WEBINAR 10 RECORDING - The Real War of Gog uMagog

WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE LIVE WEBINAR ALL ABOUT RABBI BERLAND AND THE COMING OF MOSHIACH

PART 10 - RECORDED ON MAY 3 2020

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NOTES SHARED BY ONE OF OUR LISTENERS:

-continuing idea from last week-

We were talking about Mashiach and how the Redemption comes about.

Last week towards the end, we read through a long Gemara — to summarize, in the Gemara, in Sanhedrin, there was a conversation between two sages speaking about how the Redemption was going to come.

Rabbi Eliezer said that if we repent and do teshuvah the Mashiach will come, and if we don’t, then he will not come. So if we, the Jewish people do not repent then there will be no Mashiach.

The other opinion is by Rebbe Yeshua ben Levi, he agrees that the Mashiach will not come unless the Jewish people repent, but says that unless they repent on their own, then Hashem will cause something to happen, such as terrible decrees, that will force the Jewish people to repent.

In the end, the two sages agreed that Mashiach will have to come by repentance.

So if the Jewish people will not repent, then this will cause persecution to be made against the Torah scholars. And this will be enough reason for the people to be redeemed.

Through terrible decrees and suffering that the tzaddikim take on themselves, this will make the Jewish people repent.

Rabbi Eliezer didn’t like the reasoning — that we will repent through suffering — his understanding was that no matter how much suffering that we have been through, we are a very stiff necked people, and have been through alot in our history. We are spiritually in the same situation, if not at even lower levels.

It’s hard to imagine some global disaster that will happen that will cause us to do Teshuvah. Everyone thinks that his way is right and it is usually the minority, not the majority, that is doing teshuvah.

So Rabbi Eliezer didn’t like the idea that suffering will cause us to do Teshuvah. But at the end, the persecution of the true Torah scholars then must bring Mashiach whether the Jewish Nation repents or not.

So this concept may be hard to understand: what does the persecutions and suffering of true Torah scholars have to do with the repentance of the Jewish people as a whole?

We see in another Gemara, Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai said that through the suffering he went through by being in the cave for 13 years, he is able to release every single person in his generation from judgments. And, if he is with his son, Eliezer, then even every person from the beginning of time, they would be able to release them from all judgments.

So we see the idea of the suffering of the Tzaddik being able to release people from judgments and will be able to be redeem them without them actually doing their part which is of doing Teshuvah.

Rebbe Nachman says it straight out. "The Tzaddik is obligated to and must do Teshuvah for the Jewish people". Many people do not believe that this is a Jewish concept, but it is a foundation of Judaism and we see it over and over again through out the entire Torah, the Chumash, the Tanakh and stories from the Torah, oral and written, that the Tzaddik atones for the entire generation.

Before the world was created, it is said that the angels came to Hashem and said "Hashem why are you going through all this trouble to create these people when You KNOW that they will rebel against You and they will sin and You will have to just destroy them anyway?" The Answer from the Medrash, Hashem heard and asked the Tzaddikim what they thought and they said that the Jewish people WILL do Teshuvah, and they guaranteed that if they didn’t, then they will do the job and Atone for the people. They will take on the suffering to release the people from the judgments.

The "Back-Up Plan" is that all throughout all generations, the Tzaddikim will suffer for the people if they fail to do Teshuvah. Mashiach is the ultimate Redeemer of the Jewish people and it is he who will suffer the very most. He takes on himself 1/3rd of all the suffering of all of creation from the beginning of time to the end of time.

We see this throughout history, looking back we see many Tzaddikim take on tremendous amounts of suffering. For example, Rabbi Akiva was on an awesome level and took on unbelievable amounts of suffering. Moshe went up to Heaven to get the Torah and saw into the future that Rabbi Akiva was putting the crowns on top of the letters and teaching many levels of Halachot based on the crowns. Moshe asked Hashem, why are You having me bring the Torah when You have someone like this teaching at such a high exalted level? Rabbi Akiva went through tremendous suffering where the Romans combed his flesh with iron combs until he died.

