"If one says 'When you pass through the water...' it is possible to enter the

Before you is a summary of topics from the daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) – yesterday after the Maariv (evening) prayer, Tuesday night, the 17th of Kislev, Parshas Vayishev:

We need thirty ushers just like there were by Diocletian the Emperor, whose head they opened (referring to his rise from a lowly status). He placed Rabbi Yehuda Nesiah in the fiery furnace, and then Antigris the demon placed them on his shoulders, cooled the furnace, and took them out. He said to them, "I know that you know how to perform miracles." They say, "When you pass through the waters..." (Isaiah 43:2). Whoever says this verse can enter into the fire and emerge alive. And then they composed the prayer of "V'hu Rachum" (And He is merciful). But the women do not throw stones. Regarding the boys, if he doesn't study, then he throws stones; the Pischei Teshuvah (halakhic commentary) says that it is the nature of boys to throw stones. When a woman sees that the husband is doing nothing, then the woman gets divorced. In Tel Aviv, they don't get married; among the Catholics, they don't get married because they know it is the most despicable and loathsome thing. But Hashem (God) gave girls a million times more intellect than boys; every girl has a million times more intellect. For every girl that is born, one receives two hundred; when a boy is born, one receives one hundred. Rabbi David Pappenheim, the Rav of Prague, says that truly the daughter is more important than the son, because during the Sin of the Golden Calf, the daughters were completely cleansed of the filth of the Serpent (the spiritual impurity from the Garden of Eden). Therefore, she puts the red dress on the window and it becomes a white dress for her. And one woman bought a dress for a million dollars with all the stones of the Choshen (the High Priest's breastplate); they told her, "Bring it to this woman from Shuvu Banim who doesn't have a dress." Now there is a flood from this, and three thousand were washed away by it. And those from Shuvu Banim need to give their dresses. Therefore, the women were not enticed by any sin. Korach said, "How is it possible? For forty days he (Moses) neither ate nor drank." He (Korach) learned from the Sheikh of Rabbi Chaim Farhi to smoke a hookah, and it was all a fata morgana (mirage). Moshe (Moses) remained with six. And they added Miriam, making seven, plus the three Patriarchs, so he had a minyan (quorum of ten), and then Hashem accepted the prayer of Moshe. But all the men were enticed by Korach. Korach said it's all nonsense, but the women did not lose their Emunah (faith) in the Tzaddik. The wife of On ben Pelet bought him a bottle of champagne. She told him, "If you disagree with the Tzaddik, you are exempt from Tefillin (phylacteries)." And whoever disagreed with the Tzaddik was ultimately swallowed by the earth, and no memory of him remained. In this merit, may we merit the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen!