Yeshivah Preparatory Program, Talmud Torah “Nechamas Tzion

Last week, on Monday night, the eve of the 21st of Teves, Parshas Shemos, toward evening, the maturing boys of the yeshivah preparatory program—9th grade—of the “Shuvu Banim Nechamas Tzion” institutions entered the inner sanctuary for a special shiur from The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, in his home.

Below is a brief summary of the shiur that The Rav shlit"a delivered to these precious youths:

The Rav shlit"a opened the shiur with the topic of Parshas Vayechi, focusing on Shimon and Levi and their killing of the men of Shechem, and on the dispute between the Rambam and the Ramban regarding the reason all the men of Shechem became liable for death. He brought in the name of the Likutei HaRim that this was the boys’ bar mitzvah derashah. Afterward, he spoke about the burial of Rachel Imeinu, and he strengthened the practice of traveling to Kever Rachel each and every day, saying that through prayer at her grave one merits to see all salvations. Moving from one matter to another, he said that they called Binyamin “a thief, son of a thief,” because Rachel stole the terafim, and now he “steals” the goblet. He explained that because the brothers struck him—since they thought they would now be slaves forever—and Binyamin accepted the blows with joy, he merited that the Beis HaMikdash would be in his portion. This is the meaning of “and between his shoulders He dwells”: because they struck him on the shoulders, he merited that his “shoulders” would become the place for the Beis HaMikdash. The Rav said that if he had accepted just one more blow with joy and love, he would have merited that the entire Beis HaMikdash would be in his portion.

Later in the shiur, the Rav discussed the Aggadah brought in the Gemara in Kiddushin about Rav Bibi bar Abaye, who subdued the seven-headed serpent, and he spoke at length on this subject.

In addition, during the shiur The Rav shlit"a spoke from Parshas Shemos about Basya bas Pharaoh, who saved Moshe, and that all her maidens who tried to dissuade her from saving him died. He said that the Tzaddik is called “Moshe” because the Tzaddik draws each and every person out from the malicious waters. The Rav shlit"a concluded the shiur with the matter of the switching of the plates of Besuel and Eliezer, and said that the true miracle was that Eliezer ate from the plate containing the poison—and Besuel died.