Rav Berland’s Shiur from 12 Adar Alef

THE HOLY WORDS OF OUR REBBE, RAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A, WHICH HE GAVE OVER ON SUNDAY, 12 ADAR ALEF 5782, AFTER THE MA’ARIV PRAYER:

“So in [parashat] ‘V’Atah Tzevaveh’ nothing is written at all.  Someone took this out of the Chumash, because the Rambam said that Moshe remained only intellect.  So it’s written in Rambam, that Moshe Rabbeinu remained only intellect – he shed his body completely.  The moment he entered the cave, he already had no body at all.  It’s impossible to enter the cave with a body, because this rock was closed from all sides.

“’Cleft of the rock – Nikrat HaTzur.’  There are those who say ‘Tikrat HaTzur – the roof of the rock’ and there are those who say ‘Likrat HaTzur – to meet the rock.’  There are several versions.  You need to say ‘Nikrat.’  I had an argument with some people, and whoever isn’t sure should look in the parasha…  Everyone can choose his own version.  This is according to choice.  There isn’t religious coercion.  Everyone choose.

“In any case, this is the cave which Hashem created on Friday evening, between the watches.  It’s written in Pesachim 54 and in Pirkey Avot – it’s written that the ‘cleft’ is something that’s impossible to enter and that anyone who enters there, their body is completed incinerated.  Immediately, he went up on horses of fire and chariots of fire.  He merited to ascend on chariots of fire because the ‘man Mordechai’ is Moshe Rabbeinu himself.

“Moshe Rabbeinu himself comes down in every generation.  Therefore, in the parasha he’s already not mentioned, because he comes down anew in every generation.  Therefore, it’s written ‘the man Mordechai’ and ‘the man Moshe’ -- ‘Moshe, the man of G-d.’

“Because the king said to Queen Esther, ‘You don’t understand my guarding of the eyes.  I now saw you; there’s no one like you in the whole world.’  All the vows that a woman vows, he says to her, ‘There’s no one like you; how nice, such an important woman!’  He needs to tell her, ‘There’s no one like you in the world.’  If he tells her ‘there’s no one like you in the world,’ then it’s considered that he fulfilled the vow.

“You need to say, ‘My wife, many women have amassed achievement, but you have surpassed them all.’  Every day say this!  Whoever doesn’t say this every day shouldn’t get married!  Anyone who doesn’t know to say this, then in the end there will be divorce in the meantime.

“A person needs to tell his wife every day… so it’s written in the Zohar, page 49, that anyone who doesn’t know to say this every day to his wife or to hint to her ‘many women have amassed achievement, but you have surpassed them all’ – you surpass them all.  Because every woman is something unique, something new, a new creation.  No, there wasn’t, nor will be like her!  Every woman is something completely new.  Educating the children and everything.   The children receive the intellect of the mother.

“Therefore, from Hashem is an intelligent (MaSKeLeT) woman, that she won’t be a bereaved (MiSHaKeLeT) woman.  If a person marries for blemishing the covenant and lusts, there will be divorce in the end.  Every place where there’s lust, there will be divorce in the end.  This is a verse in Mishlei.  I didn’t write this verse: 18:1 – ‘One who removes himself to court lust…’  If a person marries for the sake of lust, then it finishes off everything!  He needs to know not to get married for the sake of lusts.

“So now Achashverosh certainly knew to say the right words: ‘woman of valor,’ ‘you have surpassed them all,’ ‘you’re my eyes…you’re my heart…you’re my life,’ but he says that law is law.  Now they want to conquer 127 countries.  Now Putin wants to conquer the Ukraine.  Law is law.  It’s impossible to cancel out a law.  Anyone should come and say I want to cancel out the law?  What is this here, child’s play?!

“It’s forbidden.  Law is law.  What does Esther say to him?  By me, there’s no such thing.  By me, you’re worthless, and the law is worthless.

“’Esther yet again spoke to the king, she fell at his feet, and wept, and implored him.’” (The Rav and the community sing…)