Over the week of Parashat Chukat, we merited to two shiurim in the home of our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a for residents of Brachfeld (a neighborhood in Modi’in Ilit) and Hatzor HaGlilit
On Monday, the night of 29 Sivan, a group of Breslov Chasidim, residents of Brachfeld and students of Rav Berland shlit”a, came to the Rav’s holy residence for a shiur. At the beginning of the shiur, the Rav shlit”a spoke of how Rabbeinu Nachman says that while we must honor all tzaddikim and receive from all of them, we need to know that by the true tzaddik, it’s something else completely. By the true tzaddik, we merit to the aspect of face-to-face. Afterwards he spoke about the greatness of Miriam’s well, and how the Yalkut Shimoni says that the mockers would laugh at Moshe Rabbeinu and say to him “bring water out from here…bring [water] out from here…” because they thought that Moshe just knew the secret of rocks from which water comes out from under them [geysers]. But Moshe wanted to show to them that the rock of Miriam was something else completely. It brings out water, also oil, and also honey.
Afterwards, the Rav shlit”a spoke about the obligation of learning Gemara in depth, demonstrating his words by explaining the sugya “Yeush shelo m’daat (despair without awareness)” in depth, and also the famous sugya “Chardal v’devorim (mustard and bees).” At the conclusion of the shiur the Rav shlit”a spoke about how during the previous week fell 23 Sivan, the day of the writing of the second letters [in the story of Purim], and how Esther merited to sacrifice herself by saying “let my life be granted to me as my request” – with myself it makes no difference to me what you do with me – this shall remain a question. However, “my people as my petition,” regarding this, Esther said to Achashverosh, I won’t relent. Here I demand that you change the decree. The Rav shlit”a concluding the shiur with the song “Esther spoke again before the king…” for around twenty minutes. Afterwards the Rav shlit”a concluded with Kaddish and then the participants in the shiur went out for Ma’ariv.
Later on in the week, on Wednesday night, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, a group from the city of Hatzor and its environs in the north merited to enter Rav Berland’s holy residence for a special shiur.
In the shiur, the Rav spoke about the weekly Parasha – Chukat – about Miriam’s well. Below is a short excerpt from the shiur:
“And now Moshe needed to bring down Torah from fire. The Chidushei HaRim explains that Moshe needed to bring down Torah anew, because this generation hadn’t heard the Ten Commandments. Everyone who had heard the Ten Commandments was already dead – gone. “And from them there wasn’t a man” (Bamidbar 26:64). The women remained, but the men didn’t remain, because the women were all prophetesses.”
Afterwards, the Rav shlit”a spoke about the greatness of Jewish women, that “in the merit of righteous women they were redeemed” – that in the merit of the women’s prayers, who despite not knowing how to read or write, would pray from the depths of the heart. Likewise, he spoke about honoring one’s wife and domestic tranquility, that if one is running late even a little bit, he needs to let her know so that they won’t worry at home.
At the end of the shiur, the Rav shlit”a said that the moment that Miriam’s well burst open, all the rocks in the desert burst open, and all the same mockers who made fun of Moshe were washed away from the very same waters which burst forth in the merit of Miriam’s well. If Moshe had sung song about this, he would have merited to enter the Land of Israel. He concluded by speaking about the greatness of the songs and melodies before and after the prayers.
After the shiur, the participants went out to the Ma’ariv prayer of Rosh Chodesh evening in its masses, like every evening in the courtyard of our Prayer Hall on Ido HaNavi street, together with the Rav shlit”a.
