When a UN Soldier Paid for Rabbi Berland's Flight Ticket to Uman

As part of the attempts to reach Uman during the years of the Iron Curtain, several transit countries were tried • The journeys through Cyprus • The UN soldier who paid for Rabbi Berland's ticket • Simple Emunah (faith)

The Journey Through Cyprus

There is a little-known period of Rabbi Berland's attempts to reach Uman during the years of the Iron Curtain. Rabbi Berland would travel from Israel to Cyprus, and there he would approach the Russian embassy and try to reach Uman through them. This happened repeatedly, but without much success...

Rabbi Yitzchak Weitzenhandler relates: "On one of these occasions, a certain Jew joined Rabbi Berland, having been swept up in the Rav's enthusiasm and wanting to travel with him to Uman. Being a man of means, he even paid for the Rav's travel, since the Rav no longer had any money after spending large sums on previous travel attempts. The two traveled, and when they arrived in Cyprus, Rabbi Berland, in his great Bitachon (trust) in Hashem, went to a travel agency and bought a flight ticket to Russia—this was even before they had any kind of entry permit. The person accompanying Rabbi Berland became very angry when he saw this; he viewed it as a waste of money. 'Perhaps they won't give us a visa and the entire amount will go down the drain? Why just buy a ticket for nothing?!'

Following this, he turned to Rabbi Berland shlit"a and told him that he would not pay for his journey, and he even wanted the Rav to return the four hundred dollars the Rav had paid for the ticket he ordered. The Rav did not have even a single dollar, but in his great Bitachon (trust) in Hashem, the Rav told him: 'There is no problem. Tomorrow I will pay you the entire four hundred dollars.' This seemed completely unrealistic.

The next morning, Morinu HaRav Berland left the hotel to look for a Mikvah (ritual bath) for immersion, and that same man accompanied the Rav. The Rav had no idea where to turn in Cyprus, but he had Hashem. He lifted his eyes to Hashem and said: 'Hashem, I need a Mikvah!'

Not more than a few moments passed, and suddenly a jeep stopped next to them. A UN soldier stepped out and asked Rabbi Berland in English: 'Who are you?' The Rav answered him: 'I am a Jew.' The soldier asked the Rav if he needed anything, and the Rav replied that he needed to reach a place where there is water.

The UN soldier brought them up into the jeep and drove them to the sea. When they reached the shore, Rabbi Berland asked the soldier to wait at a distance, and the Rav and his companion went to immerse. When they finished, they returned to the jeep, and the soldier drove them back toward the hotel where they were staying.

On their way back, the soldier turned again to Rabbi Berland and asked if he needed anything else. The Rav answered him that he needed four hundred dollars. Without a word, the soldier took four hundred dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the Rav...

Morinu HaRav Berland, the Holy of Holies, the true Tzaddik of the generation, a man of Emunah (faith) and Bitachon (trust), asked the soldier: 'Why did you decide to help me like this?' The soldier's answer was surprising. The soldier told the Rav that he had studied the Tanach (Bible), and from there he concluded that the Chosen People is the People of Israel, and since it is the Chosen People, one must serve them. 'And when I saw a man with a radiant face, I thought to myself that perhaps you are a Jew, and indeed you answered me that you are a Jew. Therefore, I must serve you.'

Rabbi Berland immediately handed the money to the stunned Jew, who had refused to pay for the Rav's journey and now saw the special Divine Providence (Hashgacha Pratis) that the Rav merits...