Decree of Destruction
On Parashat Bo, 6 Shevat 5783 (1/28/23), after the Shacharit prayer, our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a revealed to the wider public that a decree of destruction stands over the Jewish people like there was some 80 years ago. Our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a described the harsh reality in which the residents of the Land of Israel were found at the time of the terrible Shoah (Holocaust), when the Nazis reached the borders of the Land of Israel, and Hitler, may his name be obliterated, announced over radio that he would conquer the Land of Israel and annihilate all the Jews, chas v’shalom. The Rav spoke of the miracles caused by the victory of the British military and the defeat of the Nazis; however, the Rav added details which were never before publicized, and they are the true reason for the rescue of the Jewish people in our land.
These are the holy words of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a: “Then they went to the grave of the holy Or HaChaim – all the Chareidim went, all of them. Then on Shabbat, the Germans encountered complications and didn’t come to Israel, after everyone had screamed, cried at the Or HaChaim. Whatever is requested at the Or HaChaim – everything is fulfilled.”
The story is known of how at the time that the Germans began to approach the Land of Israel, and great terror fell on the Jewish settlement, Rav Yaakov Landau, the Chief Rabbi of Bnei Brak, turned to Rav Friedman, the Admor of Husiatyn, and asked him to join the prayer against the oppressor. Rav Friedman consented to his request and came to the prayer in Jerusalem at the grave of the Or HaChaim, Rav Chaim ben Attar. After saying Tehilim, he said to the congregated people that “the enemy won’t have control in our land,” thus calming the Chasidim. One of those present dared to ask how he knew.
The Admor of Husiatyn answered, “I saw the name Havaya in its proper order shining over the holy grave in the color gold.”
Prayers on the Grave of the Tzaddik for the Rescue of the Jewish People
After our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a concluded the story, he told his followers to go now and pray at the grave of the Or HaChaim to sweeten the decree of destruction: “Go today and on the 16th – it’s possible to cancel the decrees, and everything that is requested there is accepted.”
This was highly unusual for two reasons:
- The Rav shlit”a, according to the Kabbalah, doesn’t enter graveyards, even to visit the graves of Tzaddikim that are buried within. Only if the grave is found at the edge of the cemetery, like the grave of Baba Elazar Abuhatzeira, is it possible to be lenient. However, the grave of the holy Or HaChaim is found inside the cemetery at the Mount of Olives, and one needs to go through many graves to reach it.
- Even in the case where the Tzaddik’s grave isn’t found inside a cemetery, the Rav shlit”a, according to the custom of past generations of Breslov Chasidim, won’t visit the grave on Shabbat and Yom Tov, because according to the Kabbalah the essence of the soul of the Tzaddik ascends on high on Shabbat and Yom Tov and isn’t found at the grave. Therefore, even on Rosh Hashanah at Uman, the Rav and his students don’t enter the gravesite of Rabbeinu.
Rav Meir Hamburger relates that immediately upon hearing the Rav’s words on Shabbat Bo, he went to pray at the grave of the Or HaChaim together with other Chasidim of Rav Berland shlit”a. These are his words: “People of action who heard the words of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a, went out in the direction of the grave of the Or HaChaim, thinking on the way to go via Kfar HaShiloh (Silwan), where there is found the grave of Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura, and to pray there also. In the end, they decided to hasten to fulfil the words of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a, and to continue straight to the Or HaChaim. There they prayed a great deal and sang the songs of Shabbat to cancel decrees. On the way back, they heard loud sounds of gunfire, and immediately after this, [the sounds of] ambulance sirens and many security forces. They understood that something serious had taken place. Therefore, they returned to the grave of the Or HaChaim, and this time prayed with even greater force.
“On the way back, they passed by way of the Kotel near the entrance to the City of David at the descent to Silwan. There they were stopped at road blocks which were put in place because of the terror attack. They asked about the reason for the commotion, and were told that mamash at that moment there had been a terror attack there. They were also told about the great miracle which had taken place, that when an Arab terrorist had fired at a Jewish family which was passing by, miraculously there was a paratroops officer there on break who managed to neutralize the terrorist in a matter of a few seconds, and so a great and heavy tragedy was prevented. Then they also understood in retrospect why the Rav shlit”a specifically had requested that they pray at the Or HaChaim near the place of the terror attack, and specifically on Shabbat Kodesh.”
Rav Meir Hamburger adds: “When we returned from the Or HaChaim, they told us in the name of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a, that in the merit of our walking and prayers, not one person was killed.”
100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s for Saving the Jewish People
Rav Chaim Kohen, a man of kindness and a servant of Hashem, relates: “On Sunday, 7 Shevat 5783 (1/29/23), I came into the holy dwelling of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a. I asked him what the public can do for his sake [the Rav’s healing and success], and for the success and salvation of the Jewish people. Our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a requested to turn to the public for saying 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s against the decree of destruction. The Rav shlit”a even put out an announcement to the wider public in Israel and the world to encourage the matter.”
