The main shiur given by our Rebbe Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a at the Hilulah of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov 5784:
Then Rabbeinu today is at the age of 252; from [57]32 until [57]84, this is 52 [years], and another 200; and from his passing it is 213. Last year [when it was the 212th anniversary] it was the letters ReBI [numerical value 212]. Now it is RaViYA [213]. Raviya is a baby. The Rebbe was a baby who still had not begun to live. All the divine service of a person is to be a baby who still has not begun to live!
For Rabbeinu is the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu — Yechida [the highest level of the five levels of the soul]. The Rebbe said [Chayei Moharan 267]: I have reached the Yechida on the ultimate level, that there is none besides Him, Yechidah of Yechidah. Because Rabbeinu is the soul of Moshe Rabbeinu; Moshe Rabbeinu is the Nefesh of Yechidah. Today is the Ushpizin [guest-day] of Moshe Rabbeinu. We invite to the meal the supernal guests… Everyone say together: We invite to the meal the supernal guests Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and David. Today it is Moshe, the guest-day of Moshe Rabbeinu. This is Rabbeinu, he is the Moshe. We request of you, Moshe, the supernal guest, to sit with us and along with you all the supernal guests: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Aharon, Yosef, and David.
So now…Moshe Rabbeinu is the Nefesh of Yechidah, Rashbi is the Ruach of Yechidah, the Ari is already the Neshamah of Yechidah, the Baal Shem Tov is already the Chayah of Yechidah, and now [Rebbe Nachman] — it is the Yechidah of Yechidah. Rabbeinu says: I merited to Yechidah of Yechidah, that there is none besides Him. Everything is Yechidah of Yechidah. All the divine service of the Tzaddik is Yechidah of Yechidah. All the divine service of the Tzaddik is to attain Yechidah of Yechidah.
And therefore, Rabbeinu opened up the 32 Paths of Wisdom and the 50 Gates of Understanding. Now we are at the Yahrzeit of Rabbeinu — the 50 Gates of Understanding and 32 Paths of Wisdom are opening up…on this night, and each person can begin to learn Torah.
Like Eliyahu HaNavi said [Tanna Devei Eliyahu Zuta ch. 14] to someone who would catch fish; he was a fisherman, he had nets. He said to him: Why do you not learn Torah? He said: I have no intellect. Then [Eliyahu asked]: And how do you make a living? [He answered]: I am a fisherman and make nets, trap fish. [Eliyahu] said: You know how to make nets, you know how to take strings and to make nets, then how do you not know how to learn? How could this be? You take another letter and another letter and other words and join them. Sit eight hours by the Gemara.
For Rabbeinu said that without learning Gemara, it is impossible to reach anything! The Rebbe said this in [Likutey Moharan] Lesson 1: Through the Torah all the prayers and requests are accepted. The Rebbe says: I mean learning Gemara. The Rebbe says: From [learning] Chumash [the Pentateuch], a person will not be learned. The Rebbe says this in Lesson 12: We do not see that a person will be learned from Chumash. A person with be learned through a person building the Gemara. A person builds his brain through the Gemara. The Rebbe says: What we see, that the learned dispute Tzaddikim, this is with a great Divine intention! This is all so that through this, there will be a hug, kiss, and unification — the initial letters of ChaNI. The Rebbe says that this that they dispute a person is with great Divine intention! Because this that they are disputing a person… Why are they specifically disputing this person. Because he knows how to elevate the combinations [of letters].
Because every word that a person says is combinations. All of [Parashat] “Ki Tavo” is blessings; it is not curses. Therefore, we read “Ki Tavo” before Rosh Hashanah. Ezra enacted to read “Ki Tavo,” and to read “Bechukotai” before Shavuot [i.e. the two Parshiot with, according to the simple understanding, curses]. Because the Rambam explains that in the Land of Israel, they would finish the Torah in three years. Every Parashah they would divide into three. However, like how Parashat “Zachor” is before Purim, so “Ki Tavo” was before Rosh Hashanah, and “Bechukotai” was before Shavuot, [for the reason of:] “Tichleh Shanah V’Kileloteha — May the year and its curses end.”
Now all the curses turn into blessings, through the Tzaddik — “They shall curse and You shall bless” (Tehilim 109:28), for “Hashem your God turned for you the curse into a blessing, for Hashem your God loves you” (Devarim 23:6). Every word and every letter that are said — he [Bil’am] wanted to say “Kalem (destroy them)” — it turned into “Melech (King) [the same Hebrew letters in reverse]” (Tosofot, Avodah Zara 4b). Every word that he said was turned around on him, the letters were turned around. The curses are only rearranged blessings — these are such blessings…
“And Hashem will return you to Egypt in ships” (Devarim 28:68) [which appears to be a curse, however…] — that you will conquer Egypt. “On the path which I said to you, ‘You will not see it again.'”
So a person comes to the world… King David said: “Master of the Universe, I want to conquer the whole world, I want to conquer the whole world.” David could have conquered the whole world. Hashem said to him: “I know… ‘Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who has led me unto Edom’ (Tehilim 60:11).” So it is written in [Psalm] 60 “matzor (fortification)” and in [Psalm] 108, it is written “mivtzar (fortress),” because this is Rome. David wanted to conquer Italy, so that Rome would not be in the world, to nullify Rome. Rome is the source of impurity. The Vatican — there is the Ark, the Altar, and the Menorah there, and everything is found in the Vatican. There is the root of impurity. David wanted to clear this out, to nullify this. The Midrash Rabbah says in Devarim that David wanted to conquer Mount Edom, “Enough of you encircling this mountain; turn yourselves north” (Devarim 2:3). “North” is Seir — this is to conquer Rome, to conquer Italy. David wanted to conquer the whole world. He already had conquered Damascus. He reached the Euphrates…
David would ask the Urim and Turim about everything: If it is possible to progress another step, another fortress. “Who will bring me to the fortified city, who will lead me unto Edom” — he wanted to conquer all Edom — “Who will bring me to the fortified city.” It is written in [Psalm] 108 “Ir Mivtzar (fortress city)” — this is Rome.
So the Tzaddik wants — the Tzaddik can conquer the entire world! He can get the entire world to repent. There is no person who he does not get to repent. The Rebbe can become spiritually impregnated in everyone, in everyone the Rebbe can become spiritually impregnated. The Rebbe can cause everyone to repent! Every person in the world, even a gentile. He can lead even all the gentiles close to the religion of Israel (Chayei Moharan 251), that they will fulfill the Seven Laws of the Children of Noach, that all of them will want to convert. Because, “And all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you and will fear you” (Devarim 28:10). And, “All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers of the earth — you will see when the banner is hoisted up upon the mountains, and when the shofar sounds you will hear!” (Yeshayahu 18:3). “You will see when the banner is hoisted up upon the mountains” — we are requesting on Rosh Hashanah in Musaf, in Shofarot, that the whole world will hear the blast of the shofar.
For the Succah itself is the Shofar. The Succah is the greatest shofar, that we go out to the public thoroughfare and turn the public thoroughfare into a private dwelling, because most Succot are built in the public thoroughfare, which is to say that the public thoroughfare is taken and turned into a private dwelling. The Tzaddik can turn the public thoroughfare into a private dwelling.
Because after there was the shattering of the vessels, seven kings were created: Bela ben Beor, Yovav ben Zerach, Chusham from the land of the Temani, Hadad ben Badad, Samleh from Masrekah, Shaul from Rechovot HaNahar. Shaul MeRechovot HaNahar is the initial letters of Moshe. And after this Chanan ben Achbor was created — they reigned. And after these seven, King “Hadar” arrived. King Hadar, and the name of his city was Pa’u, and the name of his wife was Meheitavel. Meheitavel is both MaH (45) and BeN (52)!
MaH and BeN [5 times] together comes out “Succota (485).” Meheitavel is the letters MaH and after this Yud (10), Tet (9). Tet plus Alef (1) is 10, plus Yud and Lamed (30) comes out 50, plus Bet (2) is 52, so this is BeN — MaH and BeN. MaH and BeN come out “Succota,” [which is the same letters as] “HaSuccot.” “HaSuccot” is to join MaH and BeN, which is the numerical value of “Uman.” “Uman” is 97 — Alef, Vav, Mem, Nun are exactly 97 — this the joining of MaH and BeN. If we make “Uman” times five — 97 times 5, we get the word “Succota” — this is exactly 485. 485 is the multiplication of MaH and BeN five times, parallel to the five Sefirot (Divine emanations).
Because it is written [in the account of creation] five times “Or (light),” five times “Rakia (firmament),” five times “Mayim (water).” [It is written] five times “Sinai.” Why are all of these specifically five? Because there are five Sefirot — there is Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod.
Now we are in Chesed ShebeNetzach. Today we are in Chesed SheBeNetzach, because on Succot night we entered Chesed SheBeChesed, and after this on the 16th [of Tishrei], which was yesterday, we entered Chesed SheBeGevurah. Today [the 17th] we were in Chesed SheBeTiferet, and now at night we are already in Chesed SheBeNetzach. We have reached Chesed SheBeNetzach, which is the Sefirah of Netzach (victory), that this is “Lamnatzeach Mizmor L’David.” “Lamnatzeach” — sing to the One who is happy that we “conquer” Him. Hashem is happy when we conquer Him. Hashem says: “My sons have conquered Me, My sons have conquered Me” [as] when Rabbi Yehoshua stood up and said, “The [Torah] is not in heaven” [Baba Metzia 59:2].
