After a Two Week Absence, Rabbi Eliezer Berland Returns
After a two week absence, yesterday August 6, 2019, Rabbi Eliezer Berland, shlita, returned to his home in Jerusalem, and to his community located at HaHoma Hashlishit. Rabbi Berland took a two week leave of absence to recuperate from another bout of ill health, and no-one knew when he would be able to return to pray with his followers.
So the community was overjoyed yesterday, when the news spread that Rabbi Berland had returned to Jerusalem, and the Beit HaRav. You can see a clip from the davening below:
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At the same time, Rabbi Berland’s attendants put out an important message on his behalf, setting out some stipulations that Rabbi Berland would like his congregation to adhere to, from now on.
The message said the following:
“Since Simchat Torah from the year 5738, it’s already been 41 years. Over the course of 39 years, the yeshiva has conducted its prayers in a very organized fashion, praying with kavana (intention). Over the last two years, the prayers have turned into a kabalat kahal (meet and greet for Rabbi Berland’s followers), with thousands of notes being passed to the Rav during the time for davening.
So now, we are returning the ancient crown to its place, and going back to conducting the prayers in the same way they were done for 39 years – organized prayers, with kavana (intention), and without notes, questions, and ‘meeting and greeting’ the Rav during the time of the prayers.
All personal questions will be answered immediately after the prayers.
If someone has an urgent question, they can refer it to the attendant, and he will receive an answer in that way. But at the time of the prayers, no note will be responded to. There will be a big box where the community will be able to put their notes and pidyonot. After the prayers, the urgent questions will be dealt with, and the relevant family members will be contacted.
From today, the Rav will pray without any interruptions, and the children and the benches (where they sit) will be moved to the front of the hall, in order for the Rav to be able to see them throughout the prayers. The Rav can encourage them, and give them good hints about how to pray with kavana (intention).
Every child can pray in an organized way, with kavana, and with niggunim, and with melodies, as we received with the blessing from Rabbi Levi Yitzhak, and from Rabbi Nachman of Tulchin, who received this blessing from Rabbi Natan.
Everything will be conducted ‘with calm waters’, meticulously, and with maximum gravity, without any exception or compromise.
From today, there will be no distribution of candies during the time of the prayers; the prayers will be done as the holy of holies, with appropriate dread and awe. Only, to focus on the words, and the melodies, and the requests, and this will sweeten everything.
Only prayer with intention, taking place in a state of total dread and awe, can sweeten all of the judgments, both in the world, and at the personal level.
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From today, the prayers will be conducted at their times.
Mincha will occur before shkia (halachic twilight), and kabbalat Shabbat 20 minutes before shkia. The Shacharit (morning) prayer will always begin an hour before netz (dawn). The prayers will conclude on time, in order to enable the women to get their children to cheder (school) in an organized fashion.
Anyone who breaks these rule will cause the Rav to be unable to come to the prayers.
Women are requested to stop following after the Rav, and to stop standing on the Homa HaShlishit Road, opposite the Beit HaRav.
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Separately, Rabbi Berland also announced that he would begin teaching a Gemara class every day at 4am, before the Shacharit prayers.
- Members of the public are welcome to join Rabbi Berland for prayers, taking place at the Beit HaRav at the end of Ido HaNavi Street, close to the intersection of the Musrara and Meah Shearim neighborhoods.
