Words of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

A lesson delivered by our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) during Mincha (the afternoon prayer) on the 2nd of Tammuz 5777, June 26, 2017.

"Parshat Chukat (the weekly Torah portion) speaks about Og the King of Bashan, Sichon the King of the Amorites, Miriam the Prophetess, the Well of Miriam, and Mei Merivah (the Waters of Strife). [The lesson is] that a person is forbidden from ever arguing. Moses argued once and did not enter the Land of Israel. What does a person have to argue about? If they tell you to stand here, then stand here. Soon we will have a hall for 10,000 people (for prayers), then for a hundred thousand and so on; it just keeps doubling itself."

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"Lessons 54 and 55 in Likutey Moharan (the primary work of Rebbe Nachman) speak about a 'burier of the dead.' Lesson 54 regarding the burier of the dead refers to Avshalom (Absalom): 'It was taught: Abba Shaul says, I was once a burier of the dead. A cave opened up beneath me, and I stood in the eyeball of a dead person up to my nose. When I turned back, they said it was the eye of Avshalom.' And this is what Abba Shaul meant by saying 'I was a burier of the dead,' because Abba Shaul always endeavored to rectify the Ayin Hara (evil eye). (Likutey Moharan 54:4)."

"Lesson 55 refers to Og the King of Bashan: 'It is brought in the Gemara (Talmud): Abba Shaul says, I was once a burier of the dead. Once I ran after a deer and entered the thigh bone of a dead person... they told me it belonged to Og the King of Bashan. Not every person is able to rectify such voices (or 'thigh bones' - a play on words in Hebrew), for his [Og's] spiritual attachment was to the Right Side [of holiness], and even Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) was afraid of him until Hashem (the Holy One, Blessed be He) promised him, "Do not fear him," as brought in the Zohar. Because of this, a wicked person like Og is called a "refugee" (Palit) – "And the refugee came" (Genesis 14:13) – this refers to Og, who wanted Abraham to be killed so he could marry Sarah. He is in the category of: "The wicked watches for the righteous [Abraham]... but Hashem will not leave him in his hand."' Just like Og the King of Bashan, Avshalom also had an Ayin Hara (evil eye)."

"Og had an Ayin Hara (evil eye) toward Avraham Avinu (Abraham our forefather); he claimed that Abraham was not behaving properly because he was riding the donkey while Sarah was walking on foot."