Through Prayer and Study in Inner Rooms, the Entire World is Brought Back in Teshuvah • The Daily Lesson from Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Before you is a summary of the topics from the daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a – after the Maariv (evening) prayer on Tuesday night, the 8th of Adar 5786, Parshas Tetzaveh:

1. Everyone should study the Laws of Orlah (laws regarding fruit of a tree's first three years), Law 5, which explains that everything is accomplished through prayer and study in "inner rooms" (private, secluded study), through which the entire world is brought back in teshuvah (repentance).

2. Yael extracted the soul of Rabbi Akiva from the temple of Sisera.

3. The main thing is to be part of a chaburah (a group of spiritual seekers). If one is a tzaddik (righteous person) alone, he will ultimately not be able to endure.

4. "Curse Meroz" – the angel curses anyone who does not come to the aid of the tzaddik.

5. Yael is the most important name. She was a gilgul (reincarnation) of Eli the High Priest. Every woman who is a tzaddika (righteous woman) merits in her next gilgul (reincarnation) to be a Kohen Gadol (High Priest).

6. Childbirth is an eis ratzon (a time of Divine favor). It is possible to sweeten everything then.

7. Even at the moment a plate is broken (at a wedding), it is an eis ratzon (time of Divine favor); one can see the spark.

8. Reb Noson says that a wedding must not be for the sake of the yetzer hara (evil inclination).

9. The Gemara (Talmud) asks: How is it that at one point it says [Saul] loved [David] very much, and afterwards he asks, "Whose son is this youth?"

10. Yishai (Jesse) had sixty thousand soldiers, so how could [Saul] not have known his father?

11. Rather, the answer is that he wanted to know if he descended from Perez or Zerah. If he is from Perez, he is a king; if he is from Zerah, he will be wealthy. [Doeg the Edomite] said to him: He isn't even a Jew at all.

12. Abigail was the "daughter of Nachash" (snake), meaning she was born without the "snake" (the primordial inclination), for her father had no taste for ta'avah (physical desire).

13. Just like the sons of Zeruiah, who would fly through the air in the merit of her being like a "tzur" (rock), having no ta'avah (physical desire) whatsoever, as mentioned in Sha'ar HaGilgulim (The Gate of Reincarnations).