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Pearls of the Holy Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

עורך ראשי

From the pearls of our teacher the Tzaddik, His Holy Eminence Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), on the eve of the 28th of Elul 5780 (2020), as delivered from Tzalmon.

Tekiah, Shevarim, Tekiah, and Tekiah, Teruah, Tekiah—these represent the nine "Dormitas" (spiritual slumbers, referring to the secret of the "Nesirah" or the mystical separation of the Divine attributes). This is why a person comes into this world: to practice self-sacrifice so that there will be Tekiah, Shevarim, Tekiah, and Teruah, until there are one hundred sounds [of the Shofar]. When there are one hundred sounds, the grave of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher) will open. Who will blow [the Shofar]? Chefzibah! For she is a direct descendant, son after son, from Natan the Prophet. The sons of David will all be Kohanim (priests) and Leviim (Levites)—all the sons.

Then, suddenly, the grave of Moshe will burst open after the hundred sounds are blown. This is the meaning of "on the day of his wedding and on the day of his heart's joy" (Song of Songs 3:11). "His heart's joy" refers to Binah (Understanding), which is the level of Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Man, the highest spiritual realm). For on Purim, there is "sending portions (mishloach manot) one to another," and also on Rosh Hashanah (Nehemiah 8:10): "send portions to those who have nothing prepared." Purim and Rosh Hashanah correspond to Adam Kadmon. Therefore, "Matityahu" has the same gematria (numerical value) as "Rosh Hashanah" (861). Matityahu is a reincarnation of Mordechai and Esther; they were reincarnated in Matityahu, which is why it equals the numerical value of Rosh Hashanah.

Therefore, in the book of Bereishis (Genesis), there are the twenty-two letters of Mordechai and Esther, for they rectified the secret of the fig—the "basket of figs." A person comes into this world to rectify the sin of the fig (the Tree of Knowledge); this is why he was born! From morning until evening, one must work on the tikkun (rectification) of the sin of Knowledge. The fig is the secret of the "basket of figs." Mordechai and Esther rectified the secret of the fig. "In the morning he shall devour the prey (ad)" (from the blessing of Binyamin son of Yaakov, from whom they descended)—"Ad" is the secret of the fig. Whoever rectifies the sin of the fig will live forever, just as Hiram, King of Tyre, lived forever. For whoever rectifies the fig will live eternally. We now have two days to rectify the sin of the fig, because Adam HaRishon (the first man) sinned on Friday, just as now, on Sunday, the first of Tishrei. The whole matter is that a person should have no blemishes of the Bris (the covenant of purity); it should be a "Covenant of Fire." Then, fire will come out of his eyes, just as it was at the Bris (circumcision) of Elisha ben Abuya (where fire surrounded Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua). His father said that the son should study Torah so that fire would also come out of his eyes. A person must pray that fire should come out of his son's eyes, just as at the Bris of Elisha ben Abuya. Fire from the eyes! To study Torah so that fire comes from the eyes—to pray! A person comes into this world for Kedushas HaBris (holiness of the covenant)! 🔥 This is why a person is born. Rabbi Meir asked him, "Elisha, explain to me, can you explain to me? You are the most chosen, the elite of the human race, you know books by heart forwards and backwards, you wrote books—The Ascents of Elisha, The Visions of Elisha, The Sparks of Elisha... how can it be that you have such a 'shagishta' (confused mind) and 'shavashta' (distorted mind)??" He replied, "I measured by the horse's hooves 🐎 that we have already walked 2,000 paces; turn back" (this occurred on Shabbat while Elisha was riding a horse, and he told Rabbi Meir that they had reached the Shabbat boundary). Elisha made sure that Rabbi Meir would not desecrate the Shabbat—so why were you desecrating the Shabbat?! It was a "shagishta" (his mind became distorted). Whoever has a "shagishta" is like those in Eitanim (a psychiatric hospital). Mordechai and Esther are "watching from the windows" (Song of Songs 2:9)—watching, watching. For Queen Esther peeked out, as a queen is forbidden from standing at a window, only through the lattices—"peering through the lattices." What did she see? She saw the seventy sons of Haman walking bowed over and weeping, weeping an ocean of tears like babies they were crying 😭: "Why did we oppose Mordechai? Why did we believe our wicked father 👹? We opposed the Tzaddik..." Weeping and weeping, bowing to the ground! Like Antoninus and Rebbe (where the Emperor nullified himself before Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and asked him to step on him)—he was the emperor of the world, like Trump. They were bowing to the ground: "Mordechai, step on us!" Esther saw all of this, "peering through the lattices"—this is Queen Esther who saw from one end of the world to the other 🌍; she knew everything that would happen until the end of generations. "The sated have hired themselves out for bread (shiv'im balachem)" (from the prayer of Hannah)—this refers to the seventy sons of Haman. In the whole world, he had seventy, and they all came to hang Mordechai. They lay on the ground: "Step on us!" [Here are the] vowels and cantillation marks: וַ֠יְהִי כְּֽהוֹצִיאָ֞ם אֶת־הַמְּלָכִ֣ים הָאֵלֶּה֘ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ֒ וַיִּקְרָ֨א יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ אֶל־כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַ֠יֹּאמֶר אֶל־קְצִינֵ֞י אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הֶהָלְכ֣וּא אִתּ֔וֹ קִרְב֗וּ שִׂ֚ימוּ אֶת־רַגְלֵיכֶ֔ם עַֽל־צַוְּארֵ֖י הַמְּלָכִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַֽיִּקְרְב֔וּ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ אֶת־רַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־צַוְּארֵיהֶֽם: (Joshua 10:24) It is written in Joshua that one must step on the neck—it is a positive commandment. Mordechai stepped on their necks! 👞 On the neck he stepped. And the head almost popped out. Then Haman asked him, "Why are you doing this?? Innocent children?? What are they guilty of??" But in the end, they converted! "From the descendants of Haman, they studied Torah in Bnei Brak"—they converted! This is why we mention this on the night of the Seder (". . . who were reclining in Bnei Brak" from the Passover Haggadah), because Haman was hanged twice: once he was hanged on the night of the 17th [of Nissan], and the second time he was hanged on the 14th. "What is it, Queen Esther, and what is your request?"—you have rectified the day. So they took him out of the grave; he was in a freezer ❄️—in the past, there was a freezer better than ours—and then they hanged him.

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