Kiddush Hashem: Such a Gathering Has Never Been

"Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you" (Isaiah 60:4)

The days of Mashiach—that was the feeling of those who came to the prayer rally, the protest, and the cry before the return of our teacher, the holy Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, to prison.

People from all walks of life arrived; every shade of the Israeli spectrum was seen crying out in pain before the walls of Ayalon Prison in Ramla. Everyone was in unity and true unconditional love, which has become so rare in our regions lately.

"I have never seen anything like this," was one of the sentences heard by those who were privileged to participate in this awesome and sublime event. There were cries and tears in prayer, followed by holy dances and the joy of faith, for the Eternity of Israel will not lie. Everyone believes that in the end, holiness will overcome evil, and the tzaddik will continue on the journey of Geulah until he completes everything for the good, with the help of Hashem.

It was interesting to meet people who did not know the Rav, but who strengthened themselves by clinging to the truth after seeing the campaign of persecution by the media and the judicial system that has forgotten what justice is. For anyone who observes and examines with truth quickly finds a holy community, the holy and pure people of the tzaddik, "Shuvu Banim" in Jerusalem, in the land, and throughout the entire world.

Such prayers have perhaps never been seen before: weeping and supplications in the recitation of the chapters of Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali and the "selected chapters" that our teacher revealed to the world. Cries reached the heavens in a moving ceremony of accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Alongside the people of Israel, servants of Hashem, and G-d-fearing avreichim, there arrived tzaddikim who are testified to be among the 36 hidden tzaddikim: the Kabbalist Rabbi Golan from Alma shlit"a, the Kabbalist Rabbi Sheinfeld shlit"a, the Kabbalist Rabbi Stern from Bnei Brak shlit"a, and many other good ones too numerous to list, and of course, the greatest rabbis who are students of our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a—all of them arrived.

Chassidim alongside Lithuanians, Sephardim alongside Ashkenazim, Charedim alongside National Religious, religious alongside secular—even those who put on a kippah just to crowd together with the nearly three thousand worshipers who arrived. Even the police officers who secured the event were seen participating in the prayer.

The feeling was one of sweetening the judgments, that the tzaddik is gathering all the souls connected to him in order to sweeten decrees from upon the enemies of Israel. Precisely out of the harsh persecution against him, our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a succeeds in doing what all the tzaddikim of the generations tried to do—to unite the people of Israel. And where? Not at the Western Wall and not at the Cave of the Patriarchs, but in front of the walls of the prison in Ramla.

Ashreinu that we were privileged; there is no doubt that this rally of unity accomplished much in the heavens.

Watch the replay here: