The rodfim know no rest. They have already shown their war techniques in Morocco, Zimbabwe, and Johannesburg - when they couldn't influence the local authorities they used the media as a tool to give the Rav a bad reputation turning the locals against his residing there. They spread the same lies that they began in the Israeli media in the first place, translating it to the local language while adding some "flavor" (see the lies of the Israeli media exposed). The papers in Zimbabwe have already admitted to receiving large sums of money to make it a front-page story "sex-pest Rabbi on the run" when in fact he was asked to leave Zimbabwe due to an expiring visa. And as was recently revealed in court (listen here) the accusations that the Israeli's are making are completely different than what was written in the newspapers, which even for that they have no proof for. The newspapers in Zimbabwe as well as that in Morocco said the name of the person who sent them the stories from Israel and off the record the amount they were paid to have them published (in the hundreds of thousands). He is well known in Shuvu Bonim when he lost his high position after being caught in a scandal involving large amounts of money and power which he hoped to inherit. On his side is the Israeli Police which have thier own incentives in stopping the Rabbi from influencing people in Israel as has been known for years. They have been successful in getting him handcuffed for a few seconds without a headcovering snapping a photo and getting it spread all over the world (the media loves that stuff) and added the title "Fugitive sex-pest Rabbi nabbed" when in fact the handcuffs had nothing to do with that. But since when do we hear about someone being handcuffed for visa problems? With money anything is possible, especially in Zimbabwe as is well known.
All this was carefully planned by the rodfim from Israel in order to harm the Rabbi's image and the influence he has on people. See also this article in the South African Jewish Report published about half a year ago. But the more they unabashedly chase the Rav the more the truth is being revealed and people are starting to understand what is truly happening here.
However, they still have not learned their lesson. The same techniques that were used before are being used again in Holland. After being shamefully turned down three times in court and lastly in their attempt to get the Rabbi away from his followers during the holidays, a time when he attracts the most following (note: all their major attempts in which they succeeded in expelling the Rav from Morocco, Zimbabwe and Johannesburg were around holiday time), the enemies of the Rav are once again fighting full-force through the media both in Holland and in nearby Belgium where many of his students are staying. They are again trying to influence all major media outlets as well influential people in the Jewish community.
Thank G-d the Judicial system in Europe is fairer than that of the previous places and the Judges clearly saw through these blackmail attempts and judged honestly without caving in to local pressure. For the most part the locals are pleased to have the chassidim, but as always the peaceful ones are not the most vocal, and the media always likes a juicy story that will raise ratings. Thankfully there are a majority of pure-hearted honest people in the world who don't quickly fall for the way the media portrays people.
The next step for Rabbi Berlands lawyer Sharon Nahari is to release the requirement of the Rav to sign daily to prove he is staying in Holland and eventually to have him free to travel wherever he wishes.
As for Israel - it's only a matter of time until the current Government collapses, when that happens Rabbi Berland will return to lead his followers and all the Jewish people - given the respect deserving of a king. His ideals or Torah, prayer, and peace can then be spread without impediment.
"ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד"
Showing posts with label Shuvu Bonim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shuvu Bonim. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
How Rabbi Eliezer Berland came to Breslov - Translated from the Hebrew Knishta Chada journal
This is a rough translation from the Knishta Chada bi-weekly journal in Hebrew - Issue 26 Shvat 5774
To see the original click here - Knishta Chada
BS”D BR”H – Issue 26 - January 2014
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| Rabbi Berland at age 13 (Bar Mitzvah photo) |
We mentioned in previous issues about the chavrusa (study partnership) that our teacher Rav Eliezer Berland had with Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt”l (known as “The Steipler”). We spoke about how the Steipler respected him and even stood up for him in respect etc. (see issue 21).
Many ask, “If the Rav was first a Litvak and studied in Ponyvezh Yeshiva then how did he get to Breslov”?
Shabbos in Zimbabwe the Rav told the story to his daughters about his coming close to the Breslov chassidus. We weren’t there so we didn’t hear exactly what was said, however part of this story has already been published in an article about the Rav in “Mishpacha” magazine (Hebrew/English), and some of it we heard from classes which the Rav gave in previous years.
