There is only Hashem
Over the years, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, shlita, has strengthened his community tremendously about the enormous power of prayer. Prayer is above nature, prayer can achieve outcomes and that are otherwise totally miraculous and apparently out of reach.
Below, we’re very happy to share a brief clip containing some of the Rav’s words from over the years on the power of prayer, together with the English translation.
And may all of Am Yisrael’s prayers to be freed from our current difficult oppression be heard and answered swiftly, Amen.
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“Speech comes out with the nefesh (the animal soul).
The living soul (nefesh) fills up the ruach (soul connected with the emotional state) when it’s heard by the ears. It’s like our Rabbis said, may their memory be for a blessing: The Shema should reach your ears, and pray the Shemoneh Esrei (18 benedictions) slowly, slowly.
And this is what the Tzaddik wants, that we should pray every single letter with kavana (spiritual intention). Every single letter, with kavana!
We should feel that Hashem is talking with me, that Hashem is (so to speak) placing His ears next to my mouth. And to feel how Hashem is placing His ear next to our mouths.
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And this is how a person can keep going, and keep continuing.
This is how the Tzaddik wants us to conduct ourselves, within the Shemoneh Esrei. He conducts him [to say]:
Blessed are You, Hashem, our God and the God of our fathers.
And after that, [to say]:
The God of Avraham, the God of Yitzhak, and the God of Yaakov.
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When he says the ‘b’ of ‘Blessed’ – b, b, b – that b already contains all the shefa (bounty) for 2,000 years!
That when he already just says the letter b – bet – he already doesn’t need to go to any gemach (free loan society), or any other place. Just say the B!
In [the word] baruch (blessed), there are already all the blessings, and all the salvations, and all the healings. He needs his wife to get well, he needs a healing for his children, his wife needs to conceive – in the word ‘baruch’ by itself, there are already all the salvations, miracles and wonders.
We are standing before a faithful, merciful King, who does everything possible just to give to us, and this just depends on [saying] the Shemoneh Esrei with kavana.
Say baruch slowly, slowly, and you’ll get an apartment, and you’ll get everything that you need – healing, a salvation, you’ll get everything!
Just say baruch slowly, slowly.
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[God says:]
Why are you running away? After all, I love you!
The letter itself says, I want that you should say me slowly, and then I’ll give you everything.
So, every single letter, the whole word baruch asks you to stand here a few seconds more.
You said the word baruch, so now stand for a few more seconds. Don’t rush, don’t run through it.
That you should have some patience, stand close to me.
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Baruch atta Hashem!
We said ‘Hashem’ [the tetragrammaton], [when we say this], YKVK, we can clarify all the klipot (husks of evil).
And everything is put right, by way of prayer.
[Prayer] can achieve everything.
Hashem is everything.
Hashem!
There is nothing except for Hashem, there is nothing else.
Nothing else exists, it’s only Hashem.
Hashem is doing everything.
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As palavras do Tsadik me fortaleceu muito!!!