So we see this idea of how many, many Tzaddikim through out all the generations go through tremendous sufferings, persecutions, physical suffering and all different kinds of suffering. All these things are the part the sufferings of Mashiach which is the idea, the purpose is to release the Jewish people from the judgments which they have caused upon themselves by their own sins.

Now, in truth, it says in the Seforim, that every single person, when he suffers of any kind (whether it be physical, emotional, problems with relatives, etc,) they can have in mind that this suffering is the suffering to free the Shechina from Golus. This means to do the same thing that the Tzaddikim are doing in their suffering and bringing the people out of exile.

Rabbi Akiva when he was killed by the Romans in such terrible ways, he SAID, that everytime he said the Shema, that he was thinking about having the opportunity to die for "the Sake of Heaven". Al Kiddush Hashem — The Sanctification of Hashem’s Name. Rabbi Akiva said, "I have been waiting for this all my life.” The Arizal said when you say the Shema you should have in mind the intent to always be ready to sacrifice your life for Hashem, this BRINGS A LOT OF LIGHT into the world, when ever someone dies Al Kiddush Hashem. Many evil spirits are destroyed when one has this intent, the true Kavanah (deepest intent and meaning) when saying the Shema. This has alot of POWER.

The Noam Elimelech writes in his tzittle katan to meditate and imagine that each day there is a great fire before you and out of the Love of Hashem, you jump in it. The Rav has been speaking of this alot in his last couple of shirium, that one must always be ready to give up his life for Hashem.

Other intents is to have in mind the four means of the death penalty: stoning, burning, strangulation, or beheading. These are the intents that a person should have when saying Shema. Whenever it’s time for one to leave this world, it should be done through in this kind of way….al Kiddush Hashem. But no one should ask to die before his time, he should live to be 120. And on the last day of his life, he should die al kiddish Hashem.

All the people who died in the Holocaust, created an amazing Light through their sufferings.

So, accept suffering WITH LOVE. The Tzaddik is doing this. He is going through tremendous, tremendous suffering. In the Gemara, we see that this is what it means when the Tzaddik is going through sufferings, and when we go through sufferings, we are lifting some of that off of the Tzaddik. The Tzaddik is going through sufferings every day of his entire life at every moment. Release the entire world from Judgment that the world needed to go through for Mashiach to come. And what was needed to arose the Jewish people to Teshuvah.

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Lag bOmer is next week. It is a very powerful day, basking in the light of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. It’s good to read the Zohar, as this concept is talked about here.

The Zohar (in the Parsha of Noach after the flood). Noach sent the dove released from the Ark to fly and find a place to rest. This is talking about the Exile of Edom, the dove didn’t come back to him again. This means, until today the Jewish people have not done Teshuvah. Their spirit has not been aroused.

Rabbi Pinto said that IF we did Teshuvah we wouldn’t stay in exile even one day. The Mashiach would instantly come!

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Rabbi Akiva asks of Rabbi Eliezer, if everything depends on the people doing Teshuvah, how can every single person in the whole world at the same time be aroused to do Teshuvah? How can we be in that situation when all this is necessary for the Redemption? We will wait forever!

The answer from Rabbi Eliezer, says the the final sign is when the True Heads, the LEADERS, the Tzaddikim, the Torah scholars would do Teshuvah for the entire community, in their merit the entire Exile will be redeemed. But TRUE Tzaddikim do not sin, but they CAN suffer for the entire nation. Even if one community does Teshuvah, that is good enough. The Teshuvah of the Leaders!

People ask: Why is this Exile SO LONG? Hashem is WAITING FOR US! When we do Teshuvah, the Redemption will come. He is constantly waiting on us.

Rav Berland, when he opened his Yeshiva around 50 years ago, named Knishta Chada. He said that if this Yeshiva will bring the Geulah, then he would open it. He didn’t want an institution at first. The Teshuvah movement in Israel, was brought about by the Rav. The Rav is doing Teshuvah for them — which is why he is going through all this suffering and persecution. The "children will return” is Shuva Banim. Same thing. All of this is bringing the Geulah, which is happening very soon. The Geulah is happening very, very soon.

