The winter storm “Carmel” -- a cold, wintery week swept over our country.  Anyone who didn’t need to be outside tried to pass their time indoors, warm and dry.  Also the Jewish people, servants of Hashem, dwellers of study halls and frequenters of synagogues, crowded together in study halls throughout Israel.  However, unlike everyone else, the people of the Tzaddik, the holy community of Shuvu Banim, in spite of the pouring rain and gusting winds, spent their time under the open skies.

“Rav Oshaya said: Great is the day of rain, that even salvation is created and multiplied on it, as it says ‘the land shall open up and salvation shall be created.’”  “Rabbi Yitzchak said: Great is the day of rain, that even the penny in the wallet is blessed on it, as it says, ‘to give rain of your land in its time, and to bless all the work of your hands’ (Taanit 7a).

The Tzaddik, our Rebbe, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit”a, was released and the holy prayer assemblies with the Rav shlit”a have returned, being conducted with greater power than ever.  In the past, the prayers were held inside the prayer hall.  However, since the Rav’s recent release, all the weekday prayers are led by the Rav outside his home from his porch, with the community opposite him in the open plaza beneath the sky.

Perhaps it’s surprising to hear how people are ready to pray during this rainy winter under the open skies.  However, anyone who thought that the morale would be low amongst the gathered community would be surprised – prayers of fiery passion!  Because before the Rav’s entry into prison two years ago, the prayers were in the prayer hall.  However, over the past two years, the community has grown to great proportions, baruch Hashem, and it’s no longer possible to fit everyone into the prayer hall.

In the meantime, the leaders of the community are organizing a fundraising operation in order to put up a large and fitting place of prayer for the entire massive community.

Anyone who has an umbrella or covering against the rain, and anyone who is simply bound up in prayer and doesn’t feel the streaming rain at all – all are with one heart, joined together with longing hearts, drawing power from the fiery Tzaddik on the balcony opposite them.

Fortunate is our portion that we merit to these prayer gatherings.