The Daily Chizuk (strengthening) of our teacher, the holy Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a – Why is it necessary to marry a righteous woman? What is the danger of enlisting in the army? "And from Hashem comes a prudent wife" (Proverbs 19:14)

"Who led me on the path of truth" (Genesis 24:48) "Damascus Eliezer" (Genesis 15:2)

Friday, 14 Cheshvan 5785, these are his holy words:

Ninety percent comes from the mother, because for nine months the child is in the mother and he nurses for at least twelve months. Through the milk, the child receives all of the mother's Da'as (knowledge/consciousness); therefore, if the mother is a tzaddikah (righteous woman), the child will also be a tzaddik (righteous person). Since the child nurses for about two years and is inside the mother's womb for nine months, everything depends on the mother. If the mother is righteous, the children will be righteous.

Therefore, one must take (marry) a righteous mother, "And from Hashem comes a prudent wife" (Proverbs 19:14). The Rebbe [Rebbe Nachman] says (Likutey Moharan, Torah 2, Part 2), "Who led me on the path of truth" (Genesis 24:48).

Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, came to Rivka (Rebecca) and saw Esau. What, the first son of Yitzchak (Isaac) will be Esau? How is such a thing possible? It is impossible to understand this; to this day I do not understand it—that the first son of Yitzchak is Esau, he is the firstborn? Is this the result that came from Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Forefather)? From Sarah? A son was born (to Abraham), and his (Yitzchak's) firstborn son is Esau.

It is written that Eliezer saw that it was Esau; Eliezer saw until the end of the world, he saw everything. It is written "Damascus Eliezer" (Genesis 15:2)—what is "Damascus Eliezer"? It means he was the "face" of Abraham; he saw until the end of the world, he saw the breaking of the Tablets. Therefore, Eliezer gave Rivka two bracelets in order to connect the Tablets that Moses was destined to break! A person's entire work is to connect the Tablets, the two Tablets of the Covenant; now we will receive the Tablets.

After forty days, the Tablets were broken. Reb Noson says: be careful that the Tablets do not break. A person stays awake all night on the night of Shavuos (the holiday of the giving of the Torah), the night of the Giving of the Torah, receives the Tablets, and in the end, his Tablets are broken. What heartache that is; the Jewish people were broken to the ultimate point of brokenness.

Why is the Half-Shekel only for men and not for women?

It is written that the women drove the sons out of the house. Rashi writes that Moses descended on Yom Kippur with the second Tablets and then returned them; therefore, it is written "Half-Shekel" regarding the men and not regarding the women. The Alshich brings this down and asks: why do they bring the Half-Shekel? It is written in 'Ki Tisa' why they would bring the Half-Shekel—because the women did not sin with the Golden Calf.

A woman does not sin unless she is made to sin, unless she is enticed. A woman, on her own—wherever you put her—she will always be God-fearing, she will always pray. A woman will always wake up in the morning; she won't start the day without prayer. A woman doesn't understand "tricks" (sophistication/deceit); therefore, she recites the blessing "Who has made me according to His will." Hashem created her pure (innocent) and she remains pure, "according to His will." In contrast, the man is full of complexes; Rav Chisda says, "Daughters are better for me than sons."

What is the importance of a daughter over a son?

Now, a person needs to be informed of who was born to him while he is abroad—he is in Uman, he is in Haifa, he is in Johannesburg. There is no telephone, and the messenger arrives to inform him of the birth. They tell him, "A son was born to you"—for a son, you receive 100 zuz; "A daughter"—you receive 200. The Gemara (Talmud) asks: What, is a daughter more important than a son?

Yes, a daughter is pure (innocent); a daughter listens to what she is told. A daughter is not like a son; she doesn't run in the streets. The son runs in the streets until 3:00 AM; if he cannot study Gemara (Talmud), then he is lost. But the daughter is not like that; the daughter helps at home, takes care of the babies, gets married, has children—everything is defined for her, everything is orderly for her.

With the son, it is not orderly. If you send him to a carpentry shop, he will become secular—will you send him to learn carpentry now? So he wanders the streets until 3:00 AM and then he becomes secular. This is what the secular people claim all the time—that half of the young men are wandering the streets. They ask, "So why don't they enlist?"

But if they enlist, they will become secular. Among the Mizrachi (Religious Zionists), everyone is secular. There is no more Mizrachi; the Mizrachi is finished. There is Religious Zionism, there is Itamar Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, but there is no more Mizrachi—everyone has already become secular.

Nothing remains of the Mizrachi; all day in the army, you immediately become corrupted—on that very day, you already become corrupted and commit sins!