"And the Priest Shall Purify the Affliction

Also on Shabbat Tazria 5784, we merited an uplifting Shabbat in the shadow of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days). Before you is the full coverage of the prayers, lessons, and meals in the holy shadow:

On Erev Shabbat Kodesh (Friday afternoon), the Rav went out for the Mincha (afternoon) prayer about five minutes before candle lighting at 18:26. He began with the song "Or Zarua" for about nine minutes with great vitality. This was followed by the Mincha prayer. At the conclusion of the Mincha prayer, he recited the order of the connection prayer: "I hereby thank You for setting my portion..." "I hereby hand over..." "I hereby connect..." Our teacher the Rav shlit"a says it word for word and everyone repeats after him. Afterward, the Rav began Kabbalat Shabbat (the service welcoming Shabbat) with "Lechu Neranena," psalm after psalm with vitality and with all the fire and bren (enthusiasm). Then, exactly at sunset at 19:10, he began the pleasant singing of "Lecha Dodi," which lasted about forty-two minutes. After the conclusion of "Lecha Dodi," the Rav continued the prayer as usual, Maariv (evening prayer) with all the melodies in the Shuvu Banim style. After Maariv, the Rav shlit"a sang the Shabbat night hymns that precede the Kiddush, which lasted about half an hour. At the conclusion of the hymns, he entered his holy home to the song of "Savianu MiTuvecha" at 20:50, after two hours and twenty-three minutes of Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat, Maariv, and Shabbat hymns.

On Shabbat morning, the Rav shlit"a entered for prayer at 04:33 before dawn. The Rav said the Torah blessings and began the Shacharit (morning) prayer in order, starting from Tikkun Chatzot (Midnight Lament) - Tikkun Leah, the morning hymns, Korbanot (sacrificial readings), and Pesukei D'Zimra (Verses of Praise) with melodies and great vitality. The special length this time was during the singing of "Ki Chol Peh" for about six minutes, as well as the stirring melody of "Ein Aruch Lecha" for another five minutes; there was no unusual length in the psalms this Shabbat. It should be noted that the Rav shlit"a stood for the Shemoneh Esrei (the standing prayer) close to and facing the sunrise. After the conclusion of the Cantor's repetition, the Rav shlit"a began the Torah reading for Parshat Tazria, which lasted about forty minutes. During this time, various people celebrating occasions and those observing yahrtzeits (anniversaries of passing) went up one after another, totaling twenty or more aliyos (Torah honors). Additionally, the Rav shlit"a called guests and those close to the inner circle to the Torah. It should be noted that the Haftarah (prophetic reading) this week was read by the Bar Mitzvah boy, Nachman Cohen. After the Torah reading of Tazria, they rolled the scroll to the portion of the Princes (Nesiim) as is customary to recite in the month of Nisan - the Prince of the tribe of Shimon.

The Rav sang "Zera Chaya VeKayama" (Living and Enduring Offspring) for about five minutes. At the conclusion of Zera Chaya, they continued to "Ashrei," and the Rav shlit"a sang "Ki Lekach Tov" as they returned the Torah scroll to the Ark. At 07:33, the Rav shlit"a stood for the Musaf prayer. After the conclusion of the Cantor's repetition of Musaf, he finished the prayer in order, from "Kaveh el Hashem" until after "Aneim Zemirot." Afterward, he added the recitation of the ten psalms established by our Holy Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) - The Tikkun HaKlali - in melody and song. At the conclusion, our teacher the Rav shlit"a recited Kiddush over the cup and delivered a lesson for about three minutes. After the lesson, at 08:03, our teacher the Rav shlit"a entered his holy home after exactly four and a half hours of Shacharit, Torah reading, Musaf, and the lesson.

A minute before 19:00, our teacher the Rav shlit"a entered for the Mincha prayer of the Holy Shabbat on the balcony of his home. He immediately said Kaddish and began the recitation of "B'rich Shmeih" and the singing of "Yehei Ra'ava" for about 5 minutes. Afterward, he read from the Torah - Parshat Metzora - with three people called up. Immediately following was the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, and at the conclusion of the Shabbat Mincha prayer at his place on the balcony, the Rav shlit"a washed his hands for the three meals. He immediately began conducting the pure table of the Seudah Shlishit (Third Meal). As is his holy custom, he began with the first kezayit (olive-sized piece of bread) during the Third Meal hymns for twenty minutes. Following them, he sang "Yah Ribon" for twenty-three minutes, repeating all the awesome verses of this hidden hymn dozens of times. Afterward, he continued with the song "Koh Amar Hashem Matza Chen BaMidbar" for about three minutes, then moved to the song "Koh Amar Zacharti Lach Chesed Ne'uraich" for about two minutes. It relatively appeared that the Rav shlit"a would finish the prayer earlier than usual today, as by 20:10 the Rav shlit"a was already reciting the Grace after Meals over a cup with Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings) for the groom, R' Natan Shimon Bandersky. However, after the Grace after Meals, the innovations began:

At 20:15, he began the song "Lamnatzeach Binginot" for five minutes. Then, unexpectedly, the Rav began a lesson after more than a month of not meriting a lesson after the Third Meal. The lesson lasted for fifteen minutes. The Rav shlit"a unexpectedly spoke about the matter of the hanging of Haman, and why they hung him on Passover and not on Purim. He concluded the lesson by saying that "we ask Haman for forgiveness that we did not hang him on time, and now we will hang him in the month of Nisan." Then the Rav began the song "Layehudim Hayta Ora VeSimcha VeSasson ViYkar..." (The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor)! For half an hour!! Only today, after the terrible Iranian attack that took place against the State of Israel last night, is it well understood that the Rav shlit"a sweetened (mitigated) this matter through the awesome singing of "Layehudim Hayta Ora..."!

After the conclusion of the singing, the Rav began the Maariv prayer of Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night) with melodies. After Maariv, during the recitation of "Vayehi Noam," our teacher the Rav shlit"a lengthened the singing of "Baruch Hu Elokeinu SheBeranu Lichvodo" for 20 minutes with great length.

After Maariv, the Rav conducted Havdalah (the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat), and once again sang "Layehudim Hayta Ora..." for several minutes. Immediately after Havdalah, the Rav washed his hands for Melaveh Malkah - this is the meal of David the King Mashiach. Our teacher the Rav shlit"a sang all the hymns with vitality and a special pleasantness. Before the hymn "Eliyahu HaNavi," he delivered a fifteen-minute lesson from the holy book "Chayei Moharan." He spoke mainly about the conversation regarding the draft decree, where Rebbe Nachman said that if people were with him, he could have nullified the decree. The Rav unexpectedly added that today too there are terrible decrees, and the Tzaddik, through his prayer, sweetens all the decrees; of course, after last night, there is nothing more to add. After the hymns, he recited Grace after Meals over the cup with Sheva Brachot for the aforementioned groom. He entered his holy home at 22:40, after a duration of three hours and forty minutes that we merited to be together with him continuously from the Mincha prayer until the end of Melaveh Malkah. In total, for the entire Shabbat, we merited about nine and a half hours in the holy shadow on Shabbat Tazria, 5th of Nisan, 5784.

A good week and a good month to all the House of Israel!

Photos courtesy of Gilyon Hitchadshus: