The Words of Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a for Parashat Chayei Sarah

A SHIUR GIVEN BY MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A ON MOTZA’EI SHABBAT, PARASHAT NOACH 5779

THEY DISCOVERED A NEW MIKVEH BETWEEN MA’ARAT HAMACHPELAH (THE CAVE OF THE PATRIARCHS) AND THE GRAVES OF YISHAI AND RUTH, WHICH THEY CALL “THE MIKVEH OF SARAH EMEINU.”  MANY WHO HAVE IMMERSED THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN BLESSED WITH SONS.  THIS IS A MIKVEH WHICH PURIFIES FROM ALL IMPURITIES.  IF A PERSON SINS, AND HE REGRETS IT AND REPENTS, AND HE TAKES ONTO HIMSELF TO NOT REPEAT [THE SIN], HE IS PURIFIED OF EVERYTHING.  HE IS INCLUDED IN ADAM KADMON [“PRIMORDIAL MAN,” THE HIGHEST OF THE FIVE SUPERNAL WORLDS].  WHEN A PERSON IS INCLUDED IN ARICH ANPIN [THE “LONG FACE,” THE HIGHEST OF THE FIVE DIVINE PERSONAS], ALL HIS SINS ARE FORGIVEN.

“For the head of the elect of his brothers” (Bereishit 49:26).  The blessing of Yosef, “with the sweetness of the heaven’s dew, and the deeps that lie below” (Devarim 33:13) – this is referring to crude oil.  There is enough gas in the Land of Israel to provide for the entire world.  One must read every day the blessing, “Yosef is a fruitful son, [like] a fruitful vine by the fountain” (Bereishit 49:22) before sleeping.  “Girls strode out on the wall” (ibid.).  All the girls strode on the wall and threw their jewelry.  Yosef opened up one piece of jewelry, and inside it was written, “Asnat bat Dinah bat Yaakov.”  Asnat knew that she was going to marry Yosef, and in truth, on that very day, she married [him].

“But his bow was firmly emplaced and his arms were gilded, from the hands of the Mighty Power of Yaakov – from there, he shepherded the stone of Israel.  [That was] from the God of your father and He will help you, and with the Almighty – and He will bless you [with] blessings and He will help you with blessings of heaven from above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the bosom and womb” (Bereishit 49:24-25).  All the oil of the entire world is found in the inheritance of Yosef.  “The blessings of your father surpassed the blessings of my parents, lasting as long as the eternal hills” (ibid 49:26).  The eternals hills are prayers of the holy matriarchs, who would pray for all the generations.  Sarah prayed for all generations, and therefore her candle never went out.  The candle of Sarah never went out even once.  In honor of Shabbat, she would extinguish it and relight it.  Whoever is named Sarah will merit that their candle will never go out like Sarah Emeinu.

“Behold, I will set down gems as your [flooring] stones and lay your foundations with sapphires” (Yeshayahu 54:11) -- this is discussing an ointment called “puch,” that whoever applies it on their eyes will see the Temple standing in its place.  “And lay your foundations with sapphires” – Hashem will take stones of 30 cubits by 30 cubits, a diamond of 15 meters by 15 meters.  “It was a place whose stones were sapphire, and it had dust of gold” (Iyov 28:6) – if we dig in the area of Sodom, we will find such diamonds.

“I will set your window [frames] with ruby and [make] your gates of carbuncle stones” (Yeshayahu 54:12).  From the stones of the Temple, fire will emerge.  There are diamonds from which fire emerges.  “To the head of the elect of his brothers” (Bereishit 49:26) – Yosef merited to all the diamonds in the world.  All the diamonds that were in the world belonged to him.  Whoever is a true Tzaddik merits to all the diamonds in the world.  This was all the Haftarah of the Torah portion, because the Haftarah is more important than the Torah portion.

“Behold, I will set down gems as your [flooring] stones (Yeshayahu 54:11) – that every girl will be covered with a cover of puch, like Yael, “She covered him with a blanket” (Shoftim 4:18).  “with a blanket -- BaSmichah” is the numerical value of Tzipora.  Because Devorah was a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu, and Yael performed all the miracles in the world.  All the miracles were on 5 Cheshvan.  “Blessed among women is Yael, the wife of Chever the Kenite; by women in the tent will she be blessed…At her feet, he knelt, he fell, he lay.  At her feet, he knelt, he fell; where he knelt, there he fell, vanquished” (Shoftim 5:24, 27).  “Vanquished – shadud” is the numeral value of [the name of the angel] Mem-Tet, the angel Mem-Tet became spiritually impregnated in Yael.  If a women merits for the angel Mem-Tet to become impregnated in her, she gives birth to the Kohen Gadol.