A person always needs to be prepared to die Al Kiddush Hashem. The Rav has been talking alot about this lately. Al Kiddush Hashem and then he says Mashiach is only coming in 200 years?

So, Rabbi Moshe Tzanani, one of the original students of the Rav says that when ever someone says a certain date for Mashiach to come, he will NOT come on that date, he explains…He says saying 200 years before Mashiach will come is to AROUSE us to do Teshuvah so that we will make it come NOW. Arouse ourselves to do Teshuvah, it depends on us. In 200 years that is the final time that it must come.

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A very big Mekubal, Rabbi Yehuda Sheinfeld, was a right hand man of the “Milkman", a great Kabbalist, who recently passed away.

He was asked: “We know that Rabbi Berland has been sitting in prison now for more than two months, despite having committed no crime, because he was stitched up with false allegations and slander. What can you say to strengthen us?

Rav Sheinfeld answered: We spoke about what the Tzaddikim said, that each Tzaddik takes upon himself a part of the birth pangs of Mashiach, in order to save the Jewish nation from a war, etc., and other difficult things that could occur to the Jewish nation.

In the Gemara in Sanhedrin, it says that before the Geulah comes, there would be a great deal of informing (to the authors) within the nation of Israel. That there would be informers within the country, within Am of Israel.

Rav says that the Tzaddik is taking on the birth pangs of the Mashiach.

Rav Yehudah Sheinfeld is the father.in.law of the man who is the main INFORMER against Rav Berland. This man is behind ALL of the informers, to this very day. He says this is a MITZVAH to inform on the Rav!!!!!

How could people with beard and payot be behind this bloodshed against the Tzaddikim?! False testimony, working WITH the police, etc. This happened to Rebbe Nachman and also Rebbe Noson.

These ideas are hard to imagine. Tzaddikim persecuting other Tzaddikim, this idea is very hard to image. King Shaul was a Tzaddik and persecuted David haMelek and this is almost word for word happening again with the Tzaddik of THIS GENERATION. The same thing. It’s all happening right here, now, again and in front of us. It was so dark, it was difficult to see the clarity of the situation at that time. Today is also dark, hard to see who is who. We do not know who is who. History is always constantly repeating itself. These stories have happened before.

The Yismach Moshe, the original Satmar Rebbe, in Parsha Vayeshev, comments about the Gemara in Sanhedrin, that says before the Geulah comes, there would be a great deal of informing (to the authorities) within the nation of Israel. That there would be informers, within the nation of Israel.

(He explains that) the spiritual reason for the informers is because Hashem wants to separate the Klipah (evil side) from the Kedusha (holiness). The people who need to be ejected from Klal Yisrael are becoming informers — this is how they will be discharged from the Jewish people, and the Geulah won’t have to be held up because of them.

Usually, we would need to wait for everyone to return in Teshuvah (before Mashiach comes), but whoever becomes a moser (informer), we don’t wait for them to make Teshuvah.

The question that was asked is how do people with beards and side curls were the ones who informed against saintly Talmidei Chachamim (Torah scholars), including Rabbi Berland?

So they are persecuting anyone associated with Rav Berland. Anyone who doesn’t join them are under constant threat to be persecuted themselves!

So he answers: What are we going to do with the rodfim (persecutors)? The Tzaddikim told us already, more than 200 years ago, that in the generation of the Geulah, there would be people with beards and long payot, and I don’t want to continue to say what happens next, in relation to them.

The Erev Rav, are the ones leading the war against Mashiach…they are the leaders of the War of Gog uMagog…which is their job to fight against Mashiach.…..

The question is asked: We hear your words, but we don’t understand how it’s possible for these informers to think that they are doing a big Mitzvah?

The answer says: It’s true, that everyone thinks that (when they sin) they are really doing a big Mitzvah. The Communists also believed this, and the Nazis were sure that they were just doing a very big Mitzvah. There is no person who thinks that he’s doing a sin, but rather, he thinks that he’s doing something good!