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| Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Mishkovsky |
About 60 years ago when the Rav was a student in Yeshivas Knesses Chizkiyahu in Kfar Chasidim he was already recognized as a Gaon (genius) and great masmid (extremely studious) in Torah. He would study 20 hours a day without a break. Once, when he was 17 years old, the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Eliyahu Eliezer Mishkovsky zt”l said to him, “You must go out to the fields to misboded (literally ‘be alone’ or ‘meditate’)”, he said, “everyday go out to the fields for two hours [to give yourself a break]”. The Rav had not yet heard of the Breslov chassidus and did not know about hisbodedus in the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, but in order to fulfil the commands of his Rosh Yeshiva he would go every day to be alone in the fields surrounding the village of Kfar Chassidim. He felt such pleasantness in his hisbodedus that instead of traveling back and forth from his home in Haifa to the Yeshiva every day, and in order to guard his eyes on the way (from seeing immodestly dressed women on the public buses), he would walk 2 hours in each direction. In those days the entire way was made up purely of fields
and orchards. His entire essence, however, was completely absorbed in the holy Torah. There in Kfar Chassidim he became very close to the mashgiach Rav Eliyahu Lopian (known as Reb Elyah). When the Rav was still a 20 year old boy Reb Elyah said to him “A great Rosh Yeshiva will come out of you.”
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| Reb Elyah Lopian |
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| Reb Chaim Friedlander |
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| Reb Chatzkel Levinstein |
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| Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky "The Steipler" |
After their wedding the Rav and the Rebetzin continued to live in Bnei Brak and the Rav went to learn in Kollel Volozhin. There in Bnei Brak the Rav became very close to Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt”l (The “Steipler”), and learned with him chavrusa every day for an hour – this went on for a few years. When the Rav was still in Kfar Chassidim he would write many letters to the Steipler with halachic questions. Later on he would continue writing his questions until he amassed a notebook full of shutim (questions and answers) from the Steipler. Once, when they were learning together, the Rav expressed his yearnings to discover the inner depths of Prayer. The Steipler said to him, “Go pray with the Chassidim”. So one Purim eve the Rav went from one chassidus to the next looking for a place where they are serving Hashem sincerely, until he came to the Breslov Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. When he entered he found to his surprise the place completely silent, there was practically no one there. He bumped into the Mashgiach Rav Nachman Rosenthal and asked him, “Why is it so quiet? Do you not celebrate Purim here?”
So Rav Rosenthal answered him, “By us on Purim, everyone goes to sleep early so they can wake up at midnight and go to the fields to prepare for Purim – to pray ‘save me from the klipah of Haman/Amalek and merit me the holiness of Mordechai and Esther’. For how could a person waste such a holy night with wildness and drunkenness, a night of which it is written, ‘whoever stretches out his hand [in prayer] is given to’.” The Rav was very impressed by this answer and from that moment he began coming close to Breslov.
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| Rabbi Berland and Rabbi Rosenthal in later years |
The Rav once said that the Rebetzin was the one who encouraged him to learn Breslov sfarim (books), she would test him if he is really learning them, for she was well versed in all the Breslov books, and even to this day she delivers deep and inspiring classes on Rebbe Nachman’s teachings to the women of the community.
In the “Nitzotzot” magazine which was just issued in honor of the 10th of Teves, Rav Nachman Rosenthal who was the mashgiach of the Breslov Yeshiva in Bnei Brak when the yeshiva was established over 50 years ago, relates the following story: One day a person come to the Steipler with a request that the Speipler should bless his wife who was in desperate need of a specific salvation. The Steipler answered him “Go to my neighbor Rav Eliezer Berland and request from him a blessing”. The person went the Rav’s house but the Rav was in the field doing hisbodedus at the time. “Leave a note with your name and I will deliver it to him for a blessing” answered the Rebetzin. After a couple of days the man returned to the Rav's house with an envelope enclosed with a very large sum of money and handed it over to the Rav as a gesture for the salvation of his wife. The Rav refused to take the money but the man argued with him and pleaded until he just placed down the envelope and left the house.
