Amazing: Listen to the Testimony of a Bobov Chassid Regarding His Impressions of the Historic Shabbat with Rabbi Berland shlit"a

It can be said that this past Shabbat with our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), was truly a historic Shabbat. The Rav left his home for the prayer hall close to 8:00 PM for the Mincha (afternoon) prayer, continued to Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath) and the Maariv (evening) prayer, and remained awake all night in song and praise. Afterwards, he immediately began the morning songs and the Shacharit (morning) prayer, with the highlight being the Seudah Shlishit (third meal) of the Holy Shabbat, as well as the Melaveh Malka (post-Shabbat meal) which lasted until the Shacharit prayer of Sunday morning.

Then, at 4:30 in the morning, our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a sent everyone to immerse (in the Mikvah) and bring their Tefillin (phylacteries), and they immediately continued with the Shacharit prayer. It is difficult to convey the light and the feelings of such a Shabbat of spiritual elevation in the presence of the Rav shlit"a; there is nothing like it. Therefore, we have chosen to bring before you the words of the man known as "the man of Meron," Rabbi Baruch Deitsch shlit"a (the interview is courtesy of the World Breslov Line 02-800-8-800).

Baruch Deitsch is a Bobov Chassid who, according to him (and his acquaintances will testify to this), has visited all the Chassidic courts in Israel and around the world, and finally arrived at our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. Therefore, there is no one better to hear an objective opinion from regarding the impressions of the majestic Shabbat we experienced.

"The past Shabbat, Parshat Chukat 5777, was more than anything I have seen since the Rav returned to Israel. The Rav stood and revitalized everyone (as we wrote above, the Rav stood almost from the start of Shabbat until Sunday morning in a blazing fire of Torah, prayer, and holy melodies); no one can understand the magnitude of the event until they see it live," Rabbi Deitsch shlit"a testifies with excitement.

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"700 people together singing with tears and excitement—and not for a minute or ten minutes; we only finished the Maariv of Shabbat at 10:00 PM. I don't remember if, by the time we finished the prayer, we still saw people on the street from other communities or from the edges of Meah Shearim. But we felt as if the prayer lasted only ten minutes. What vitality, what tears, and what joy there was in the melody of 'Lecha Dodi' during Kabbalat Shabbat."

"Such a great gift we were privileged to receive, such a Shabbat with the Rav shlit"a—to say the 'Shalom Aleichem' of the Kiddush (sanctification over wine) with him and the melody of 'Modeh Ani Lefanecha' before 'Eshet Chayil.' At 4:30 AM, our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a already entered for the morning songs of the Holy Shabbat (after having sung with everyone during the night at the 'Shalom Zachar' [celebration for a newborn son] that took place, as mentioned above) and for 20 minutes he just distributed prayers to everyone."

"To be honest, I didn't understand all the talk about the previous Shabbats with the Rav shlit"a; I thought it was an exaggeration. After all, I live in Bat Yam and don't have the merit to come every Shabbat, though I try to stay updated. But when they reached the melody of 'Ein Aroch Lecha Hashem Elokeinu' (There is none like You, Hashem our G-d) during the prayer, a river of tears flowed from me. Whatever I say is nothing; I was crowded together with everyone while on the parentzes (bleachers), all the children were singing with us. What simplicity, what holiness, what nobility—things that are completely beyond understanding. They sing again and again and again, and it's amazing that every time it seems as if they are singing it for the first time."

[caption id="attachment_7977" align="alignnone" width="2816"] Rabbi Berland shlit"a performing the Havdalah service[/caption]

"Fortunate is the nation that merits such a tzaddik (righteous person) in this generation; it's not us, we are nothing," Rabbi Deitsch continues in a burst of emotion as the events of the Shabbat continue to stir in his heart. "The Rav gives us the strength and vitality to ascend to such places. Don't tell me stories; I have been to all the communities and Chassidic courts in the world, I have been to all the Rabbis and Admors (Chassidic leaders), there is no place where one can receive holiness that I haven't set foot in, but nowhere do you see anything like this. With Rabbi Berland shlit"a, you see things you don't see anywhere else."

"I came, and with Hashem's help, I will come again with my family, even though I don't live in Jerusalem. Leave your logic behind and come to the Rav shlit"a; there is much to see and much to hear. There is something to take home with you and be happy with all day long. There is no tish (Chassidic gathering) in the world that reaches the level of what is seen with our teacher, Rabbi Berland shlit"a."

"I saw with my own eyes that the Rav shlit"a thinks about every nuance and every detail. For example, during Seudah Shlishit (the third meal), I wondered in my heart how 700 people crowded together would wash their hands and conduct a meal, since according to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the Holy Zohar, this is the most important meal of Shabbat. Suddenly, I see pitas and breads being brought out from the Rav's house, and basins of water being passed around for washing. Also, throughout the Shabbat, they distributed water, but suddenly at Seudah Shlishit, they distributed juice in order to fulfill the words of the Rama (Rabbi Moses Isserles) according to which one does not drink water during Seudah Shlishit. You see that the entire path of our teacher Rabbi Berland shlit"a is exactly according to the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law)."

"Unfortunately, at the conclusion of Shabbat, I had to return home, but I continued listening by phone to the events at the Rav's house. At 2:30 AM, the Rav shlit"a was still singing with the holy congregation 'Tzahali VaRoni Yoshevet Tzion' (Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion). My wife asked me, 'What is this?' I answered her, 'About the Rav, one does not ask questions!' In the morning, I heard that there was a Melaveh Malka (post-Shabbat meal) all night until the Shacharit prayer."

"To understand what Seudah Shlishit with Rabbi Berland shlit"a is, you must come. The Bobover Rebbe (the Chassidic dynasty to which Rabbi Deitsch belongs) composed the melody for 'Kah Ribon Olam' that the Rav sings. They sing it in all the courts, including our synagogue in the USA, but I have never heard it like it is with Rabbi Berland shlit"a—not even with my own Rebbe of Bobov. I felt as if we were flying like fire; tears flowed, and my heart wouldn't stop being moved. These are things I saw with my own eyes."

"Our teacher, the Rav, thinks about everyone; he himself distributed water bottles and cared for each and every person. Is there another person in the world who thinks about every single Jew in the world? It's not like—'you stand like donkeys and sing for me and exalt me'—no, on the contrary, the Rav is like a father to us who cares for each and every one. Throughout the prayer, the Rav throws treats and candies; the Rav sends prayers and brings down yeshuos (salvations). I cannot reveal it, but after the Shabbat, I merited a great salvation that I needed. I am certain that our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, prayed for me. What happened was that the Rav elevated me during the prayer, and on Sunday morning, I merited a salvation I never dreamed of in my life."

"Our teacher, the Rav, is the tzaddik (righteous person) of this generation; there is no one who comes close to him. Rabbi Berland protects everyone who comes to him and everyone who is close to him. Do not despair; whoever hasn't come until now should come from now on—come for Shacharit, Mincha, Maariv. You don't see such a tzaddik anywhere else. What prayers! No one is broken; there is mutual concern there, and everyone understands that all the others also miss the Rav after all the years we were prevented from being in his presence. Everyone understands that this is our tikkun (rectification), to come and sweat for the honor of the tzaddik."

"Fortunate are we that we merited to draw close to the tzaddik of the generation." Thus far are the words of Rabbi Baruch Deitsch shlit"a (may he live long and good days).