To Hold Weekly Meetings Every Single Week • A Letter from Rabbi Eliezer Berland

As previously published here with the help of Heaven, it was decided to establish a group of avreichim (young married scholars) in our holy community, Shuvu Banim. Now, we are publishing for the first time a letter from the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, which strengthens the weekly meetings as well as the study of the book Chayei Moharan (The Life of Rebbe Nachman). Before you is the full letter:

With the help of Heaven...

A DISCOURSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT REGARDING SICHOS HARAN CONCERNING WEEKLY MEETINGS EVERY SINGLE WEEK. MAY HASHEM BE UPON YOU, MAY YOU LIVE!!!

Everyone is obligated to study every single day several sections in Sichos HaRan (The Wisdom of Rebbe Nachman) until they complete all the sections in Sichos HaRan and Chayei Moharan (The Life of Rebbe Nachman), and to conduct themselves according to what is written in Sichos HaRan. They must hold weekly meetings every single week to strengthen the study of Gemara (Talmud), Ketzos HaChoshen, Nesivos HaMishpat, Tokpo Kohen (classic legal commentaries), Sichos HaRan, Chayei Moharan, Likutey Moharan (the primary teachings of Rebbe Nachman), and Likutey Halachos (the Chassidic legal commentary of Reb Noson) across all eight volumes. They should speak every single week about the service of Hashem and prayers with intention (kavanah) toward Hashem, and attend all the prayers, especially every Maariv (evening prayer) with the Rav, which lasts between an hour and an hour and a half. Afterward, they should immediately go to sleep in order to rise for the service of Chatzos (the midnight lamentation and prayer) and the study of Gemara from midnight until dawn (alos hashachar). Then, they should prepare for the Shacharit (morning) prayer by going to the mikveh (ritual bath), and afterward sing all the morning songs and recite the Korbanos (sacrificial offerings section) together. For the morning Tamid (continual offering) atones for the sins of the night, and the afternoon Tamid atones for the sins of the day. Since the day from after the prayer until Maariv in the summer is more than 12 hours, it is possible to finish 20 pages of Gemara every single day with both depth (iyun) and proficiency (bekius), including all the Rishonim (early commentators) and Acharonim (later commentators), until every single person is proficient in the entire Shas (Talmud), the 14 volumes of the Rambam (Maimonides), the 4 parts of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law), the 4 Turim, and all the holy books such as the Zohar, Etz Chaim (Kabbalistic works), and all of Likutey Moharan, Likutey Halachos, Sippurei Ma'asiyos (Rebbe Nachman's Stories), Sichos HaRan, Chayei Moharan, and all their commentaries—everything forward and backward, with proficiency and depth, word by word, letter by letter.

With the blessing of the Torah and with great love,

Eliezer Berland