"If a person walks with the truth, Hashem performs miracles for him" - The Daily Chizuk from the Gaon and Tzaddik, our teacher Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, Tuesday, 24th of Tammuz 5784

Even a lion flees from a person. It is written in the Gemara (Yevamos 122a) that if a man falls into a pit of lions, his wife is forbidden (to remarry), because it is not certain that he is dead. If he falls into a pit of snakes or scorpions, his wife is permitted (to remarry), because it is certain that he died, but into a lion's den—no.

Because lions do not attack; who invented the idea that they are predators? Shuvu Banim (the Rav's Yeshiva) invented this? A lion is not a predator; a lion is a creature that loves human beings.

Like the story of Bar Kochba; it is written about Bar Kochba that they put him in a cage with lions. There was a lion that Bar Kochba had once saved when it was still a cub, so the lion recognized Bar Kochba. He immediately said to him, "Ride on me," and Bar Kochba rode on him, and he jumped on all the Romans; the lion trampled them. There is an entire song about how Bar Kochba merited to leave the cage, to leave the circus, to leave the stadium there.

This was in the stadium; they would throw people there, they would bring lions and the lions would devour them while everyone watched and enjoyed it. It is impossible to describe the cruelty of the gentiles; there is no such cruelty in the world.

So Bar Kochba rode on the lion and he managed to get out of the stadium, out of the cage. It is written, "And he was at Chezib" (Genesis 38:5). What is "Chezib"?

The Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria zt"l) says, this refers to Bar Koziba. At first, they called him Bar Kochba (son of a star), meaning he is the son of a star. Afterward, they said, "Even if grass grows on the palm of your hand, know that he is not the Mashiach (Messiah)." Know that he is Bar Koziba (son of a lie), he is not Bar Kochba.

There was a man in Warsaw whom the Nazis caught and took his sister. They snatched his sister from the street and put her in prison, put her in a cage, put her in a dungeon. He said to his mother, "I am going to release her; it doesn't matter to me, she is my sister. I am going into the Gestapo and releasing her."

The mother said, "They will take you too! The daughter is already lost, it's over. Now will I lose you too? I don't want to lose you!"

He said, "Mother, I am releasing my sister, you will see. I am going, I am determined, I will release her."

Well, he arrives and starts shouting at the commander, "Where is my sister?"

The commander answers, "What are you saying? We will imprison you too! You insolent person."

But the brother continues, "Bring me my sister, bring her to me quickly."

They say, "No, you won't get your sister, and I will imprison you too."

The brother insists, "You must bring her to me; I am not leaving here."

The commander says, "Fine, if hair grows here on the palm of your hand, I will let her out." The brother held out his hand, and the commander saw hair, because he had just had surgery. His hand had been caught in a machine and his entire palm was crushed. They reconstructed his fingers and put on new skin. They took skin from a place where hair grows, so hair grew on the skin of his palm.

The commander fainted on the spot. He said, "You are demons; you Jews are literal demons. How did you grow hair on the palm of your hand? Get out quickly with your sister, take your sister quickly!" He ran with such speed.

So Hashem performs miracles for everyone if the person walks with the truth.

Now we reach Uman; with Hashem's help (B'ezras Hashem), we will all travel to Uman now after the lesson.