The Rav discussed it over with the Rebetzin and decided to go out in the street."This money does'nt belong to me. I will go out in the street and the first Rosh Yeshiva I meet I will give him the envelope". The Rav left the house and right away met the Rosh Yeshiva of Breslov R' Shimon Bergstein zt"l and happily handed over the envelope. Later on, says Rav Rosental, R' Shimon Bergstein told him that that money was what kept the yeshiva alive.
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| Rabbi Shimon Bergstein |
The Steipler's son Hagaon R' Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a is very fond of the Rav and when his wife Rebetzin Batsheva a"h passed away Rav Berland wasn't in Israel. After the Shiva when the Rav returned to Israel immediately when getting off the plane he was told that R' Chaim is waiting for the Rav to be menachem ovel (console the relatives of the deceased).
The Rav went directly there from the airport and when he arrived, there were no visitors, and in general even the most prominent rabbis are not allowed more then ten minutes as not to interfere R' Chaim's course of learning. The Rav sat with him for 45 minutes and told him about the greatness of Rabbanit Batsheva a"h that in her merit did the Rav go out of the house for whole nights to do hisbodedus when she helped Rebetzin Tehila and looked after the children. The Rav also read from Tana Dvei Eliyahu who writes "I Testify heaven and earth that whether a man or women etc' according to their actions can "Ruach Hakodesh" (divine inspiration) dwell upon them". We were told afterwards that during the visit R' Chaim had tears streaming down his face and afterwards he said that among all the people that came in the course of the week he hadn’t been consoled like that by anyone else.
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| Rabbi Berland being menachem ovel Reb Chaim |
At the beginning of the Rav's coming close to Breslov in Bnei Brak he would do hisbodedus the whole night, walking along the old train tracks from the evening until the morning - 16 kilomters each way. He would start off by a sign that said 5 k"m and would know to return when he reached a sign that said 21 k"m and would make it on time for the vasikin minyan (prayer at dawn).
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| Rabbi Berland teaching at Yeshiva Shuvu Bonims early days in Bnei Brak |
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov says that all of the tzadikkim of the generations reached their levels because they did hisbodedus and it is impossible to be a tzadik without hisbodedus. It is also told about the Steipler and the Chofetz Chaim and many other tzadikim who were known to do hisbodedus every day (refer to the book "haderech hayishana" which is brought at the end of the book “shivcho shel tzadik”).
The veterans of Yeshivat Shuvu Bonim relate that the Rav would disappear for weeks doing hisbodedus in the fields and when he would return he would return with such a fire that in his lectures and would "ignite" everyone to avodas hashem (service of the Creator).
The Rebbi says that a Tzaddik that has humility has a gravitational force, and like the Earth which draws everything to it, everyone is drawn to the tzaddik. In that way slowly but surely more and more students who sincerely longed for Hashem's words were drawn to the Rav until gradually the yeshiva in Bnei Brak was established.
In one of his lectures the Rav said that only since I studied by the "litvaks" for 25 years do you have today in breslov Rav Eliezer Berland. Some of the students who come to the Rav for a blessing the Rav tells them “learn choshen mishpat, ktzos hachoshen, tokfo cohen etc’ 18 hours or 20 hours every day”. Some of them think that the Rav is joking or exaggerating since they don’t know that the Rav himself did just that for many years. Many times the Rav said that prior to becoming a breslover you must be like a litvak and learn 18 hours a day and then put all that energy into avodas hashem like rabeinu said "I want my words to spread to litvish hearts" (Siach Sarfei Kodesh).
Recently one of the Rav's students met Rav Binyomin Finkel shlit"a Mashgiach of Mir Yerushalayim, and asked him about the the Rav, Rav Finkel answered him “Rav Berland imbues the idea of ‘toil in torah’ into chassidus, I constantly pray for him to return to Israel”.
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| Rabbi Binyomin Finkel |
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