Rabbi Yisrael Sharet shlit"a Speaks with Holy Fire at the Event Marking Rav

Rabbi Yisrael Sharet shlit"a, who participated in the event welcoming the tzaddik, speaks words of fire regarding the greatness of the tzaddik, our teacher, the holy Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

The interviewer from the Breslov information line (025875777) begins by introducing Rabbi Sharet shlit"a: "We met the one who brings merit to the masses, Rabbi Yisrael Sharet, and we were happy to see you with the thousands in prayer with our teacher, Rav Berland."

A Kiddush Hashem with the release of our teacher, Rav Berland shlit"a

Rabbi Yisrael Sharet: "B"H, this was a joy for us too, to see everyone. Everyone gathered and came to see—so many Jews came. B"H, it is impossible to lie to the people of Israel. The people of Israel know who is a tzaddik; they do not need to know from the media who is a tzaddik and who is not. The people of Israel do not need to know from the media who is the 'Minister of Torah'! Who is the leader of the generation—the people of Israel know!"

"B"H, it was a huge, immense, and great Kiddush Hashem, after many thought that this was it—who knows if it would ever return? There were those who thought about it out of longing, and there were those who thought about it out of ulterior motives, Heaven forbid. But Hashem showed who is truly in control of everything. Jonah the Prophet said: 'I said in my haste, I am cut off.' Jonah the Prophet, in the depths of the sea, thought that was it, it was over. But, 'Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice.' Hashem hears and answers."

"And it is a tremendous Kiddush Hashem what happened here, that the holy community of Rav Berland went—not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says Hashem of Hosts. Hashem showed the entire public and the world that in order to win, you do not need any wars, quarrels, or defamation. While others were busy with lashon hara (evil speech), with spreading slander, with smears, and with fabrications, the holy congregation sat and studied so many pages of Gemara a day, so many pages of Rambam a day, prayers with intent, endless psalms, and endless Tikkun HaKlali."

"The prayers and the Torah studies stood and saved and did what, by the way of nature, people would have thought impossible. And Hashem showed: Hashem is King, Hashem was King, Hashem will be King forever and ever. We have an opportunity now to take this holy faith that burns before our eyes and instill it into our hearts for all of life."

The release event was like the Giving of the Torah at Sinai

Interviewer: "Did you believe you would see so many people coming to pray with the Rav?"

Rabbi Sharet: "Certainly, certainly. It was simple that it would be this way. It is a pleasure to see that people see it differently, but it was clear that it would be this way—to see people on the roofs. People standing, everyone, great and small, and what a prayer! Almost a nullification of free will! Everyone roaring as one man with one heart, 'There is none else besides Him.' What a 'Shema Yisrael,' what a 'Do not stray,' what a Kaddish: 'May His name be exalted...' The whole world is silent and listening as at the event at Sinai. What 'Amens.' The recordings do not lie at all about what actually happened; whoever was there was privileged!"

"'And it is true and established for us that He is Hashem our God and there is none besides Him.' None besides Him—no informers, no arrests, no jurists—there is none besides Him. He is the ruler of everything and His kingdom rules over all."

Hashem privileged me to draw close to the great tzaddik, Rav Berland

Interviewer asks: "How were you privileged to draw close to Rav Berland?"

Rabbi Sharet: "It is the grace of Hashem Yitbarach. It is a privilege for every Jew who does not deny the truth; it is a free gift. Hashem saw that tzaddikim are few, so He stood and planted them in every generation. The role of Israel is to be tzaddikim themselves and also to draw close to the tzaddikim. Every Jew must strive to draw close to those tzaddikim who will guide him to the path for which Hashem brought him into the world."

"As we see in Likutey Tefilot, how Rebbe Natan prostrates himself in his prayers to be privileged to reach closeness to Hashem, and that the tzaddikim should draw him near and not push him away, and guide him on the straight path. The Rambam writes in Hilchot Teshuvah that the prayer of all the tzaddikim is for this..."

"Today people walk in the world, and it is clear to them what the way is, and they also know what is not the way, and that is a mistake. They should pray to Hashem not to err, to walk in the truth of Hashem. Hashem privileged me to know Rav Berland. One must see the miracle that if any other tzaddik had gone through a third or a tenth of what the Rav went through, the world would be in an uproar, and here people act as if they forgot that there is a Chafetz Chaim in the world, they forgot that there are laws in the world."

"Because of one person who spoke from the musings of his heart, everyone believes, and in doing so, they lose out on the great loss of drawing close to the great tzaddikim who were planted in this generation, especially at the levels that Rav Berland is at, the knowledge in his service of Hashem."

