A Lesson for the Students of the 'Chochma V'Daat' Yeshiva Gedola at the

On Monday, the night of the 16th of Teves, Parshas Shemos, a lesson was held for the students of the 'Breslov - Chochma V'Daat' Yeshiva Gedola (higher-level academy) at the residence of the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days). Before you is a summary of the lesson delivered by the Rav shlit"a to the students, which lasted nearly an hour.

Shimon and Levi killed an entire city for one girl who was kidnapped, and the Sefer HaYashar writes that it was told throughout the world that a "crime family" had arrived, where two children from it killed an entire city. The dudaim (mandrakes) are shaped like a human; we were in Yavniel and they said there were dudaim, but they weren't human-shaped. Whoever took the dudaim was immediately nifkad (blessed with children). "Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband?" No one knew that Rachel gave up her turn for Leah until Moshe wrote it in the Torah 240 years later. The dispute between the brothers and Yosef was that the brothers claimed the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah were the sons of maidservants, because Laban made a condition with Yaakov not to free them, so they were considered slaves. This has a nafka mina (legal consequence) regarding money—that they wouldn't inherit—and they couldn't marry a Jewish woman. Likewise, the brothers ate poultry from a living animal (ever min hachai), and the Rambam (Maimonides) rules that poultry is not considered meat [in that specific context]. Amasa ben Yeter stabbed Avner ben Ner in the fifth rib. Avigail bat Nachash was without any ta'avah (desire), like a snake (nachash) that tastes nothing in food. It is written that David said about Shaul's uniform, "I have not tested them." In truth, Shaul's uniform fit his size exactly, but he told him that with them, he would not have miracles. On page 10a in the Zohar on Bereishis, it says the world is round like a ball. The Ralbag (Rabbi Levi ben Gershon) brings that there is a place in the world where it is night for half a year and day for half a year, like in Alaska. Columbus sailed west because he was Jewish and knew the world was round like a ball. From the age of 13, I have been sitting with the Gemara (Talmud). On Independence Day, they went to see the new destroyers (warships) at the Carmel coast, but I was with the Gemara. How can one leave the Gemara...!? A person's only pleasure is to study the Gemara. The more a person learns, the more of a lamdan (scholar) he becomes. Stories about a snake with seven heads, and the lion of Ilai. A person is not supposed to be at home from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM; otherwise, he shouts at his wife, "Why did you do this and that?" A wife goes crazy if the husband is at home. He should arrive at night and help her a bit to tidy the room. The Rebbetzin (the Rav's wife) used to travel to work all over the country and return exhausted; I would do the sponja (mopping the floor) at home. Even a man whose two simanim (the windpipe and esophagus) were cut can give a get (divorce document), because he is still lucid and can live a bit longer. And if he is not in a house of marble that has no windows and no wind enters, then he is goleh (exiled/liable for exile). Because otherwise, they say he died from the shock, and they could have reattached the two simanim and he could have continued to live. This entire sugya (Talmudic topic) is brought in the Ketzos HaChoshen, page 250. People don't know what they are missing; the Ketzos HaChoshen is the sweetest thing in the world!

With these words, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, concluded the fascinating and very strengthening lesson for the students of the 'Chochma V'Daat' Yeshiva, which lasted about fifty-five minutes.