(Referring to those people who persecute Tzaddikim, and who disgrace Talmidim Chachamim): Their heads are screwed on backwards, that is the definition of insanity. What does it mean, to be insane? That you do something crazy, but you think that you’re the most ’straight’ person there is!

He acts in a crooked way, but thinks that he’s ’straight’. This is how the Sitra Achra (the Evil side) dresses himself up, in people, in holy looking people. He gives the impression that he is doing such a great Mitzvah, when in reality he is doing the worst thing in the world.

What does it mean, to be drunk? That all the sins are 'straightened out' before him! Whatever he does (i.e. disgracing Torah scholars), this is ‘straight' and upright. He’s drunk! He dictates to the Rabbis what to say, and if the Rabbis don’t listen to him, then he’ll go and slander them as well — just because they didn’t listen to him.

The persecutors want all the other Rabbis to be listening to them, and whoever doesn’t do that, in his mind it’s ‘permitted’ to smear their names. And they also put pressure on other rabbis to join their side and threatened them if they refused to also slander the Rav. Then they also persecute and slander these rabbis as well.

In the beginning there were a few rabbis that could not stand up against the pressure and they joined and added their signatures. Or they could not stand up against the persecutors when their own signatures were forged!

Now, in the last couple of weeks, we see these same rabbis coming out and admitting joining the opposers. They admit that they falsified these facts just because they were under pressure.

The Persecutor wants all the rabbis to be listening to him, and whoever doesn’t do that, in his mind it’s “permitted” to smear his name. So they feel it is permitted to kill and destroy any person that helps the Rav.

King David had the same situation happen to him. He was running away from King Shaul. Shaul heard that the Kohanim in the city of Nov – The city of the Kohanim, that they were helping and protecting David….so King Shaul went and killed an entire city of Holy Priests!

Same thing in happening today with the Rav, and anyone who is helping the Rav especially the Breslev, they are destroyed as well. So all the documents that we see, the slander, etc. were all created by a small group of people. The false stories - they figured out how to write them in the best way possible and they worked with the police which is known that they hate religious people. And working together with every one that they can to persecute the Rav. The media write made-up stories and translate them to English and they spread them all over the world, they are bought by media every where and even good people have bought them and believed them and spread them.

There is the question: How can we strengthen ourselves in these very difficult days?

In this period of time, we need to strengthen ourselves in Temimut (innocence) and distance ourselves from Lashon Hara (evil speech).

Rav Chaim Kanievsky said, that it’s written in the Torah that those who speak Lashon Hara are put in quarantine. People are being put into lockdown, so we need to do some serious Teshuva about Lashon Hara, and other blemishes related to our speaking.

We see now, the lockdown, the sin of Lashon Hara, is the cause. The Tzaddik of the Generation is the one they are speaking against, Rashi says the Lashon Hara is the reason for the isolation and this is the punishment.

Miriam HaNavia was an awesome prophetess, she had to go out of the encampment after speaking Lashon Hara and she got leprosy as a punishment.

What is our role? The natural urge is to fight back. The WAY of the Tzaddikim is NOT to hold protests and fight. They do not fight back. There is the argument between Shamai vs Hillel - "for the Sake of Heaven". How do you know the argument that is NOT for the Sake of Heaven?

Example: It doesn’t say Korach against/vs Moshe. It says: Korach. It doesn’t even mention Moshe, because Moshe was silent, the Tzaddik is always silent. He will not answer against his persecutors.

The Tzaddik is always silent!

David HaMelek had a chance to kill Shaul, and he didn’t. He didn’t fight back. His people too had a chance to fight, and David said NO — Get out of my community if you want to fight. This is exactly what the Rav is doing, do not fight back, that is not our way, accept everything IN LOVE. He told students at Shuvu Banim that they should leave his community if they want to fight back.

Example: The Klausenberger Rebbe said at the time of the Shoah/Holocaust that the biggest ‘vengeance’ he could take for it, would be if Hashem would help him get to Eretz Israel and then he would build a hospital. And there, he would accept anyone without any discrimination. This was the biggest ‘revenge’ he could take! That he would build a hospital in Netanya and this would be the vengeance against the German Nazis. He didn’t kill like they did, he did the exact opposite!