My father told me that decades ago he predicted that Rav Berland would be one of the greatest of the generation

"My father knew Rav Berland shlit"a from the time the Rav was in Bnei Brak. He told me after he heard what I had said in the past: 'I followed Rav Berland back then when he was still young, and I saw prayers and Torah study that I had never seen before. Rav Berland would give a lesson for 6 hours, and he didn't care if people were coming or going, sleeping or awake; he teaches Torah to his people, Israel. Already then I said he would be one of the greatest of the generation.'"

"This is something one sees clearly. Whoever wants to see the service of Hashem can come and see. Does one need to live by rumors? One does not need to belong to Breslov to know who Rav Berland is; this is not a tzaddik given only to Shuvu Banim, this is a tzaddik given to the entire generation! The generation just needs to be privileged to absorb his light and not deny him, and for this, everyone who seeks the truth must pray, even if he is an opponent. They must know that they are also Jews who came into the world to do the will of our Father in Heaven, and without praying to Hashem to do His will as He desires, they will remain far from it. They need to pray to Hashem that they be privileged to the truth in truth, and they need to beg for this to Hashem, and cry with tears, especially after they have caused pain to a 'tzaddik yesod olam' (tzaddik who is the foundation of the world) and his students."

"Who knows how many tears they need to shed in order to be privileged that Hashem will have mercy on them and show them the truth, but there is no limit to His mercies. They must rely on His mercies and also beg, because anyone who seeks the truth cannot live on rumors and news lines! You don't know? Don't speak!"

The students of Rav Berland are testimony to his greatness

"It is enough to see the honor of the sages that exists among the students of Rav Berland, that despite all the signatures against them, they did not write any insulting letter in response. I saw a page of 'cry of pain' that they issued against the signature, but everything was in a respectful manner toward those who signed. Where does such a thing exist? Only among people who live according to Torah and the service of Hashem alone! That they respond, despite all the stormy emotions, they know how to lock and muzzle their tongues and their writing—only among people who serve Hashem with faith!"

"And the additional thing: it is enough to see—tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are. As our Sages say: 'If we have not seen the lion, we have seen his lair.' If one cannot recognize the greatness of the Rav, it is enough to see the students! While the opponents connect with the wicked who cause Israel to sin, all the media and its offshoots... while 'tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are'—the students of Rav Berland connect to tzaddikim, they go to Rav Kook, to Rav Golan from Alma."

The dissenters are close to evil and the students of Rav Berland to holiness

"The dissenters go to the wicked and the students of the Rav go to the tzaddikim. The dissenters engage in defamation and slander and the students of the Rav engage in Torah and prayer. These speak things that are the opposite of holiness and faith, supposedly as quotes, and these engage with greater intensity in words of faith and holiness and in resolutions regarding modesty, as the Rav Berland issued two letters on the subject of modesty."

"It is enough to see the 'produce' of these and those to know who stands at their head. The dissenters who walk in the way of iniquities, their head is the 'Sitra Achra' (the Other Side). The students of the Rav walk with Hashem at any price, in every step and stride, everything with more attachment and more faith—this shows that the One who is at their head is Hashem who planted the tzaddikim of the generation."

Interviewer: "The perspective that Rabbi Sharet has is straight and true. If only everyone would see things this way. Nevertheless, so many smears against Rav Berland, sewing one case and another case...?"

Rabbi Sharet: "Here, if there were a shred of real proof, then the last ones to release him would be the judges!"

Interviewer: "Exactly so. One also sees their great hypocrisy. All the media outlets do not stop talking... they are eating their hearts out, how did they release him? They told us such stories that he is this and that, and suddenly they release him so quickly, truly 'v'nahafochu' (and it was turned around), as the Rav sings."

Rabbi Sharet: "So it will be in the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, that people think when will it end and how much further can one descend, suddenly everything turns around in one moment... on the contrary, the sight of the release of Rav Berland should show us exactly how the Geulah will be: 'For a small moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you.'"

"Also in Jerusalem at the destruction it was like this... in one moment all evil will cease and the goodness of Hashem will be revealed in His world... in one moment everything can turn around. Woe to the person whom Mashiach finds speaking about tzaddikim, finds him listening to lines of problems. Is this your preparation for Mashiach Tzidkeinu? It is incumbent upon you to study Torah."

Is it worth it for a person to miss everything because of speaking about the tzaddik?

"The Komarna Rebbe writes in 'Heichal HaBracha'... whoever disparages Torah scholars, and even sits in a gathering of scoffers and they are the ones speaking and he is happy... I guarantee him that he will not see the consolation of Zion. Is it worth it for a person to lose all the labor of his life to speak words? After all, in all generations they spoke about tzaddikim; this is not a new thing."

"Did they not speak about Abraham our forefather? And was it for nothing that they threw him into the fiery furnace? Abraham our forefather was also in prison; there is a dispute in the Gemara, in total he was 23 years in prison. They spoke about Isaac, they expelled him from Gerar, afterward they came to appease him. Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l said that every leader must learn from what Isaac answered them. Isaac did not say to them, 'Yes, you are right,' but answered them: 'And Isaac said to them, Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?' But you want to extract a blessing from me, because when Isaac left, the water wells stopped."

"Isaac said to them, you want me to return for the sake of your water, not because you understand what I was for you..."

"About Jacob our forefather they also spoke... the sons of Laban speak. The holy Torah could have written much more about the holy patriarchs... but it comes to tell a lesson for the generations, to teach all generations: people can speak about tzaddikim, they can sell the tzaddik like in the sale of Joseph, and even rabbis signed! And are rabbis greater than the holy tribes?! And with all this, we paid dearly for the sale of Joseph!"

"Even though they were the greatest rabbis in the world, prophets, so why does the Torah tell it? The Torah could have hidden it and no one would have known about the sale of Joseph. The Torah tells it so that we will know that in every generation such a thing can happen! And you will know where the truth is and do not get confused."

"Jacob knew exactly who Joseph was, he didn't just mourn him for 22 years... the holy tribes until the sale did not know who Joseph was, they can speak... but Joseph is Joseph... the Shechinah (Divine Presence) was with Joseph. The holy Zohar writes that Joseph went down to Egypt in order to be a chariot for the Shechinah, to prepare together the ground for the people of Israel so that they would come to Egypt and be saved from sins."

"About Moses our teacher they spoke: 'And they looked after Moses,' they wanted to kill him when he came down from the mountain without Aaron... they suspected Moses of murder, they wanted to kill him. Are they normal? After all, the Midrash in Song of Songs expounds on the verse 'Oh that you were as a brother to me,' like what kind of brother? Like Moses and Aaron, this is an example of true brothers. The people of Israel see their brotherhood for 40 years and still suspected that Moses killed him."

"The Torah teaches us that the 'Yetzer Hara' (Evil Inclination) has no limit and he can invent everything. A covenant is made with lashon hara that it is accepted, but our work is not to accept it. And one must learn as there, Moses remained Moses, and whoever disputed him until today cries: 'Moses and his Torah are true and they are liars.' You be with the part of Moses and not with the other."

The dispute over the true tzaddik passes through every generation

"There was a great rabbi who disputed the holy Arizal. The Arizal z"l said to him: 'Are you still provoking me and disputing me? If I wanted, the earth would swallow you.' Rabbi Chaim Vital asked him the reason for the matter? He answered: 'Know that I am the soul of Moses our teacher and that sage is the soul of Korach, whom they brought to try to rectify his dispute with Moses, therefore I said to him: Are you still disputing me...' This shows that things repeat themselves..."

"Rebbe Natan writes in Likutey Halachot, Choshen Mishpat, Laws of Theft... I heard from Rebbe Nachman that this is a great Yetzer Hara, he speaks about 'forcing the hour.' How many people, because of one thing that seems important to them, they abandon everything and come through this to many corruptions, and especially when they arrive through this to dispute."

"Rebbe Natan writes a startling statement that through persecutions, dispute, anger, one never reaches rectification; there are other ways for rectification... B"H that our portion is with the tzaddikim as we have fixed to pray for this 3 times a day—'and place our portion with them...', with those who trust in Your name in truth."

"How can a person know? B"H that He gave in our generation many tzaddikim who are 'ba'alei hasagah' (possessors of spiritual attainment), and all of them hold Rav Berland in high esteem! If one discusses evidence? Evidence there is none, but if you want to know truly, you have those who see from above, they do not need the evidence from here. If there were no concept of false testimony, then there would be no need for all the laws of testimony. After all, there is false testimony, bribery, lashon hara, and slander in the world... let the possessors of Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) whom Hashem has graced in our generation come and testify that Rav Berland is clean and a tzaddik."

"May Hashem lengthen his days in goodness, his years in pleasantness, and save him from all his pursuers and accusers, and may He privilege him higher and higher in Torah and greatness in one place. And also, for the continuation of decent students in the entire world..."

"And may we be privileged to see soon the building of the Holy Temple and the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, with great mercy, with miracles and wonders."