It’s only possible to enter Gaza with angels
On Hanukah, we read Parshat Miketz – “I am Yosef”
They saw that masses of people in Tel Aviv want to pray, so Huldai forbade them
These are the holy words of Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit”a:
Lot was the first captive, so Avraham went out to war — because now we need to free the captives. Avraham Avinu went to free the captives. There was Lot, he had four daughters, all of them were captives. So Avraham Avinu put his life into his hand [to free them].
When he left his house, he saw angels on all the surrounding mountains, because angels went with him. It’s impossible to enter Gaza [without angels].
Now we want to read on Hanukah Parshat Miketz, because then Yosef disappeared. In Parshat Vayigash, Yosef is revealed – “I am Yosef” (Bereishit 45:4).
This year (5784), the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Natan [of Breslov] comes out on Parshat Vayigash – “I am Yosef.” Rabbi Natan screams, “I am Yosef.” Everything is “I am Yosef.” The brothers do not understand why all this suffering is happening to them – [Yosef accuses them:] “You are spies” (ibid. 42:9), and they are suffering three days in jail; [everything is because they sold Yosef].
The Supreme Court decreed that it is forbidden to perform Hakafot on Simchat Torah, but this needed to be exactly the opposite, because only the Hakafot protect against Hatkafot (attacks).
After they canceled the Hakafot, they became Hatkafot/attacks. [The Tel Aviv mayor, Ron] Huldai said that Hakafot are forbidden, because he saw that all Tel Aviv is running to do Hakafot. Already on Yom kIppur, a thousand young men and a thousand young women, completely secular, came. They wanted to pray on Yom Kippur, and the synagogues were overcrowded. There was no room to squeeze in.
You [referring to the Rav’s son, Rav Nachman Berland] were in the Great Synagogue in Haifa. The masses who crowded in there for the Yom Kippur prayer broke all the doors. They had to buy tickets on Erev Yom Kippur to reserve a place, but however many tickets were sold, the places were not enough. Then the people came and broke the doors, and burst into the Great Synagogue in Haifa.
I was in the chorus; I was on the stage. Suddenly I heard a boom. I thought that it was an atomic bomb. I was sure that it was an atomic bomb. They broke down the main gate. I saw a thousand people entering.
Now in Ramat Aviv, the synagogue was overcrowded on Yom Kippur. The women’s gallery was overcrowded, without space. Suddenly, they saw that everyone went to the prayer at Dizengoff Square; all Tel Aviv came to pray, a thousand boys and a thousand girls. Huldai sent people, they began to beat them up, all the girls were crying there. They wanted to pray and did not want to disperse, but they didn’t want to [fight] back.
They cancelled the Hakafot, so they received attacks. Only the Hakafot protect against attacks.
