A Wondrous Story: 12 Hours of Dancing and Borders Opened Without Visas / A Miraculous Tale

A group of Chassidim was stuck at the Russian border without entry visas. Rabbi Berland shlit"a danced with them for 12 consecutive hours to sweeten the judgments, until the border opened miraculously.

A Wondrous Story: 12 Hours of Dancing and a Border Opened Without Visas

The Chassid, Rabbi Yitzchak Weitzhandler, may his light shine, relates a wondrous event that occurred during one of the trips for Shabbos Chanukah. A large group of Chassidim traveled to Russia, led by Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. The plan was for a certain individual to wait for them at the airport and bring the required visas for everyone. However, Hashem orchestrated events in such a way that this person never arrived.

A Nerve-Wracking Wait and a Dance of Emunah (Faith)

In those days, there was absolutely no chance of entering the Russian borders without proper visas. The situation seemed hopeless, but the tzaddik was not confused at all and did not lose his absolute trust in Hashem for a single moment. As the verse states: "And David strengthened himself in Hashem his God," so too did the Rav shlit"a hold fast to his burning faith.

He recalled the words of the holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy"a, who says in his book Likutey Moharan (Torah 18, Section 1): "Through dancing, the judgments are sweetened." Without hesitation, the Rav shlit"a began to dance with the entire congregation. He danced, leaped, and whirled with tremendous enthusiasm, hour after hour.

Twelve Hours of Sweetening Judgments

This continued for twelve consecutive hours! The Rav shlit"a did not stop dancing for a moment, aside from one brief pause for the Minchah prayer. Among the crowd, there were those who struggled to understand this wondrous conduct, wondering in their hearts: 'How can one do such a thing? Bringing an entire congregation, there are no visas, and the Rav makes no natural effort (hishtadlus) but only dances and dances?'

But Hashem, Who made, makes, and will make all things, revealed His great power. He is the Ruler and He is the Guide, and He performed miracles and wonders for them the likes of which had never been heard. Suddenly, in a miraculous manner completely above the laws of nature, the authorities approved the entry of the entire large group without any visas at all!

At that moment, everyone saw tangibly how the tzaddik lives every moment with pure faith. They understood that when a person sees nothing but Hashem alone, all the laws of nature are completely nullified and voided before him. This is the power of pure faith, which overrides all the systems of nature.

A Story: Six Months in the United States to Merit Reaching Uman

Hashem knows the extent of the mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) of Breslov Chassidim in those days, just to merit reaching the holy gravesite of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in Uman. One of the main ways they sacrificed themselves was by leaving their homes and families for several months to stay in a foreign land. The goal was to stay in the United States to obtain American citizenship, because in those years, it was only possible to cross the Iron Curtain and travel to Uman with a foreign passport.

Self-Sacrifice to the Very Last Drop of Strength

For Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, as in all holy matters, this mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) truly reached the very last drop of his strength. It is known that the Rav shlit"a stayed in the United States for about six months during that period. These were long months of immense spiritual work, accompanied by many cries, hisbodedus (secluded personal prayer) to Hashem, and long prayers that pierced the heavens.

The Rav shlit"a spent this period in the home of the pious tzaddik, Rabbi Yaakov Pinchas Gvirtz shlit"a, the rabbi of the "K'Vatikin" synagogue in the Boro Park neighborhood. Rabbi Yaakov Pinchas merited to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim (welcoming guests) with great beautification and wondrous dedication, hosting Morinu HaRav shlit"a in his home for that entire half-year.

Gratitude and Wondrous Stories

Morinu HaRav shlit"a holds immense gratitude toward him for this to this very day. Whenever the opportunity arises, he publicly mentions his host's dedication and praises his hospitality.

On the other hand, Rabbi Yaakov Pinchas Gvirtz shlit"a has many wondrous stories from those days. He merited to see up close the awesome and holy Divine service of Morinu HaRav shlit"a during the time he stayed in his home, a living testimony to the self-sacrifice of a true tzaddik. These stories remain engraved in his heart, testifying to the magnitude of the Rav shlit"a's sacrifice and yearning to reach the holy gravesite.

A Moving Story from America: I Didn't Come Here for Money, Only for Rebbe Nachman

One of the people who was close to Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a tells a wonderful story from the period of the Rav's stay in the United States. In those days, the Rav made a tremendous and extraordinary impression on all the congregants of the local synagogue. His holy presence radiated to everyone around him, leaving a deep mark on the hearts of the people who merited to be in his company.

Vitality and Joy in the Country of Wealth

Every day, after concluding the morning study sessions, Morinu HaRav shlit"a would deliver a class on the book Likutey Moharan. Following the class, the Rav would sweep the entire congregation into dances of tremendous enthusiasm and immense joy. This was a true wonder, as none of the attendees dared or even wanted to leave the circle until the Rav shlit"a finished dancing.

This was a tremendous novelty in America, a place where people are always rushing to their businesses and their work. It became clear that only the tzaddik, with his immense spiritual power, is capable of infusing such vitality and joy into the service of Hashem, specifically in a country where people chase after material wealth. This reminded many of the well-known tale of the holy Rebbe Nachman of Breslov zy"a in Sipurei Ma'asiyot (Rebbe Nachman's Tales), about the Master of Prayer who brought the people of the Country of Wealth back to the right path.

The Absolute Refusal of Donations

In those days, it became known to the congregants of the synagogue that Morinu HaRav shlit"a, thank God, has a family blessed with many children. They also heard that his financial situation was very tight and that he needed help with parnassah (livelihood) for his home. Out of tremendous love and appreciation for the Rav, the people were very happy to generously offer him large donations with an open hand, in order to ease his situation.

However, to the great surprise of all those present, Morinu HaRav shlit"a firmly refused to accept even a single penny. He stood his ground and declared before them in clear words that penetrated their hearts: "I did not come here for money! I came here solely for the holy Rebbe Nachman!"

This story illustrates more than anything the pure mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) of the Rav shlit"a. His entire goal and desire was only to spread the light of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in the world, without any personal interest or request for material reward.

From Issue 79 — Parashat Eikev

From the series "A Tzaddik Rules in the Fear of God" — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" Publications