"Through Prayer with Intention

Before you is the full daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a – yesterday after the Maariv prayer, Thursday, Parshas Shemini, the night of the 26th of Adar II:

"Serach bas Asher [said], 'I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel' (Shlomei Emunei Yisrael). In Torah 55 [of Likutei Moharan], regarding the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer), the Rebbe [Rebbe Nachman] says that this refers to prayer with kavanah (intention). Through prayer with kavanah, a person becomes 'dust and ashes' (afar va'efer). A person must detach himself from all his thoughts, from all his gashmius (physicality), and then he becomes dust and ashes. This is the secret of the Red Heifer; this is 'the faithful of Israel' (Emunei Yisrael)—the Heifer is called 'Emunei Yisrael.' This is Serach bas Asher, who lived forever. For anyone who would have told Yaakov that Yosef was alive would have died on the spot. Because [Yaakov would have asked], 'How could you deceive me for twenty-two years?' What kind of granddaughter is this who didn't tell her father? But she was under a cherem (a ban of secrecy). The Baal HaTurim says on the verse 'Blessed be Asher with children' that she was under a cherem along with her father. [They said,] 'Why are you revealing such secrets?' They made a cherem that no one should reveal it. Let some 'Cushi' (stranger) come and reveal it, and he will die on the spot. For twenty-two years they steal a child—like the hostages in Khan Yunis or Rafah, where they don't know where they hid him, and they don't tell the father. The father would have redeemed him in a second! The father [would have] known who bought him? Potiphar, or the Chief Cupbearer, or the Chief Baker. Only a king could buy such a child; he is worth a billion dollars! They sold him for a billion dollars for a pair of shoes. Because Chanoch [the prophet] used to sew shoes, for the Tzaddik is the one who sews shoes; the Tzaddik is the true cobbler. A person's work is to be a cobbler; for this, a person came into the world—to be a cobbler. Just as Chanoch was a cobbler and thus entered Heaven with his physical body, so too, whoever 'sews shoes' [unites the worlds] will enter Heaven with his body like Serach bas Asher. Like Yosef HaTzaddik who was 'sewing shoes' [performing spiritual rectifications]. 'Porat – Ben Porat'—'Porat' is 'Parot' (cows/heifers), 'Porat' is 'Poter' (interpreter/solver), 'Porat' contains all the secrets. 'A fruitful son is Yosef, a fruitful son by a spring (eye)'—all the girls threw jewelry at him, but he did not lift his eye. One piece of jewelry he opened, and he saw written upon it: 'Osnat daughter of Dinah.' Then he already knew that Osnat was there; the daughter of Dinah would be his shidduch (marriage match). Immediately he married her, and then she bore him Menashe and Ephraim. For Menashe was Mashiach ben Yosef, and Ephraim was Mashiach ben David. The Geulah (Redemption) was supposed to happen then, but because Amram [initially] divorced Yocheved, the Geulah was delayed for another three thousand years. For a man is forbidden to divorce his wife under any circumstances; however, a woman can 'divorce' [distance] her husband. Like the women who, as soon as the husbands made the Golden Calf (Egel), they removed them from the home. From the 17th of Tammuz, they removed them from the home until Yom Kippur. For three months they were outside the house—ninety days. Outside the house, they slept under the trees; no woman allowed her husband into the house. [They said,] 'You bring in an iPhone? I don't need you! Get out of here!' The iPhone is the Golden Calf of today. Every day there is a new Golden Calf; sometimes it's an iPhone, sometimes a Xiaomi, sometimes a smartphone. Therefore, every woman must ensure that her husband has neither an iPhone, nor a smartphone, nor any impure device, for [otherwise] he will never leave Gehinnom (Hell). In the merit of the women guarding kedushah (holiness) and taharah (purity), the war will end and we will merit the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen!""