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Some fifty students from Litvishe [Lithuanian-style] yeshivas in central Israel gathered for a special shiur at Rav Berland’s home
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Fiery shiur on Torah learning in depth
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The song “It’s a great mitzvah to always sharpen the intellect with Rav Berland shlit”a”
In recent years, many students of Litvishe Yeshivas have drawn close to the light of Rabbeinu HaKadosh, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, and the way of our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a, totaling to hundreds of youths, may they multiply, who continue to persist in their Torah studies in the best Litvishe yeshivas in the Holy Land.
Some fifty of these yeshiva students, and amongst them many from the best yeshivas in the Litvishe yeshiva world, merited to enter the Rav’s holy dwelling, for a fiery shiur by the Rav shlit”a about the importance of learning Gemara specifically in depth, as Rebbe Nachman says.
The Rav shlit”a read from Likutey Moharan 105 that everything is dependent on learning Torah when one is able to understand one thing from another and to combine and join together the letters of the Torah. Likewise, the Rav read from Likutey Moharan 62 where Rabbeinu writes, “It’s a great mitzvah to sharpen the intellect, to understand something completely.” The Rav strengthened the young men, that even though they have merited to draw close to the light of Rabbeinu HaKadosh and to Breslov, they need to strengthen themselves with greater ability and greater strength, and to not miss the learning schedule of the yeshiva, in his holy words: “A person thinks that he came to Breslov to relax. He needs to know [that] the opposite [is true] – he went from ‘bad to worse’… Now he needs to learn twelve hours of Gemara”…
The Rav also spoke about the value of learning during Bein Hazmanim (the period where yeshivas are off on break). “Specifically during bein hazmanim, that on one side a person needs rest, because the Gemara is the thing which most exerts the intellect, but someone who merits to make the most of this time can learn twice as much as normal, like the words of the Chazan Ish. Because during the year there is the learning schedule of the yeshiva, but during bein hazmanim it’s possible to learn both day and night…”
After over a half-hour of fiery words about the greatness and obligation of learning Torah in depth, the Rav shlit”a began to sing with the students “It’s a great mitzvah to always sharpen the intellect” for several minutes with great arousal and concluded with Kaddish. Afterwards, he blessed the young men to ascend higher and higher and to have success in everything.
Immediately after the shiur the young men went out strengthened, praying Maariv with a massive throng of people along with the Rav shlit”a in the courtyard of the prayer hall.
