyzed.

The grandson, Yitzchak Schwartz, met in Auschwitz—on the bunks—a Breslov chassid who explained to him that everything is gilgulim (reincarnations). He told him: “Know that it is all a matter of gilgulim. Each person must pay for 6,000 years (since the creation of the world). We are now 6,000 years minus 200; a person returns in gilgul a hundred times.”

If a person has the true Tzaddik, then he can pass through this world and receive the tikkun without suffering. But if a person does not know about the Tzaddik, then he must atone for all his gilgulim.

The one explaining in Auschwitz was a Breslov chassid. He later passed away. He knew the entire Zohar by heart; he would review the Zohar by heart. He told him: “Know—it is all gilgulim, and each person, according to his gilgul, must go through what we are going through now.”

He asks (the figure that appeared to him): “How did you get here?”

“I cannot tell you how I got here!”

“Who commanded you to reveal yourself to me?”

“The One Who makes the sun rise in the morning! When a person comes to Shacharis prayer, he makes the sun rise. Those who pray Shacharis at sunrise make the sun rise.”

“Who will take me out of here?”

“You are now in the hands of the Satan! The entire Holocaust is the revelation of the Satan. The Satan has now descended below and he is carrying out the entire Holocaust!”

And suddenly (the grandson recounts) this radiant figure disappeared from him. After that, he appeared to him again—this was exactly on the last day of the war, two days before the end of the war. There was a death march. He already weighed 35 kilograms. He felt he could no longer walk. They crossed a bridge; he stood there on the bridge. The Germans—whoever stopped, they shot. He knew that now the German who was walking behind would come and shoot him.

He leaned on the bridge, feeling he had no strength, and suddenly he appeared to him again. R’ Yeshaya’le of Kerestir told him: “Continue. You have one more hour to walk and you will reach the camp, the place—and the war will end within a day or two.” This was the second revelation on the bridge inside Germany.