You Need the Tzaddik to Explain to You What Hashem Intends! The Daily Lesson

The lesson of our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), delivered after the Maariv (evening) prayer on the night of the 12th of Shevat, deals with deep and fundamental matters of Divine Providence, the connection between the Tzaddik (righteous leader) and the People of Israel, and the power of Emunah (faith). The Rav shlit"a discusses diverse topics—from the sin of Adam HaRishon (the first man) to the days of Ahasuerus and Queen Esther—connecting them to current events and understanding our role in the service of Hashem (God). Through stories and examples, important messages regarding the influence of the Torah on reality and the conduct of the world are emphasized.

Below are the main points as they were stated in the lesson:

Adam HaRishon and Chavah's Sin

"Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel." Adam HaRishon (the first man) forbade Chavah (Eve) more than was necessary, because he said it is forbidden to eat and forbidden to touch. Then the serpent pushed her against the tree and nothing happened, so he said to her: "This tree was created before Hashem; Hashem ate from this tree and that is how He created worlds—you should also eat."

Inviting the Women Before the Giving of the Torah

Hashem called the women before Matan Torah (the Giving of the Torah) and said to them, "Honor your father and your mother." There is a dispute whether they said "Yes"—meaning we understood it is forbidden to murder—or if they said "No"—meaning we will not murder. Bilaam said to the nations of the world: "You didn't understand; the plain meaning is: 'No, you shall murder!'"

Moshe and Precision in Timing

Moshe (Moses) said "at approximately midnight" (kechatzot) because he knew that if it wasn't exact, they would say he is a liar. Even though all the firstborns in Egypt died, the mothers asked, "Why did eighty of my sons die?" Moshe said, "Do the math yourself."

The Power of Heresy

Apikorsus (heresy) is so great that if the Tzaddik makes a mistake for even one second, it is enough for people to say he is a liar. As they said, "You have killed the people of Hashem." They truly believed in the Tzaddik—that the Tzaddik does everything. Then everyone died from the plague, and Aharon (Aaron) grabbed the Angel of Death by the neck. The Angel of Death said to him, "Whom should one listen to—the Tzaddik or Hashem?" Aharon said to him, "You don't understand Hashem at all; you need the Tzaddik to explain to you what Hashem intends." But they said that all of Moshe's miracles were just a fata morgana (mirage).

The Role of the Woman

Therefore, one needs the wife to protect her husband. The role of the woman is to guard the husband so he doesn't go to those who oppose the Tzaddik. The wife of On ben Pelet bought him champagne; it is written in the book Pikadon D' that he asked her, "What will be with Tefillin (phylacteries)?" She said to him, "Do your own calculation: What is better—to sleep for one night and put on Tefillin for a hundred years, or to put on Tefillin for one day and sleep for a hundred years?"

Vashti vs. Ahasuerus

Like the argument between Vashti and Ahasuerus: Is the merit of ruling over 127 provinces because Nebuchadnezzar took four steps—which is Vashti's merit—or three steps, which is Ahasuerus's merit? Vashti said to Ahasuerus, "You used to wash the horses." Because a hand with five fingers came out and wrote "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin"—Hashem has numbered your kingdom. There are four opinions as to how it was written. Only Daniel knew how to read it, so Belshazzar said to him, "If this is true, you will receive a third of the kingdom." He said, "No one goes out and no one comes in."

Belshazzar's Feast and the Persian Revolt

They drank thousands of barrels of wine there, and he had to go to the bathroom through a secret opening. When he returned to the main entrance, Cyrus and Darius were the bodyguards. They said, "The King said even if the King himself comes, smash his head." Cyrus and Darius only drank half-bottles, and they killed all the Chaldeans who drank whole bottles.

Vashti and Her Transformation into a Queen

Vashti didn't understand what was happening; she was twelve years old. She saw Darius wearing her father's clothes, so he hid her under his cloak. He forced her to marry Ahasuerus. And this is the secret: if it was written "Vashti the Queen," then she is Vashti and also the Queen, the King's wife. But if it is "The Queen Vashti," then she is the Queen (in her own right).

Ahasuerus's Feast

Then Ahasuerus said, "Let's see who we hang at the end of the meal," and we will make a feast for 180 days. After 180 days, no one was hung. They said it was because the Jews didn't come. They made another feast, and then on the last night, he became intoxicated using the holy vessels (from the Temple). Vashti did not come to the feast because it was the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of her father—so says the Bnei Yissaschar—because 180 days from the 3rd of Tishrei ends on the 2nd of Nissan, and there are 6 missing months, which brings it to the night of the 15th of Nissan—the night of the Seder. That was when Belshazzar's head was cut off.

Esther and Her Influence on the Monarchy

"And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus," who ruled over 127 provinces—this was in the merit of Esther. Esther merited the kingdom over 127 provinces on the 1st of Tevet because Sarah lived 127 years. Every chapter of Tehillim (Psalms) that a woman says, she merits to conquer another province. Every girl should finish Tehillim by a quarter to twelve, sleep until eight in the morning, go to the seminar (school), and she will be a principal.

The Captives and the Return to Judaism

Speak with the heads of the councils; they all agree to open seminars, because all the female captives (from the war) are keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath). They didn't cook on Shabbat; they want to be Jewish. Because they were taught that the People of Israel were finished, that today there are Arabs and they should marry a tall Arab with blue eyes. Afterward, of course, the girls regret it because they only receive beatings all day.

The Illusion of False Peace

They prepared "peace balloons," saying they want to hug you. On the entire wall in Zikim, such words of love and affection for the Arabs were written, just like in the French Revolution: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" (Love, Brotherhood, and Peace). Now everyone is doing teshuvah (repentance); they see how much they are "loved" in Gaza...

Torah Study as the Solution

The boys should learn four pages of Gemara (Talmud), the girls should say Tehillim (Psalms), and the married men should learn the laws of theft (Hilchos Geneivah), chapter 5, with their wives.