Rav Berland goes back to the north

RAV BERLAND IN TIVERIA AND AT THE AMUKA, IN ISRAEL'S NORTH

Over the last week, Rav Eliezer Berland, shlita, picked up the pace again, and made a number of visits to communities and holy sites across Israel's north.

As well as giving a shiur at the new branch of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in Givat Olga, and speaking in Maalot-Tarshiha, the Rav also visited the grave of Rabbi Akiva in Tiveria - for the first time in eight years - before continuing to pray shacharit at the grave of the Amuka, Rav Yonatan ben Uzziel.

The following clip is from Rav Berland's visit to Tiveria:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwoS05NjPlM[/embedyt]

Before travelling up to the North, Rav Berland also gave a shiur in Jerusalem where he spoke about the city of Tiveria, which we are happy to share with you below:

EXCERPT OF A SHIUR GIVEN BY RAV ELIEZER BERLAND IN JERUSALEM

The Gemara relates that the best thing is to live in Tiveria. Bezrat Hashem, everyone will move to Tiveria. That’s what is written here,[1] that everyone should bring Shabbat in, in Tiveria, because it is low-lying – 200 metres under sea level, so shkeeya is earlier. And that we should bring Shabbat out in Zippori.

So, we need two apartments, an apartment in Tiveria, and another apartment in Zippori. This is [a distance of] 18 mil, so the women got confused about their boundaries, and on Shabbat they would start walking in the morning until they got to Zippori, and there they would bring Shabbat out later.

The third meal [of Shabbat] was done in Zippori.

[AT THIS POINT, ONE OF THE AUDIENCE INTERRUPTED THE RAV TO ASK A QUESTION:]

Audience member: There is a mayor in Tiveria who is ‘anti’ Shabbat.

Rav Berland: Ah, the mayor, now I understand why he is ‘anti’ the Shabbat, because it starts early there, so it’s hard for him…No, we need to judge him to the side of merit. It starts early, so it’s hard for him, poor guy. He’s still ironing things, he’s still in the middle of taking a shower, and suddenly, they’re doing Shabbat.

> We need to judge everything to the side of merit. Poor guy. He’s really a misken (unfortunate person).

Audience member: His grandfather is a big tzaddik.

Rav Berland: You don’t say. OK, so he’ll make teshuva. Every Jew is obligated to make teshuva.

Rav Yitzhak Weisshandler: His grandfather was a Breslover. I knew him. He used to come to the kibbutz[2] in Meron.

Rav Berland: What are you saying?!

> He’ll turn around.

Translated from Shivivei Or, #85

[1] Tractate Shabbat 118

[2] Before the road to Uman was opened in 1989, the Breslov community in Israel had the tradition of holding a kibbutz, or gathering, on Rosh Hashana by the grave of the Rashbi in Meron, or alternatively in Jerusalem.