These are his holy words:
“By the 13th of the month of Adar, we must finish 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s! By 13 Adar, we must finish in order to cancel decrees, because now there is a decree of destruction.
“There is a decree to annihilate all the Jewish people. All the nations have joined this decree like in the time of the Nazis, 90 years from the Shoah. Now, there is a new decree to annihilate the entire Jewish people, and that all the nations will conquer the Jewish people and annihilate this people completely!
“Therefore, we need to finish 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s by 13 Adar, and the Rav will join also.”
Thousands have joined the prayer operation.
Thousands of Jews, Rav Berland’s students, followers, and people of action immediately enlisted to the important prayer operation. 40,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s have already been said, and the Rav even put out a letter which was publicized in the “Orot HaTzovot” newsletter for women of the holy community of Shuvu Banim:
“To the talmidot of Rabbeinu
“Be strong and courageous – in the merit of the Tikkun HaKlali which you said, the complete redemption will come, Hashem is One, and Mashiach (358) ben (52) David (24) (=435) will come, and there will be the complete redemption in the blink (305) of an eye (130) (=435).
“Eliezer Berland”
The Power of the Prayer of the Multitude and Fulfilling the Words of the Tzaddik Sweetens the Decrees
Behold, amazingly, just 12 days have passed since the call of our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a for the operation of saying 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s, and just a few days after the operation was publicized on the Breslov hotlines and people began to register, the operation gathered greater strength and momentum in Israel and the world. 40,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s have already been said, and suddenly the Rav shlit”a gave over these holy words, saying:
“It is written in Pirkey D’Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 28, that in another 189 years, until [the year] 5972, 28 years before the end of the 6th millennium – there will not be any disasters here.
“Because he who said that we stand before a new disaster – there will be no disaster here.
“What happened in Turkey isn’t relevant to us. This isn’t relevant to the Land of Israel, not relevant to Jerusalem – Jerusalem is shielded.
“The kings of the world did not believe, nor did any of the world’s inhabitants, that an oppressor and enemy would come to the gates of Jerusalem” (Eicha 4:12) – there is no threat to Jerusalem and no threat to the Land of Israel, and it’s not necessary to say 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s.
“It’s enough to say one Tikkun HaKlali a day. Someone who wants to can say 2, 3, not more than 3. One doesn’t need to say more than 3 Tikkun HaKlali’s.
“There won’t be any disaster, and in the merit of the dancing, like in the exodus from Egypt, through dancing [there was the redemption, so too] there will be the complete redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.”
Until here are the Rav’s holy words.
So the question arises, why doesn’t the Rav shlit”a just let the public continue and reach 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s?! After all, prayers never go to waste, and the Tzaddik could use them for other things.
Perhaps this is the secret of the Israelites when they were at the sea: “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth” (Shemot 14:15). “Hashem shall make war for you, and you shall remain silent” (ibid 14). Because there is prayer which is the aspect of judgement (Likutey Halachot: “The main [aspect] of prayer is mercy and supplications, and mercy is dependent on knowledge… and when the Other Side draws sustenance from mercifulness, then the mercifulness is corrupted and turns into cruelty, and knowledge is blemished… and then the prayer is in an aspect of judgement… and the Other Side draws sustenance from it.”) And sometimes specifically this prayer which is in an aspect of judgement is what arouses the judgements.
Because the prayer which is in an aspect of judgement doesn’t arouse the powers of emunah (faith) and simchah (joy) which are needed for clinging to Hashem Yitbarach. And sometime the opposite: the world enters depression and despair which arouses more judgement. Therefore, our Rebbe Rav Berland shlit”a said, “In the merit of the dancing, like in the exodus from Egypt, through dancing [there was the redemption, so too] there will be the complete redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.” The Rav shlit”a mentions this a great deal, how the women left Egypt with drums, and, therefore, were not in the sin of the Golden Calf.
Earthquake and Great Disasters in the World
It’s important to point out that at the time that the Rav shlit”a said to begin the operation of saying 100,000 Tikkun HaKlali’s, it didn’t occur to anyone the disastrous earthquakes which were to take place in Turkey and Syria.
Rav Nachman Berland (the son of the Rav shlit”a) relates in the name of his father shlit”a, that the Rav began the prayer operation specifically in order to sweeten the earthquakes.
We need to understand the greatness of the miracle, because the matter isn’t simple at all. We quote here the words of the scientists after the latest disasters: “The earthquakes could have ended for us [chas v’shalom] in a very grave disaster and have claimed many victims, because it was classified at level 8 on the Richter scale, and as known, Israel is found mamash on the Syro-African Depression.” The scientists say, “According to all the laws of physics and nature, the chances of a disaster in Israel were very high. The scientists [those who are ready to admit the truth] are dumbfounded: how can it be that we in Israel were spared against all the laws of nature?” There’s no other explanation. They admit, “There was higher providence here.”
