"For the Tzaddik, Iron Combs Are the Greatest Pleasure"

The Daily Strengthening from HaGaon HaTzaddik, our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), Wednesday, 3rd of Av 5784

The entire world heard the Ten Commandments; it was in seventy languages, and even Yisro (Jethro) did teshuvah (repentance).

It is written in Likutey Moharan, Torah 11, that when Yisro did teshuvah, the entire world did teshuvah, because he was the head of the "popes" (the leaders of idolatry).

It is written in the Zohar (Exodus) that Yisro was the chief "pope" and he knew all the forms of avodah zarah (idolatry). For every idol has one day a year when it heals, because Hashem wanted to mislead all the nations, to give them a punishment, so He made it that one day a year the idol heals.

There are 35 types of idolatry, and Yisro knew which idol heals on which day. Yisro knew that it was all a lie, just like Avraham Avinu (our forefather Abraham) who emerged from the fiery furnace, then Nimrod gave him Eliezer [according to Targum Yonatan (Genesis 14:14), Eliezer was the son of Nimrod].

The Zohar (Parshas Behar, Part 3) says that when Avraham was saved from the furnace, the entire world did teshuvah (repentance). A person emerges alive from a fiery furnace—everyone does teshuvah, even Avraham's mother, Amtalai bas Karnebo, who was the most wicked, and she did teshuvah. She saw that Avraham emerged from the fiery furnace and said, "There is a God in the world."

A person overcomes the fire; a person can emerge from within the fire, because a person can conquer the fire, and all those generations did teshuvah and everyone entered Gan Eden (Paradise). Because they saw that a person could emerge alive from within the fire—only Avraham emerged upset.

Everyone was in joy; they said, "We discovered a new God, the true God," but Avraham emerged upset, he emerged broken. Avraham said, "Why wasn't I burned? I wanted to be burned like Nadav and Avihu who wanted to be burned for Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's Name). Like Rabbi Akiva, whose "disciples said to him: 'Our teacher, even to this extent?' He said to them: 'All my days I was troubled by this verse, "with all your soul"'" (Niddah 61b).

Rabbi Akiva said, "I have been waiting 120 years for this moment." He was exactly 120 years old on Yom Kippur. They combed his flesh with iron combs—iron combs are the greatest pleasure for the tzaddik (righteous person), "Such arose in My thought" (Menachos 29b).

For the tzaddik, iron combs are the greatest pleasure. Tineius Rufus (the Roman governor) asked Rabbi Akiva, "Are you a sorcerer? What is happening here?" He said to him, "No, this is my greatest pleasure! For 120 years I waited for this moment, and now I should give it up?"

Rabbi Avraham Elimelech (Perlow of Karlin) went for Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's Name); many Rebbes went for Kiddush Hashem, wanting to be burned together with everyone.

Rebbe Nachman was in the Land of Israel; he arrived here on the 1st of Av. On Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), he was in Meron and he cried out such shouts that they were heard as far as Safed—the main thing is the shouts.