Review of Chag Sukkot in the Shadow of Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

WITH HEAVENLY ASSISTANCE AND HIS GREAT KINDNESS, WE MERITED AGAIN THIS YEAR TO CELEBRATE THE FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT -- 5786, FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, IN THE PRESENCE OF MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT"A. PRESENTED HERE IS A EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF THE PRAYERS AND SHIURIM THAT TOOK PLACE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SUKKOT AT OUR BEIT MIDRASH IN JERUSALEM, WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF MOREINU HARAV SHLIT"A:

AT 6:42 PM, MOREINU HARAV SHLIT"A CAME OUT TO THE BALCONY OF HIS HOME, ADORNED IN HIS RADIANT WHITE YOM TOV CLOTHES, FOR THE MINCHAH PRAYER OF EREV YOM TOV. AFTER NEARLY TEN MINUTES OF HEARTFELT SINGING OF "OR ZARUA LATZADDIK", HE STOOD FOR THE MINCHAH PRAYER. IT IS WORTH NOTING THE GREAT CROWD OF MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO CAME FROM THROUGHOUT ISRAEL, FILLING THE ENTIRE COURTYARD TO CAPACITY.

After the repetition of the Amidah, Moreinu HaRav recited the Mizmor “Hashem Malach, Ge’ut Laveish.” Then he began the melody for Barechu before Ma’ariv. Following Barechu, which he roared from his pure mouth, the Ma’ariv prayer for the Three Festivals—on the holy night of Sukkot—began, full of life and fiery enthusiasm, with all the melodies. After Ma’ariv, Moreinu HaRav recited “Samachti Be’Omrim Li…” as is customary, and after Aleinu Leshabeach entered his holy home at 7:30 PM to the song “V’Samachta BeChagecha”, concluding a fifty-minute prayer filled with joy.

"HOSHA NA…"

For Shacharit, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a came out at 4:38 AM and began with the verses from Tikkun Chatzot customarily said on Shabbat and Festivals, along with the piyyut “Sha’arei Tzion.” He continued with the Morning Zemirot, filled with wondrous vitality. At 5:10 AM he began “Hodu” and “Pesukei D’Zimra” as on every Shabbat and Yom Tov—with great fervor and flaming fire. He sang the melody “HaNechmadim MiZahav U’Mipaz Rav” for about ten minutes.

When donning his tallit, Moreinu HaRav recited the blessing, spoke a few words to those gathered on the balcony, and began Baruch She’amar at 5:50 AM. During Nishmat Kol Chai, in the song “Ki Kol Peh Lecha Yodeh”, he prolonged the singing for about ten minutes.

Afterwards came the blessings of Kriyat Shema and the Shacharit Amidah for the Three Festivals. Moreinu HaRav stood for the Amidah at sunrise. Immediately after the repetition, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a recited the blessing on the lulav and Shehecheyanu and immediately began Hallel. This year, they turned the balcony that he prays from all year long into a sukkah

How wondrous and uplifting it was to behold the Tzaddik holding the beautiful lulav and etrog in his holy hands, while below in the courtyard nearly a thousand from our community gathered to celebrate the festival in the great and holy house, B’Tzila Demeheimanuta—“in the shadow of faith.” All held their lulavim—their weapons—in hand. One cannot describe the sweetening brought about with every wave of the lulav and etrog by the Tzaddik and his disciples, lifting up and bringing down and bestowing abundance to the four directions of heaven, annulling harsh decrees and bringing about awesome salvations for all Israel.

The singing of Hallel lasted more than fifty minutes, full of fiery joy, the main prolongation being during “B’tzet Yisrael MiMitzrayim,” lasting over twenty minutes. There’s no describing the might, singing again and again, like an overflowing fountain, the vitality only ascending from moment to moment, the joy of the festival bursting forth as one. Likewise, between the verses “Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov…” and “Ana Hashem Hoshia Na,” each melody continued for about ten minutes. All of this, of course, while stopping the niggunim during the waving of the lulav together with the congregation, as is customary.

Immediately after Hallel, Moreinu HaRav began the Hoshanot, with the Torah scroll beside him, saying “Hosha Na Lema’an Amitecha…” At their conclusion, he began singing “Hoshia Et Amekha…” for a number of minutes.

After the Hoshanot, Moreinu HaRav instructed to take out the Torah scroll, and together with the congregation, with great fervor, he recited three times the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy as is customary on the Three Festivals, followed by the full “Yehi Ratzon.” Several people were called up to the Torah; Moreinu HaRav shlit"a took the aliyah of Rabbeinu HaKadosh—the fourth aliyah—and then read the Haftarah from Zechariah, the prophecy about the End of Days and about the sin of Egypt and of all the nations that will not ascend to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot.

“AND GATHER OUR DISPERSED FROM THE CORNERS OF THE EARTH”

At the conclusion of the Torah reading, Moreinu HaRav began the piyyut “Y-ah E-li V’Go’ali…” with the special Breslov melody he customarily sings, and then proceeded to the Musaf prayer of the Three Festivals.

During the repetition of the Amidah, Moreinu HaRav especially prolonged the song “VeKarev Pizurenu Mibein HaGoyim…” for about five minutes with fiery passion, followed by “Vehavi’einu L’Tzion Ircha B’Rina…”, as he fired up the entire congregation with his holy hand movements—everyone leaping and dancing in supplication. “Ul’Yerushalayim Beit Mikdashecha B’Simchat Olam…”—the entire congregation was aflame, clapping hands, in expanded consciousness.

After nearly twenty minutes, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a concluded the repetition and finished the prayer in order—“Kaveh El Hashem,” “Aleinu Leshabeach,” “Adon Olam,” and “Anim Zemirot.” Afterward, he even recited a Tikkun HaKlali. Following that, beneath the sukkah he made Kiddush for Yom Tov and gave a short shiur of about two minutes on the themes of the festival—words of the Living God. He entered his holy home at 9:20 AM, after about four hours and forty minutes of Yom Tov prayers.

MINCHAH

At the Minchah prayer on the afternoon of the festival, we again merited that Moreinu HaRav shlit"a came out to pray with us at 6:45 PM, close to sunset. He sang with the congregation for about fifteen minutes “Or Zarua LaTzaddik”, and at 7:00 PM, after Kaddish, he stood for the Amidah, the Minchah prayer of the Three Festivals. After Minchah, he sang “Shir HaMa’alot… Samachti Be’Omrim Li.”

Following Minchah, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a began the melody before Barechu and then led the Ma’ariv prayer for the conclusion of the first day of Sukkot—with melodies, vitality, and endless enthusiasm.

“SAMACHTI BEOMRIM”

After Ma’ariv, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a recited the fifteen psalms of “Shir HaMaalot,” as is customary during “Simchat Beit HaSho’eivah,” with the Rav saying each verse and the congregation repeating after him. One could truly feel in each psalm the Levites upon their platform ascending level by level through the fifteen steps, while all Israel danced.

After the completion of Shir HaMaalot, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a said Havdalah for the conclusion of the first day of Sukkot.

At the end of Havdalah, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a gave a long shiur of about seventeen minutes. At 8:05 PM, he entered his holy home, while our community continued the festival joy with the Simchat Beit HaSho’eivah dancing in fiery fervor in the new prayer tent on HaNevi’im Street—dancing that lasted until close to midnight.