"Whoever Merits to Draw Close to the True Tzaddik Will Merit to Enter the Upper

Yesterday, the People of Israel completed Tractate Bava Metzia, which is studied according to the order of the Daf Yomi (daily page of Talmud). Last night after the Maariv (evening) prayer—Tuesday night, the eve of the 20th of Sivan, Parshas Shelach-Lecha—during the daily lesson, our teacher the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, completed the tractate and added his own wonderful explanations on the conclusion of the tractate:

"Today we are making a Siyum (completion ceremony) on Bava Metzia. This is the completion of the second tractate of Nezikin (the Order of Damages). Today we will read the Mishnah with the Gemara—with the Siyum—and we will see—we will speak about the matter. There are two gardens, says the 'Semichas Chachamim' (a classic Torah commentary) who is buried in Istanbul. Everyone should travel to Istanbul today; it's an hour and a half and you're back. Under the bridge, look for the bridge there, under the bridge. There is a bridge that connects Asia and Africa; under the bridge, you will see a headstone where it is written 'Naphtali Katz.' He passed away in 5479 (1719); he was fire. At the time the room filled with fire, everyone fled; he was the greatest sage, the greatest tzaddik before the Baal Shem Tov. And he explains what 'two gardens' are—the Upper Garden of Eden and the Lower Garden of Eden. And there is... why is 'yerek' (greens/vegetables) written? Why isn't it written oranges, zucchinis, tomatoes, cucumbers, or hot peppers? Tomorrow, bring a hot pepper. Why isn't it written that peppers were there? He says 'yerek' (greens) refers to the 310 (numerical value of 'yerek' is 310) worlds, the 310 lights—'To bequeath to those who love Me yesh (310) and I will fill their treasuries' (Proverbs 8:21). Every tzaddik will receive 310 worlds. And this is also written at the conclusion of the Shas (the entire Talmud), where Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bequeath to every single tzaddik 310 worlds, as it is said, 'To bequeath to those who love Me—yesh (310), and I will fill their treasuries.' Therefore, it is written here 'yerek'; this is the conclusion of Bava Metzia, which corresponds to the conclusion of the entire Shas. Now Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says that Hashem bequeaths 310 worlds to everyone. Now there is a dispute here as to whom the 310 worlds belong. According to Rabbi Meir, they belong to the Upper Garden. The vegetables—the tomatoes, the cucumbers—are five meters high, so everything that is at a height of five meters belongs, according to Rabbi Meir, to the Upper [Garden], to the tzaddikim of the Upper Garden of Eden; they deserve the 310 worlds. This is 'yerek' (greens), the numerical value of 310. 'Yarok yarok' (spit, spit) is twice 310. Twice 310 is 620, which is Keter (Crown); Miriam merited the Keter because Miriam was a prophetess.

Once, every girl was a prophetess, every girl. Because Serach bat Asher played the harp [and sang], 'Joseph is still alive and king in Egypt.' It was forbidden to reveal it! They didn't reveal it to her [Jacob]; whoever reveals that Joseph is alive will die on the spot! They sold Joseph! All the brothers would die! If Jacob had known that the brothers sold Joseph, until his last day he didn't know it exactly; he thought Hamas stole him, the Jihad, the Nukhba stole him, they kidnapped him to Gaza. They wanted a thousand terrorists for him, and Bibi didn't agree, only for five hundred. And Biden said the opposite, to give two thousand [terrorists]. If they had given two thousand, they would have released him immediately. Just now Yoav Gallant is in Washington and he is begging, he is crying; every day they fire a thousand missiles, and from a thousand missiles there are two seriously wounded in Metula. And ten killed in Gaza. He is begging, crying, 'Send us two rifles at least... the rifles are finished. Two bombs at least.' They say to him, 'You are a baby, you are whining here like a baby, aren't you ashamed? A crying baby, why are you whining? What is a thousand missiles? It's nothing, why are you getting excited about it? When there are two thousand, we'll talk. First let there be two thousand, then we'll talk, we'll think what to do, maybe we'll send you three rifles, maybe three grenades... we'll see. But until there are two thousand missiles a day, we aren't talking to you.'

So now we are talking about the Mishnayos (teachings of the Mishnah); all of this is written here in the Mishnah. Now there is a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir regarding the 'yerek' (greens) that grows between the two gardens. There is—the garden is five meters high, it is located further up there, and they pick tomatoes and zucchinis and hot peppers, because we don't manage to reach these gardens. These gardens are in Syria, so it's impossible; all these gardens are in Syria, one cannot enter Syria today. But now many hot peppers are growing, so to whom does it belong—to the Upper or the Lower? There are two gardens, above and below. Rabbi Meir says everything belongs to the Upper. The 'Semichas Chachamim' says the Upper—these are the tzaddikim of the Upper Garden of Eden, like Rebbe Nachman, like Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), it belongs to them—that only they merit the 310 worlds. Rabbi Yehuda says no! Also the tzaddikim of the below, in the lower garden, the Lower Garden of Eden, they also merit the 'yerek,' the 310 worlds. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai comes and makes a compromise between the two—between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda. He says: Whatever the Upper one can reach out his hand to, that is his. But on the condition that he doesn't reach out by force, that he doesn't force himself, but what he cannot reach belongs to the Lower. The 'Semichas Chachamim' explains that everything that belongs to the below, all those who are in the Lower Garden of Eden, they too will merit the 310 worlds. So what do those in the Upper Garden of Eden merit [more than the Lower]? If even those below merit the 'yerek'—their 'yerek' which is 310. 'If her father had but spit, spit (yarok yarok)' (Numbers 12:14)—that is Keter, twice 310. If it is three times 310—three spittings. A person receives three spittings, then he merits to rectify all the reincarnations from the sin of Adam HaRishon (the first man) until today. Three spittings (3 x 310) is the numerical value of 930, corresponding to the number of years of Adam HaRishon. Everything that Adam HaRishon did not rectify in his life, the one who receives three spittings merits to perform rectifications for all the years of Adam HaRishon, from Adam HaRishon until our days. And this is what Rabbi Yehuda says, that the 'yerek' belongs to the Lower—that even if a person still has a few blemishes and he is a bit... he hasn't yet performed all the rectifications, but if he is close to the tzaddik, to the True Tzaddik, the True Tzaddik takes him by the hand. And this is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says, that whatever he catches in his hand, then he enters the Upper Garden of Eden. For everyone who merits to draw close to the True Tzaddik will merit to enter the Upper Garden of Eden, and may the complete Geulah (Redemption) be speedily in our days, Amen!"