Youth Gathering Before Uman Rosh Hashanah with the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi

"Elijah will come on Rosh Hashanah to herald the Geulah (Redemption)," and therefore only those who merit to travel to Uman will be able to bring the Geulah.

In words of holy fire before the 'Youth Group' (Chaburas Bnei HaNeurim), our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, delivered the concluding lesson before the journey to the holy Kibbutz (gathering) of Rosh Hashanah in the holy city of Uman.

These words were spoken before the holy Kibbutz of 5784 (2023), and it is not surprising how relevant they are today. Our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, teaches about the close connection between the process of Geulah (Redemption) and the holy Kibbutz on Rosh Hashanah with Rebbe Nachman in Uman—a process that reached its final stages (as the Rav said in the lesson) during the Kibbutz of 5784 and even more so this year.

From here we learn how important the arrival of our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, is to the holy Kibbutz in Uman. These are his holy words:

Rosh Hashanah 5784 (תשפ”ד) - May the year of redemption begin (Tachel Shnas Pedus).

The letter Dalet (the final letter of the Hebrew year 5784) represents David HaMelech (King David), because on this Rosh Hashanah, Mashiach ben David (the Messiah from the line of David) must be revealed. Therefore, this Rosh Hashanah is a tikkun (rectification) for all the reincarnations and the portions of a thousand years, for everyone has already been in the world for a hundred reincarnations.

Everyone was at the Tower of Babel, everyone was in Sodom, everyone was in the generation of Enosh when a third of the world was submerged. The generations of Sodom, the Dispersion (HaPalaga), Enosh, and the generation of the Flood—everyone was in the Flood, and one drowning was not enough. For people lived 900 years, like Yuval who lived 900 years: "And his brother's name was Yuval; he was the father of all who handle the lyre and pipe" (Genesis 4:21).

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We (the Rav is speaking to the youth) sang to Hashem (God) today, but back in the time of Yuval, they only sang to Avodah Zarah (idolatry).

Noah was 695 years old; as long as Adam HaRishon (the first man) was alive, no one dared to speak nonsense. Seth was born when Adam HaRishon was 130. Enosh was born when Seth was 105, descending at 235, Methuselah at 695. All this is explained in the *Asara Maamaros* (Ten Utterances)—that he then decided he created the world, he was created before Adam HaRishon and he created Adam HaRishon. Even though it lasted 8 years, "Then it was begun to call upon the name of Hashem" (Genesis 4:26).

'Az' (Then) has the numerical value (gematria) of 8, but "his name was Enosh" has the gematria of 703. From 695 to 703 is 8 years; his entire period was 8 years, like Menashe who was his reincarnation and he denied [Hashem]. Menashe became king at age 12, and for 22 years he denied [Hashem]. For 33 years Menashe did teshuvah (repentance), but for the people of Israel it no longer helped; the people of Israel continued to serve Avodah Zarah (idolatry).

Then Josiah arose and broke all the idols, and then Jonathan son of Gershom, the grandson of Moses, called him to his house. He violated the word of Hashem, and then a lion came and struck him, but it did not eat him. The lion stood next to the donkey and next to the body of Iddo the Prophet.

Therefore, the Mashiach will come specifically from Jeroboam son of Nebat, who will be Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah from the house of Joseph) who will fight the wars of Hashem, but he will die. Then Mashiach ben David will come and revive him—all this will happen on Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is the moment of the revelation of Mashiach ben David.

The creation of the world begins on the 17th of Elul, but we count from the 25th; the 25th was the first day of the creation of the world. The 24th of Elul was then on Shabbat; seven days prior was the 17th, and then Hashem rectified the Name BAN (a Kabbalistic name associated with Malchut, Emunah, and Prayer). Elijah is from the Name BAN; Elijah has the gematria of BAN (52).

The revelation of Elijah will be on Rosh Hashanah. Elijah is literally the Name BAN, and all five prayers of Rosh Hashanah are the revelation of Elijah, Mashiach ben David, Mashiach ben Yosef, and the Righteous Priest—Aaron the Priest who will come and light the Menorah. All this will be on Rosh Hashanah, and therefore we cry out "Hashem is God, Hashem is God!"

Rosh Hashanah is a preparation for Yom Kippur; then everything is mercy, so one is not liable for stoning but only kares (spiritual excision), because the essence of the day (itzumo shel yom) atones. Only if a person dies a second before sunset is he liable, but in all other cases, the essence of Yom Kippur atones.

At the essence of the day, we cry out "Hashem is God, Hashem is God!" This begins on the 17th of Elul; now (at the time of the lesson) it is already the 18th. On the 17th, the tikkun (rectification) of the Name BAN begins, which is the gematria of Elijah—Elijah will herald the Geulah (Redemption); Elijah will come on Rosh Hashanah to herald the Geulah.

Therefore, only those who travel to Uman, only those who merit to travel this week to Uman, will be able to bring the Geulah; they are the ones who will effect the entire Redemption now. They have one week to sanctify themselves, not to open their eyes.

The main thing is shmiras einayim (guarding the eyes), not opening the eyes, for it is written in *Megaleh Amukos* (191) that a person does not see a woman, but rather the demons (shedim) that surround her. After the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge, and after the sin of the Golden Calf, demons surround her. A person, with the demon within him, connects with the demon within her, and then there is andralmusia (chaos/destruction). For "ander" is male and "musia" is female—meaning a male demon connects with a female demon, and then there are car accidents and terror attacks in the world.

All the terror attacks happen because a person opens his eyes; then there is immediately an attack. For the demons enter the Arabs, and these demons are the ones who carry out the attack; they are created from the lack of shmiras einayim (guarding the eyes). A person does not see a woman, but the demons that surround her, and the demon within him wants to see the female demon; then the demons receive power and destroy the entire world in a single second. These demons strike every point in the world, and Rosh Hashanah comes to nullify this.

Rosh Hashanah comes to nullify all forbidden sights and all the terrible blemishes, especially the internet and iPhones, where one sees the most shocking things in the world—things that did not exist in the generation of the Flood or the generation of the Dispersion. Even in those generations, there were no such things as there are today—today, before the Geulah (Redemption), the trials are the most difficult because there are such terrible sights.

Everyone has Avodah Zarah (idolatry) in his pocket (smartphones); this is the true idolatry. There he can see all the most terrible things that Adam HaRishon, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never dreamed of—the moment he sees such a thing once, he is lost for life.

One who fails with a single forbidden sight, seeing some iPhone or internet, is already lost for life. All the days of the world will not be able to rectify him; he cannot be released from what he saw, and then no prayer is accepted, and no service ascends Above.

Therefore, we are now 12 days before Rosh Hashanah; everyone should take upon himself absolute shmiras einayim (guarding of the eyes), both on the journey to Uman and while walking in the streets. For this is the most difficult trial of all trials—the moment we stand up to this trial, then we will have a Rosh Hashanah.

And this will be the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen.

The crowd answers: Amen