Before you is the full shiur which Rav Berland shlit”a gave over on Chayei Moharan during Melaveh Malkah, after Shabbat Vayelech – Shabbat Shuva:
So now the Rebbe relates here in “New Stories” (Chayei Moharan 101 – translated to English as “Tzaddik” by Breslov Research Institute – see there, page 232) about one who traveled to Leipzig, who arrived in Vienna and London, and [when] arriving in Paris, there are giant signs to Leipzig. It [Leipzig] remains until today, the most central city; it is today part of Germany. And there they make the most profits. So us, beforehand he travelled by way of Leipzig – there the profits are made. And after this we continue to Uman and we buy several planes and send them. The largest plane [has] 800 seats. We’ll buy four like these. This will be enough for 3,200 people. Then everyone who will register – everyone see to register already tonight, because there are limited places. Because many have not registered to Uman. In the end they’ll remain in Israel. There were no planes. This year there were no planes. Rabbi Natan didn’t even travel on a plane. Rabbi Natan, even if the wagon fell over three times, he didn’t travel in a plane. The Rebbe certainly didn’t. By Rabbi Avraham bar Nachman there were already planes, but he didn’t. This was already after the First World War. They used planes, but the planes which flew were maybe once a week, only to America and London.
So now he travelled to Leipzig. In the middle of the way, he said…he really received such longing for the Tzaddik, because the main thing is longing for the Tzaddik! That it’s impossible without the Tzaddik for one second! To be at the prayers, Melaveh Malkah with the Tzaddik. It’s impossible one second without the Tzaddik! He told his merchants that he cancels everyone. [If] you want, come with me, [if] you want get out of here. I’m now travelling to the Tzaddik, to Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. From Vitebsk is a distance of 1,000 kilometers from Leipzig. Leipzig is Germany, Vitebsk is Russia, White Russia – Belarus. Then everyone said to him, “What are talking about? We don’t consent. We were hired for trading, [so] we were hired. We weren’t hired to travel now to graves of Tzaddikim – to Tzaddikim. This doesn’t interest us.” He said, “What’s this ‘doesn’t interest’? By me this is everything – to travel to the Tzaddik! To cancel the trade, to cancel the profits. I don’t want profits. You, I hired you for a week. Now we’re travelling to Vitebsk, to Rabbi Menachem Mendel.” We travel only to Rabbeinu.
Then they saw, they could only admit the truth – they informed him that he was already dead. “You are already dead, and we are destroying angels. We are taking you to Gehinnom now.” He heard this; he said now we are certainly travelling to the Tzaddik! Now certainly to the Tzaddik! They began screaming at him, “Wicked evil one, sinner, deceiver, seller of kerosene, Breslov Shuvu Banim” – what they didn’t scream at him! They don’t want this – no way! “We came to take you to Gehinnom, not to travel to the true Tzaddik.” They didn’t want to listen to him. He became angry with them. He said, “You are obligated to travel to where I say!” They said to him, “We are destroying angels. We are taking you now to Gehinnom. And you are dead and you have many judgements. By no means will we go to where you told us.
“He wanted them to take him to his Rebbe and they didn’t want to, until they brought the case before the Heavenly court.” They went to the Heavenly court and “decided in his favor.” He hired them for anything that he was interested in. It doesn’t make any difference – Tzaddikim, the graves of Tzaddikim – that they will be with him. “That they need to honor his desire to be taken to his Rebbe.” Then he arrived, at the moment that he died – this was the same day that he died – to Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, who was already in the Land of Israel. He lived in Tiveria. “And they brought him to his home, and when he entered the home of the Tzaddik,” then he [Rebbe Menachem Mendel] simply fainted. He saw a destroyer [enter with his follower], the face of a destroyer. He was from Hamas or Jihad. “The Tzaddik was frightened and remained weak.” He remained passed out until they poured onto him some buckets of water, like Yaakov Avinu “his heart became numb” (Breishit 45:26), that he remained passed out until Serach bat Asher woke him up. “And afterwards the Tzaddik came around and worked on his rectification.” Eight days it took to rectify him – eight days! He was so blemished with transgressions, with sins – didn’t bless with concentration. Then “the Tzaddik told them” that they needed to send another emissary. This one who died was the emissary. Then when the Rebbe arrived in the Land of Israel, the money came to —. The Turks would seize money and also would give a life sentence to anyone who would smuggle money. This was called smuggling, but now that the Rebbe arrived, then there was someone to send all the money with…and they sent to inform the people in the Land of Israel that the emissary had died and that they would send the money with someone else.
Therefore, it’s forbidden to even once let go of the Tzaddik! It isn’t such that once you come to the prayers, once don’t come to the prayers. “There’s a thousand minyanim. It’s possible to pray at home” – it’s not like this! Someone who puts in everything to pray with the Tzaddik, then also after death he will pray with the Tzaddik!
–Courtesy of the Breslov Information Line *9148
To hear the shiur in Hebrew, click here and scroll down to bottom of article.