The best revenge for us is that Hashem should give Koach/Strength to Rabbi Berland to stand up in everything that he’s taken upon himself. This is the best “vengeance” that in the end everyone will see the Tikkunim/Spiritual Rectifications that Rav Berland is performing, by willingly accepting disgraces.

“And then, they will be mortally embarrassed to show their faces."

“Their faces will turn like the charred bottom of a pot” (Gemara Shabbat 30a — about what happened to King David’s persecutors that at the end they were mortally embarrassed.)

The persecutors of King David – descendants of King Shaul, were so convinced that they were right, that in the time of Sholomo haMelek’s Temple, they went to the Inauguration and the gates would not open. Sealed shut! Only when King Solomon said, “Hashem please remember the kindness of my father David…” – only at that mention of David – would the Gates swing wide open. The truth was revealed. Their faces were charred red and black like the bottom of the pot from their extreme embarrassment.

Our job is to connect to the Rav, support him and follow him.

They will see just who they were going against, and this will be the biggest vengeance. Even if they merit to remain alive, they won’t know where to put themselves, because of all their terrible embarrassment.

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The Milkman (Kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Cohen, died in August of 2019), was asked what he says about the persecution against Rabbi Berland? Originally, the Milkman said that when Rav Berland would come back to Israel everything will change, the Redemption will happen, but then he said that Rav Berland himself chooses to accept this disgrace on himself. And that he wants more disgrace!

When Shimon bar Yochai spoke Torah there was a fire around him, and no one could come close, at the time when they came out of cave after 12 years. His son, Eleazar would look at someone and they would burn up and Rabbi Shimon would look at him and bring him back to life. They were not afraid of the Romans, they wanted the disgrace, the persecutions because he was relieving everyone from the Judgments.

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Rabbi Eliezer Shick talks about what is the War of Gog u’ Magog? The birth pangs of Mashiach is actually the suffering of the Mashiach himself. What we had always understood was that the birth pangs were the pain and suffering of the world and what we would be going through. But we now see that it is mainly the suffering of the Mashiach himself. The purpose of Mashiach’s suffering is to save the world from their suffering.

Rabbi Eliezer Shick was the one who has The Secret Scroll, who has the secret given to him. Rebbe Nachman wrote an exact account of what is going to happen before Mashiach comes. He wrote this in The Secret Scroll, which was passed down from teacher to student, only one person had it and passed it down to only one person in each generation. Rebbe Nachman wrote ONLY the Roshei Tevot (the first letter of each word) and no full words. It’s not in print.

Rabbi Shick says: the physical War of Gog u'Magog, which is the war fought against the Mashiach after he arrives, but before his full Revelation, is not mentioned in The Secret Scrolls. He speaks of apikoras and how there will be alot of heresy in the world. That is the War of Gog u'Magog, it is our main test to deal with this intense heresy.

When you are connected to Hashem's Light, then there is no more suffering. The definition of suffering is when there is Concealment of Hashem’s LIGHT. The definition of Exile is Concealment of Hashem’s Light. All the wars between people come about because of the Concealment of Hashem’s Light.

There is nothing in the world but Hashem, every single thing in the world, big or small that is causing someone pain and suffering, it is all from Hashem. Accept it in Love with Emunah.

If someone is going against someone's job, his parnasa, taking this clients/customers away, he falls from his spiritual level…..people are against him….all suffering…he has to believe that… All suffering has hidden within it….the Light of Hashem.

The essence of the Redemption is to see that Everything is Good! For the person who can see this, the Redemption has come to him.

If it wouldn’t come directly from Hashem, it would be impossible for anything big or small to harm him.

Accept everything in Love, the essence of the Redemption is to see that everything is good.

In the future, when Mashiach will come, we will bless on the bad, just like we bless on the good.

When someone dies we say: Blessed are you Hashem, the True Judge, who is and does good.

In the time of Redemption, we will also be saying blessings on the good and the bad as well. Say blessings of good and does good. We will experience every thing as good. It doesn’t say everything will be good because really everything will stay the same….only our perception will be different!

