The Daily Chizuk (strengthening) from our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) – The modesty of the gentiles is an accusation against the People of Israel • The Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) said that a generation will yet come where a simple Jew will be like the Baal Shem Tov

Tuesday, 17th of Nissan 5785 – Our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a, testifies about himself: "Since the age of 15 and a half, I haven't traveled by bus; I only went by foot."

Yoav says, may there be for you "as many as they are, and as many again, a hundred times over" (II Samuel 24:3). What is "as many as they are, and as many again, a hundred times over"?

All the sorcerers in the world, all the priests, all the scientists cannot calculate this calculation of "as many as they are, and as many again, a hundred times over."

What does Rashi (the preeminent commentator) say about this?

"As many as they are, and as many again" is 2, 2 * 100 = 200. But Rashi disagrees with me; Rashi says that this isn't correct at all. It is written 800,000. In Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles), it is written a thousand thousands and a hundred (1,100,000). These died from the plague during the time of King David. Immediately there was a plague. David went to Gad, because Gad were zealots, Neturei Karta (guardians of the city). Once, the Neturei Karta were from Gad. Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) came from Gad; he went and shouted at the prophets and slaughtered the four hundred prophets of Asherah (I Kings 19) and 450 prophets of Baal (ibid 18). This was near the Yagur Junction; I checked the place. I used to go by foot—I never traveled on buses; from the age of 15 and a half, I no longer board buses.

I would go by foot—what could happen? Two hours by foot, passing through the Check Post. The Check Post is the most wonderful place, the most beautiful; everyone should go to do Hisbodedus (private meditative prayer) at the Check Post. I would walk from Herzl Street; at the end of Herzl, you walk through Wadi Rushmiya and do Hisbodedus until Yagur. In Yagur, I would immerse in the Kishon River; I did this for two years until it was already full of sewage. I would immerse in the Kishon and after that, I would go to Rechasim to the Yeshiva (Torah academy). Rechasim didn't even exist yet; there was only the Yeshiva. Everything was forests and more forests all the way to Tivon.

Eliyahu went to the tribe of Gad; they were the zealots, and from them came Eliyahu HaNavi who slaughtered 850 (prophets of Baal and Asherah). Everything came from Gad—Eliyahu the Giladite, Eliyahu the Tishbite.

"As many as they are, and as many again, a hundred times over"—in the end, it is written a thousand thousands and a hundred. Here it is written 800,000, missing 300,000—all of these died on the spot (II Samuel 24 and I Chronicles 21). From Gad, he went to Dan; he said, "Now everyone from Dan will die, because I am counting the People of Israel, and it is forbidden to count." In Dan, there was the story with Michah and they made calves; therefore, Yerovam (Jeroboam) placed the calf in Dan. He said that they should die from Dan; if there is a plague and 300,000 die, let them die from Dan.

Yoav would distribute tzedakah (charity) without end. A person who distributes tzedakah is more than Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher)—he can bless. He cannot be greater than Moshe Rabbeinu [in essence], but he can bless more than Moshe Rabbeinu. He can act more than Moshe Rabbeinu; he can perform actions more than Moshe Rabbeinu. As it is written after the Haggadah (Passover Seder text), "And He will do good to you and multiply you more than your fathers" (Deuteronomy 30:5). You will be more than Avraham, you will be more than Yitzchak. In what will you be more? In your blessings!

Walk in the path of the Torah. The Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) said that a generation will yet come where a simple Jew will be like the Baal Shem Tov—today a simple Jew can be like the Baal Shem Tov. The simplest Jew can bless and cause barren women to be blessed with children, perform miracles, and heal the sick. Yoav was ultimately a simple Jew, a general, and he is a thousand billion times more than Moshe Rabbeinu. A person can give blessings—a person walks with Shmiras Einayim (guarding one's eyes) in the street, he is more than the Baal Shem Tov. In the time of the Baal Shem Tov, there was no immodesty; everyone walked covered—gentiles, Jews, everyone walked covered from head to toe.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender related: "I was in Tashkent and I saw the modesty with which the gentiles walk; this is an accusation against the People of Israel." Every Arab is an accusation. You come to the hospital in Ein Kerem, and not one Arab woman lets a single hair show. I was with Yusuf and he told me, "With us, if they let a hair show, they break their bones; there are no games—woe to her if one lets a hair show."

So how does Yoav merit to give such great spiritual impacts that are a billion trillion times more than Moshe Rabbeinu?

It is all in the merit of the tzedakah (charity) that he distributed!

He distributed tzedakah without end that we brought from the Amalekites, from the Geshurites, and from the Maachathites (Joshua 13:13). There was not one hungry family; he distributed all the spoils—everything was distributed to tzedakah!