The Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Comforting Mourners Upon the Passing of Leah Yocheved Singer a"h

On Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh (Saturday night) of Parshas Shmini, the family members of the deceased, Mrs. Yocheved Leah Singer a"h, went up for nichum aveilim (comforting the mourners) to the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.

Her husband, R' Chaim Singer, may Hashem protect and sustain him, who serves as the attendant of our Teacher the Rav shlit"a, along with the two brothers of the deceased a"h, sat in mourning before the tzaddik. Like a comforting father, he healed their broken hearts with his strengthening words about the greatness of this righteous woman.

Together with them, the brothers-in-law from the Stern and Haas families entered, while the rest of the family members, who were bitterly mourning the passing of their sister and daughter, entered the women's section.

Rabbi Berland shlit"a repeated several times that she did not pass away, but rather she is alive in the World of Truth, because tzaddikim in their death are called living. In the essence of his words, the Rav praised her mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) for every single boy and girl who would come to the 'Chesed L'Avraham' playroom in the 'Hadassah Ein Kerem' hospital. Without distinguishing between Charedi and secular, Yocheved Leah would embrace and draw everyone close.

The Rav further added and detailed how, due to her great influence at the 'Hadassah Ein Kerem' hospital, he received the best possible medical care.

The Rav also described the terrible suffering she endured from the moment of her birth until the moment of her passing, primarily due to the fact that she was barren and did not merit to bring viable offspring into the world.

Amidst his words, the Rav mentioned that the greatest tzaddikim passed away around the age at which she passed away (34). The holy Arizal and our holy Rebbe - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov passed away at the age of 38, and similarly Rabbi Eliezer Yitzchak Papo, author of the 'Pele Yoeitz' - on the way back from whose grave in Silistra, Bulgaria, the deceased was killed - passed away at the age of 36.

The nichum aveilim (comforting of mourners) lasted for about 45 minutes, and at its conclusion, Rabbi Berland shlit"a recited Kaddish, and the mourners returned to the house of mourning on 'Shomrei Emunim' street in Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days.

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