Evil and suffering will continue to exist. But we will be experiencing it AS GOOD. The LIGHT OF MASHIACH is Emunah - believing in Hashem.

A person becomes haughty, arrogant and prideful, he wants to fight against others, he feels he is better than someone else. This is the War of Gog u’Magog.

The War of Gog u’Magog, is NOT some country coming and fighting and causing destruction, though that is also true and part of it. But the REAL war is the fighting against the Tzaddik and persecuting the Tzaddik and getting his students to go against him and to stop believing in them. This is the true War of Gog u’Magog

What the Redemption is …IS Coming close to the Tzaddikim — who have the Light of Mashiach inside them, the Light of Hashem. If the people would come close to the Tzaddikim, then the Redemption would be here!

The fighting is causing people to distance themselves and causes this bitter exile to be lengthened, G-d forbid.

These people are the haughy ones of the generation, these are the soldiers of Gog u’Magog. They are persecuting the Tzaddikim. They could have beards and payot and learn Torah all day, but some of these people are arrogant, the “face of a dog”! Arrogance has NO place in the Jewish SOUL, if he is arrogant and not embarrassed, then that is proof that he is a “rasha”, an evil one. They hide the Truth!

If you knew about these soldiers that are persecuting the Tzaddik, as Rebbe Nachman says in The Secret Scroll, if you knew what was said about these soldiers of Gog u’Magog, you would be shocked and afraid, and fall on your faces with such fright and such fear at how these evil people have lengthened the Exile. And how the Exile has been strengthened SO MUCH by these people, who are fighting in every generation.

Why does all this happen? Because we need to have Free Will…if everyone would be supporting the Tzaddikim then it would be easy to become close to them, then it wouldn’t be anything great, no free will for us to choose and become close. So we need this darkness to be difficult for us to come close to the Tzaddikim.

Rav Shick is saying — to run away from all arguments, do not become involved, do not have any part of any machloket, of any argument. You have no idea about who you are laughing and mocking at when you get involved. If they try to convince you that it is a mitzvah, then run far away from this kind of “mitzvah”. It will be very bitter at the end.

And in the end, you will merit all of the goodness as prepared for the soldiers of Dovid HaMelek. The soldiers of Dovid are the ones that are helping the Tzaddikim, the ones that are listening to him when he says to pray for him and do the Tikkun Haklali, the ones that are sticking up for him. They themselves are also being persecuted. Be on this side, always be on the side of those who are being persecuted, not on the side of the persecutors. This the War of Mashiach, the War of Gog u’Magog. Very, very soon this war will be over.

When the light of the Tzaddikim is revealed in this world, and every one sees their glory and everyone will come close to them. Then they will have more power to reveal the Truth of the Torah, the Truth of Hashem and every one will see that everything in the world is Good and when everyone has this consciousness that everything in the world is good, when everyone will have Emunah and love between a Jew and his fellow, then automatically the Redemption is here! That IS the Redemption! Like we said before — The Redemption isn’t this concept of money growing on trees.

Redemption means having a very close connection to Hashem. This is what the Tzaddikim are doing in this world, they are bringing the Redemption by bringing us closer to Hashem. The Rashaim, the evil ones, are trying to do the opposite in this world, by taking people away from Hashem.

The War of the Tzaddikim, the War of Mashiach, is to fight against the darkness, is by strengthening the Truth. In everything that you do, you should be Connecting to the Tzaddikim by doing what they say, by praying for them, by giving Tzadakah, by speaking about them, everything you do that is good is helping in this war. And don’t get turned off by all the powers and the forces of those that are fighting against the Tzaddik when you are speaking about the Tzaddik. They will say that you are stuck in some cult, that you are evil and you are persecuted as well. You should know that you have merit to be persecuted. A very, very big merit! This is the same persecution of Dovid HaMelek and the people who were following him.

Next class….maybe we will merit to see the full Redemption — the full Revelation and we will be in much better times!

The book which was used on the webinar can be purchased here:

https://ravberland.com/shop/haktav-mbein-hailanot-the-letter-from-between-the-trees/