Do Everything with Alacrity – Daily Chizzuk of Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

THE DAILY CHIZZUK OF MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A – HOW THE RAV WOULD PRAY SHACHARIT AT THE AGE OF THIRTEEN

SUNDAY, 29 NISAN 5785

The first paragraph in Siman 1 in the Tur teaches us that we do everything with “zerizut” (alacrity).  At five, everyone needs to rise.  At five, it’s forbidden to sleep in your bed.  Sleep from 10 pm until 5 am.  This is seven hours and you don’t need more than this.  You need to already be at vatikin (the sunrise minyan) and pray with zerizut.

I would pray in three minyanim.  From the age of 13, I would pray in three minyanim.  I would go to the Great Synagogue, and it would take me an hour to say “Hodu.”  In twenty minutes, they would already reach the Amidah – I’m not capable.  This took me three minyanim.  I would pray until six minutes to 8:00 in the Great Synagogue.  Within two minutes, I would arrive at home – I would run.  I would walk with Tefilin on in public.  10,000 workers were there, travelling to the bay, to the refineries.  I would run with my Tefilin on in front of everyone, eat breakfast.  In two minutes, I would eat breakfast and in another two minutes, I would arrive at school.   Altogether, everything took six minutes.  I would arrive just at the bell, enter the classroom with the teacher after me.

This means that the first thing is zerizut.  If we finish prayers at 9:20 pm, then by 10:00, everyone should be in bed already.  Whoever can, be awake all night – good.  But by 10:00 pm, everyone needs to be in bed, and don’t let the children wander around.  Then they rise at 6:00 am, Abba rises at 5:00.  Rise with zerizut and don’t get dressed while naked in front of the books, in front of the furniture – sometimes the name Havaya is also there in the room.

“HE SHOULD TAKE HIS UNDERGARMENT” [LANGUAGE OF THE TUR], AND WHILE HE IS LYING UNDER THE BLANKET, HE SHOULD GET DRESSED WHILE HIS BODY IS COVERED.  LIKE RABBI YOSSI SAID, “NEVER IN MY LIFE DID THE BEAMS OF MY HOME SEE THE FRINGES OF MY UNDERGARMENT” (SHABBAT 118B).  EVEN HIS UNDERGARMENT WASN’T SEEN.  AND ONE SHOULDN’T SAY, “WHO SEES ME IN MY PRIVATE ROOM?”  HASHEM SEES!  “THE WHOLE EARTH IS FILLED WITH HIS GLORY!”

These are the words of the Tur, that it is forbidden for even a millimeter of one’s body to be seen – it’s forbidden for even a millimeter to be seen!

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