For the law is according to Rabbi Eliezer in every place. Rabbi Eliezer can turn the spring backwards. He uprooted the carob tree, and the walls of the Beit Midrash moved. He moved everything backwards.
For Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol can rectify the whole world. He can turn everything backwards, to return the person back to the day that he was born… A person is born — from the day that a person is born, he [Rabbi Eliezer] turns the water backwards. This is Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, and therefore in heaven they announce, “The law is according to him.” Then even though the law is according to him — according to Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, but according to the majority — [when there is] an individual and the majority, the law is like the majority. So Rabbi Yehoshua said: “It is not in heaven.” Rabbi Yehoshua stood up on his feet and said, “It is not in heaven” — the law is according to the Sages, the law is according to the Sages [who are the majority].”
For the Rebbe says that we need as many people as possible to draw close to the Tzaddik, even though we know that the main thing is quality [instead of quantity]. The Rebbe revealed that the more people who draw close is a “multiplication of the houses”! And when we reach 13, we already reach six billion, because when we reach 7 [1x2x3x4x5x6x7], this is 5040, 8 is already 40,000, 9 is 360,000, 10 is 3,600,000, then 11 is already 40 million, 12 is 480 million, and when we reach 13, we are already found at 6.2 billion. This is to say that when 13 people reach Rabbeinu, they already cover all of planet earth — all 13 people is 6 billion. And when thousands of people come — 20,000, 40,000, or even 45,000, then this is trillions of trillions of trillions of trillions. If a person would live a trillion years, he could not tell how many combinations of houses there are through drawing close to the Tzaddik. When those drawing close to the Tzaddik are without end, every soul that draws itself close to the Tzaddik multiplies the number, multiplies the number [by] every soul.
So now we are found, now we talked here about Yechidah of Yechidah, for everyone who comes to the Hilulah of Rabbeinu is included in Yechidah of Yechidah, each person is included in Yechidah of Yechidah. The moment that we are included in Yechidah of Yechidah, we know that there is none other than Him alone.
So the Rebbe explains in Lesson 12 that those who dispute you are doing the greatest good; they are drawing all the bounty, that “And may my soul be like dust to all” — “And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth” (Bereishit 28:14), that through the dust, we merit to be like the dust, we merit to “like the dust of the earth,” we merit to, “And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth,” then me merit to, “And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth.” We merit that everything turns to dust, that the person turns into dust; then “It has dusts of gold” (Iyo 28:6). Then he merits to all the wealth in the world! The Rebbe says: “I need the wealth of the entire world.” Then the Rebbe merited to the wealth of the entire world, a third in merchandise, a third in land. So the Rebbe says that a person needs wealth. A person needs to attain such wealth as there has not been since the creation of the world — wealth such as this, all the silver and gold.
For the Manna would descend every day for 2000 years, “Each day’s portion on its day” (Shemot 16:4) — every day is a thousand years, “Each day’s portion on its day” — this is 2000 years. So the Manna would descend for 2000 years. Every day, each person would receive [enough] Manna for 2000 years. Hashem brought down so much wealth, that it was enough for 2000 years. However, the Rebbe says that wealth is only for women and those with constricted consciousness, because the Tzaddik is “So now whatever [God has said to you, do]” [Bereishit 31:16]. He does not need an agurah, he does not need a penny. The Tzaddik is “So now whatever…,” and this is only for women and those with constricted consciousness, that “So now whatever God has said to you, do.”
And this is what is written in Bereishit, that Rachel and Leah said (ibid.), “But all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children.” Because the entire matter of money [is] that [when] a person gives a hundred dollars, then he receives on the spot a 1,000 dollars. If he gives a 1,000 dollars, he receives on the spot 10,000. If he gives 10,000, he receives 100,000. If he gives 100,000, he receives a million. Everything multiplies itself. The more than a person gives charity, the more it multiplies itself.
“Where it is unknown to human feet” (Iyov 28:4), for the men of Sodom wanted to nullify business dealings. Because for every radish which they would uproot from the garden bed, they would find a diamond. The Gemara brings in Sanhedrin 109 that for every radish which would be uprooted from the garden bed, every “pugla” — this is a radish — they would find a diamond. So they wanted to nullify business dealings. From every radish they received a diamond, that this is “Odem Pitdah, Bareket, Nofech, Sapir, and Yahalom [the stones of the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol]…”
The Rav sings: “Odem Pitdah, Bareket, Nofech, Sapir, and Yahalom, Leshem Shevo and Achlamah, Tarshish Shoham and Yashfeh…”
Thank you so much !